Q&A About Imported Bone Tatting Shuttles

Q&A About Imported Bone Tatting Shuttles

Dave tries to never rag on any other shuttles or shuttle makers, but he has gotten a few questions from patrons asking what they can do about the inexpensive imported bone shuttle they bought that has come apart where it has been glued together. He provides the following information from his experience:

"These imported bone post shuttles are held together with modern CA glue or cyanoacrylates [tradenames: Hot Stuff, Zap, Crazy Glue, etc.]. CA glue is great and I use it on wood and ancient ivory however I do not use it to make a bone post shuttle. Why? Bone is not ivory! Ivory is a modified tooth (tusk) and is formed differently than bone. Bone was a living organ within the animal and filled with blood, marrow and fatty acids and oils. The processing of bone includes a "de-greasing" process which requires soaking in a solvent to remove all the grease. If not completely de-greased all the way through, the bone will continue to oooze oil to the surface, even years later. My guess is that the problem some folks are having is maybe the bone material was not completely de-greased. It would be something like rubbing a little vasoline on the 2 surfaces and then trying to stick them together with glue. That won’t work!

If you want to keep your bone shuttle I recommend you pick up a can of liquid Coleman Stove Fuel which is also called "white gas", put some in a mason jar and soak the bone shuttle parts in it for about a month, changing the solvent a couple of times. The white gas is flamable and should be kept in the garage or outside and away from any ignition sources. Once de-greased and dry you can rough up the glue points on the bone with sand paper and re-glue with CA glue.

A couple of years ago I bought a few bison leg bones from a Buffalo Ranch here in Oregon and started the process of cleaning and de-greasing the bone. What a job! What a mess! It seemed to take for ever changing the solvent time after time before I felt all the oils were all out of the bone. I still don’t use the bone for gluing post shuttles, I only use it to make the one piece side shuttles and Lady Hoare shuttles.

Ivory on the other hand is a different story. Fresh ivory may have some natural oils but I do not use fresh ivory. The ancient mammoth ivory I use has been in the ground or ice for over 10,000 years and any oils have long since been leached away and the CA glue works perfect on an ivory shuttle.
One time I did find that some ivory I bought had been polished in a tumbler using a walnut shell medium. While nut shells polished the ivory it left a oil film on the ivory that would not hold glue. It took me awhile to figure out what was going on and I that had to de-grease that lot of ivory if I was going to use any glue.

You have heard the saying that oil and water don’t mix...well nether does oil and CA glue! I just suspect that the imported bone shuttles are more production shuttles for the world market and in production modes sometimes quality control is lacking and short cuts taken.

Hope this helps answer some of those questions. I figured some other tatters might find this useful."

Dave

Buffalo Bone Small Crochet Hook

This small crochet hook is buffalo bone (American Bison from the Cascade Buffalo Ranch here in Oregon). The finial is dyed Box Elder with a Cocobolo accent ring. This piece of Box Edler shows a mix of blues, greens and natural burl colors. The length is 5 1/2 inches and is a USA hook size E, 3.50 mm. It has been initialed by Dave, the maker. Please click any of the links above to view more photos of this beautiful hook.

Girl with Flowers Cameo Needle Minder

I finally got Dave to make a couple of new cameo needle minders! I have one listed in our Etsy shop and will try to get the other one listed tomorrow.

Dave made this "Girl with Flowers" cameo needle minder from a gorgeous vintage inspired resin cameo. He then inlayed a rare earth magnet with clear resin on the back. The cameo was then set in a gold toned setting to give this needle minder a finished look. Dave inlayed another rare earth magnet into a beautiful piece of pau ferro that he turned on the lathe. Together, these beauties will "mind" your needle conveniently on your project!

The Bears are Here!

Three Bears Tatting Shuttle Set

A GRIZZLY MOUNTAIN SPECIAL!!!! Sometimes Daves creative moods tend to be more whimsical and with Christmas shopping just around the corner he thought of this special set of tatting shuttles that can only be a GMA exclusive.

Dave has hand crafted this bear family of tatting shuttles out of beautiful Cherry wood, with a Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear.

Papa Bear is a larger 4 ¼ inch shuttle styled after the large popular plastic Tatsy shuttle.
Mama Bear is the more common 2 5/8 inch standard shuttle, and Baby Bear is only 2 inches long for smaller projects.

To keep this family together during hibernation periods, Dave picked up an unfinished craft box and embellished it with his own pyrographic artwork. Baby bear (inside top lid) is only allowed to play in the immediate area of the den. He climbs a nearby birch tree to survey the area and keep an eye on what you are working on. On the top of the lid Dave burn etched the GMA Cascade Mountains scene where this bear family lives.

Please click on any of the links above to view more photos of this one-of-a-kind set!

Important Message to Tatters!

