Great job! I used it myself for the first time recently on Elk handles. Worked nicely. I just had to be patient and work slowly. Neither of which I'm very good at. From this:(Image removed from quote.)to this:(Image removed from quote.)
Nice job ! Yes, it does require some patience and in my case quite a few coats. I wasn't sure how strong to mix it so I started with it too diluted. Worked my way up to fairly strong mix that did the trick.
Just the parts you want to darken. I let it pool in the jigging and left it in there for longer than the shiny parts. I stayed off the light areas by the bolsters. I found that at first the liquid would bead up and I had to rub it in a few times until it started sit more evenly. I suspect the less polished the bone the easier it would work.
I have a couple of knives where the bone covers were badly mismatched in color so I had read about using Potasium Permanganate to darken bone. I decided to get some and give it a try. I found some on ebay and it arrived yesterday. I had some luck darkening the bone on a couple of really old knives and it worked fairly well. I suspect that there is too much oil and contaminants in the old bone for it to be completely effective. It did work fairly well in matching them better.I also have this GEC Harness Jack that I've done some work on reprofiling the blade and adjusting the tangs as it was a bit of a nail breaker. One other thing about it is that I've never really like the light honey color on the covers. I decided to try and darken them with the PP and it really worked well. Here are some before and after picsBefore/After(Image removed from quote.)(Image removed from quote.)(Image removed from quote.)(Image removed from quote.)Very pleased how this turned out !linkPotassium-Permanganate
I am surprised you can even purchase potassium permangante as it is an essential ingredient in:1) rocket fuel and 2) high explosives.Is it pure or is it in solution?
It's also used as a disinfectant and drain cleaner or drain something or other.
Never heard of PP. Would the covers darken over time with use? I like the final product a lot on both examples I especially like the knives.
I have a couple of knives where the bone covers were badly mismatched in color so I had read about using Potasium Permanganate to darken bone. I decided to get some and give it a try. Very pleased how this turned out !