making "bone" type stuff... how?

[hydin]

I have been hankering for a set of wolverine claws in bone.

I always dug em, and thought it would be a pretty nifty thing to set up in a display since I have a few anatomical models laying around.

I can sculpt em easy enough out of clay and wooden dowels, but I am kind of stuck on how to get that "semi pitted" look that bone has. I know his claws weren't porous due to the fact if they were they would snap like twigs, but I also know from ER visits that even big bones like the ulna and femur and tibia have a sort of "gnarled" appearance to them.

I know they make lots of things to press into clay for textures, but do they make bones? or bone sponges or something?

I haven't been able to find anything on a google search except a lot of bone casts and taxidermy places.

Thanks for any help/advice
Chris

 

[Paradox]

Sculpt them the way you want them, then give the mold an initial coating with resin that you stirred up quickly to get air bubbles. Make this a thin coating. Once cured, pour normal resin into the mold to make the casting solid. Once that is cured, the surface air bubbles would look like the "porous" parts of the bone.

Just a thought, never did it myself. Good luck, I hope this helps.

-G

 

[superjedi]

http://www.fauxbone.com/

 

[SgtFang]

This place has a great bone colored semi-flex resin but I can't remember the name- Just tell them you want the bone colored version of BL-55


Gersan Industries, Inc.

Plastic Products

205 Woodbine Avenue
High Point, NC 27260

Phone: (336) 886-5455
Fax: (336) 882-1078

Good luck.

-Sarge

 

[TI-6212]

You also might want to check out Solid Surface Corian ™ counter top material.
I'm not sure how thick it might be, but a lot of custom knife makers use it for handle materials.

Good Luck.

-T

 

[hydin]

Cool.

I used to sell that counter top stuff :lol

It's neat, but not really what i would use for a bone kind of material (for this project anyway).

SgtFang - thanks for the heads up. That was my next question heh. They don't make a dye for resin called "bone", closest I have found is "ivory" and that leaves a little to be desired.

superjedi - Awesome link. I think I may have to skip my original idea of rounded claws and go for more of a beveled look, and try cutting em outta that stuff. It looks pretty nice, and has a great texture to it. I just wish it came in thicknesses (or thicknii?) of more than 1/4".

Thanks for the help guys, keep the links coming.
Chris

 

[penwiper]

Okay, this is a really wierd idea, but some kinds of candy (peppermint canes, etc.) have that sort of light porous feel to them. Not suggesting that you make candy claws, but maybe you could somehow cast the surface texture?

Though I bet you could make a mint at a sci-fi con selling candy claws.

Gen

 

[Serafino]

Corian's not great for structural strength when it's thin.

I wonder if that 'faux bone' stuff is just ivory micarta? Good stuff in any case, and those are decent prices for it in small quantities I guess.