Dave says to tell you, "The bears are coming!" :)

Strata-Bond and Vegetable Ivory Drop Spindle

Dave really likes making these small fancy drop spindles. This one is Strata-Bond and Padauk wood accented with carved vegetable ivory (Tagua nut). Strata-Bond is created with layers of birch laminated together with resin under high pressure, making it very dense and moisture resistant. The upper part is joined Paduak wood. This spindle is finished off with vegetable ivory accents, with two carved roses and leaves on the whorl. It is initialed and dated by Dave, the maker. To view more photos of this spindle, please click on the link above.

Type: Bottom whorl
Whorl: 2 1/4 inches
Length: 9 1/2 (not including brass top hook).
Wt: 1.1 Oz
Materials: Laminated Birch and Padauk wood and Tagua nut (vegetable ivory).

Grape and Leaf Motif Purpleheart Tatting Shuttle

Dave made this 2 ¼ inch post shuttle out of Purpleheart wood. It has been inlayed with a brass grape and leaf motif on one side. Please note that one end has a tiny gap, but the other is closed. This piece has been initialed and dated by Dave, the maker.

Ancient Ivory Nalbinding Needle

This nalbinding needle has been hand carved from ancient ivory and has been hand polished to a high gloss. Each of our nalbinding needles has been initialed by Dave and comes in its own velour drawstring bag. This nalbinding needle has been photographed on a ruler so you can see the precise measurement, so be sure and click the link above to view the additional photos.

Buffalo Bone Crochet Hook

Dave has created this unique crochet hook from buffalo bone (American Bison from the Cascade Buffalo Ranch here in Oregon). The finial is Cocobolo with a True Stone turquoise accent ring. The length is 5 3/8 inches and is a USA hook size G, 4.00 mm. It has been initialed by Dave, the maker.

Buffalo Bone Small Crochet Hook Size D 3.25 mm

This crochet hook, which features delicate filigree embellishment, was carved from buffalo bone (American Bison from the Cascade Buffalo Ranch here in Oregon). The finial is stabilized Figured Maple with a True Stone malachite accent ring. The length is 5 ½ inches and is a USA hook size D, 3.25 mm. This hook has been initialed by Dave, the maker.

Filigree Holly Bobbin Tatting Shuttle

For Dave, it's not just about MAKING a shuttle......its about CREATING a shuttle! He has carved this 2 3/8 inch lightweight bobbin shuttle out of Holly wood and burn etched the filigree design by hand. The end is inlayed with blue swirl celluloid. The bobbin is a common plastic Singer, available at any Wal-Mart and comes in a 4 pak. It has a #14 steel crochet hook inset in the nose. This tatting shuttle has been initialed and dated by Dave, the maker.

To see more photos of this shuttle, please click on any of the links above.

Ivory and Walnut Small Top Whorl Spindle

Dave really enjoys making these small fancy drop spindles. This one is walnut accented with padauk wood and ancient mammoth ivory. You can really see the beautiful grain in the ivory on the whorl. This piece has been initialed and dated by Dave, the maker, on whorl bottom.

Type: Top whorl
Whorl: 2 inches
Length: 8 1/2 (not including brass top hook).
Weight: 1.0 Oz
Materials: Walnut and Padauk wood and Ancient Russian Mammoth Ivory

Mammoth Ivory Nalbinding Knitting Needle with Rune

A uniquely marked Mammoth ivory nalbinding needle with inlaced brass rune. This Runic symbol is SIGEL, the rune of will. It is that spiritual energy which guides all true seekers. A rune of success. The ivory is at least 10,000 years old. It has been initialed by Dave, the maker. This piece would be perfect for SCA Ren-Faire participants!

Blue Mammoth Ivory Nalbinding Knitting Needle

Rare BLUE Mammoth ivory nalbinding needle with inlaced brass rune. This Rune symbol is EIHWAZ , a very powerful rune of banishing and protection. The ivory is at least 10,000 years old. It is initialed by Dave, the maker. Perfect for SCA Ren-Faire!

What is Nalbinding? According to Wikipedia , Nålebinding (Danish: literally "binding with a needle" or "needle-binding", also naalbinding or naalebinding) is a fabric creation technique predating both knitting and crochet. Also known in English as "knotless netting," "knotless knitting," [1] or "single needle knitting," the technique is distinct from crochet in that it involves passing the full length of the working thread through each loop, unlike crochet where the work is formed only of loops, never involving the free end. Archaeological specimens of fabric made by nålebinding can be difficult to distinguish from knitted fabric.

Hand Carved Buffalo Bone Laying Tool

Dave has hand carved this laying tool from buffalo bone. This American Bison bone is from the Cascade Buffalo Ranch here in Oregon. The finial is stabilized spalted maple with a True Stone lapis accent ring. The length of this hand carved tool is 5 ½ inches. It has been initialed by Dave, the maker.

Hand Carved Wood Spirit Lace Bobbin

Dave made this 4 1/4 inch Continental style lace bobbin out of Walnut and Spalted Maple. The hand carved wood spirit watches over your lace work. It is initialed and dated by Dave, the maker.