How To Carve Bone with A Dremel

Bone carving is one of the oldest forms of art that dates back to the stone age. People used to carve bones to make jewelry items, toys, weapons, and different tools. Now I have advanced tools such as Dremel that you can use for the same purpose.

In this article, I’ll discuss how to carve bone with a Dremel along with some fundamental points regarding bone carving.

Bone Carving Fundamentals

The following are some of the most important points that you need to keep in mind before starting your bone carving project.

Get Rid of Periosteum, Marrow, and Epiphysis

The easiest way to find bones for carving is to source them from a butcher but they’ll be covered in the periosteum and meaty bits. Not only will you need to remove that fibrous membrane that covers the bone but you’ll also need to get rid of the epiphysis: the end of the long bone.

You can use a knife to properly remove the periosteum, as well as bone marrow. After that, grab the bone using a vice grip and cut off the epiphysis using a saw.

Clean the Bone

The easiest way to clean a bone is to use a mixture of bleach and cleaning detergent. The ratio of these two ingredients should be one-to-one. Use the following steps to clean the bone properly:

1. If you have a large bone, add half a cup of detergent to the same amount of bleach, and then pour that mixture into a container of lukewarm water.
2. Add the bone to the container and wait for 3 to 4 hours. The mixture will smell bad after adding the bone, so make sure that you place it in a well-ventilated spot (near an open window).
3. Remove the bone from the container and start cleaning it using cold water. You can use a sanding sponge to get rid of the remaining bits of periosteum and meat to clean the bone.

You can also boil the bone for at least 10 to 12 hours to achieve the same results. However, I recommend you use a mixture of bleach and cleaning detergent because it speeds up the bone carving process.

Whiten the Bone

Once you have cleaned the bone thoroughly, you’ll need to whiten it so that your carving looks beautiful. 

The easiest way to whiten the bone is to use a mixture of vinegar, salt, and lukewarm water.

1. Add one tablespoon of salt to a cup of vinegar and pour the mixture into a container full of lukewarm water.
2. Submerge the bone in the liquid and wait for 40 to 60 minutes. The acetic acid present in vinegar will change the color of the bone to make it whiter.
3. Remove the bone from the liquid and use cold water to rinse it thoroughly and place it in a cool and dry spot to dry. 

You’ll see a much lighter color once the bone has dried, which means you can start the carving process.

Handling the Dremel

Holding the Dremel in the right way is important while using it to carve a bone. If you push the Dremel against the bone, you could end up damaging it.

Instead of applying pressure with the Dremel, let the weight of the tool be the main driving force. You don’t want to apply pressure on the bone because it’ll increase the risk of damaging your workpiece.

If you’ve just purchased a Dremel and are using it to carve for the first time, avoid following its rotating direction (from left to right).

This way, the tool will fly off as you’re handling it loosely. Instead, work against the direction of the Dremel’s rotation (from right to left) to have better control.

You can also use a Dremel to carve stone in a similar fashion.

Use a Lubricant

You’ll need to use different bits and burrs to carve the bone. Lubricating the bits will improve their longevity and it’ll also make the carving process smooth.

You can fill up a little bowl with a lubricant and place it on your workspace to lubricate the bit you’re using from time to time during the carving process.

How To Carve Bone with A Dremel

Using a Dremel makes the process of creating attractive patterns and intricate designs much easier. You can use the following steps to complete your first bone carving project.

Step 1: Select Design

The first step is to select the design that you want to make on the bone. There are plenty of wood carving design ideas with a Dremel available to choose from. I recommend you go with a simple design, especially if you’re carving the bone for the first time.

It’ll allow you to understand how the Dremel reacts on the bone surface to get the handle on it. Additionally, print out the selected design so that you can use it as a reference while carving.

Step 2: Draw Selected Design

Once you have selected the design that you want to carve, use a pencil to draw it on the bone.

Don’t use a marker or any other marking tool that’s difficult to erase after the carving process.

Step 3: Ensure Safety

A Dremel is a powerful tool and taking safety measures before using it is important. Wear a pair of gloves made of soft leather to protect your hands from rotating bits and burrs. 

You’ll also need to wear safety goggles to protect your eyes and cover your nose and mouth with a face mask because you don’t want to breathe in small particles of the bone.

Step 4: Cut Outline

After drawing the design, equip your Dremel with a cut-off wheel and turn on the machine. 

The speed of most Dremel tools ranges from 5,000 to 35,000 RPMs and you’ll need to select the speed settings that work the best for you. However, selecting lower speeds will provide you with better control and make less aggressive passes to keep your workpiece from getting damaged.

We recommend you set the Dremel speed to 5,000 RPM initially. You can always increase the speed if you feel you can control it without damaging the workpiece.  

After that, transform the bone into the basic shape of your design by cutting the outline using the cut-off wheel.

Step 5: Add Details

Adding details is the trickiest part of the entire process that you need to carry out with patience.

Use a diamond-coated bit with a pointy end to add details and use a dry brush with nylon bristles to get rid of the residue stuck in the crevices.

Use the printout to follow the right outlines and try different bits and burrs to find out what works the best for you depending upon your selected design.

Just make sure that you proceed slowly and take as much time as needed to achieve finer details.

Step 6: Smooth Out

Once you have carved the entire design, attach a sanding bit to your Dremel and smooth out the rough edges. Use high grit sanding bits (at least 1200) for this purpose so that it doesn’t damage the finer details.

You can also use Brasso to polish your finished piece to provide it with a better look. Apply some bresso on tissue paper and rub it gently on the finished piece. Then equip your Dremel with a polishing wheel to polish the carved bone.

Important Note: It’s really important to keep the brasso polish away from fire sources to prevent accidents because it’s flammable.  

Final Words

Carving a bone is all about practicing and the more you practice the better you’ll become. You might not get the best end results in your first bone carving project but don’t get discouraged. Start again to carve a bone with Dremel using the steps discussed in this guide and keep practicing to master this skill.