Can a bone have a bullet shot out of it?

[Turtle]

You’d best take a careful look at the human body, and try your hand at making some of these things out of cow or pig bones.

 

The longest bone in the human body (the femur, or thigh bone) is about .45 m (18 inches) long – arguably a good length for a shortsword or a long knife, but not really a proper or very intimidating length for a true sword.

 

Spears present a similar problem. To make one entirely of human bones, you’d have to fit and lash several bones together, which, without ferruling with something harder, like metal, or a lot of cord or sinew, would be difficult to impossible.

 

The specificity of the hand tools needed aside, I think I could handily join long human bones to any reasonable length for a hand carried weapon using a wedged tabled scarf joint, or variation thereof, glued with resins and hide glue and bound in sinew. The round cross section of bone has no effect on the shape of the joint, and the hollow may be left open for bullets etc. or filled with a stick or smaller bone for reinforcement and/or add weight. :)

 

Image:Wedged tabled scarf joint.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[CraigD]

The specificity of the hand tools needed aside, I think I could handily join long human bones to any reasonable length for a hand carried weapon using a wedged tabled scarf joint, or variation thereof, glued with resins and hide glue and bound in sinew.

I’ve seen photos of your work, Turtle, and don’t doubt your craftmanship, but suspect you might encounter some surprises substituting bone (animal, please – fiddling with human remains, in addition to being pretty seriously, they-will-put-you-in-jail illegal most places, just smacks of a dark place best not to visit) for wood.

 

Also, I suspect bone is a bit like glass or tile – score it, and a small force can snap it along the score. So, after all the fine bone-carpentry, I suspect that a good wack with ye olde rattan stick would break a jointed bone shaft.

 

Of course, bone carpentry is a major profession, the stuff fine-toothed saws, titanium plates, pins, and crafty art. In orthopedic surgery, however, all the carpentry serves just to temporarily join the bone while it grows into a permanent bond…

 

… suggesting more creepy food for fiction: If, rather than killing his victims to harvest their bones, Masterqman’s character kept them alive, with some good orthopedic and vascular surgery, he could grow bones of the size and shape needed for his weapons. :) Bones are a living tissue, and do far better when they have a proper blood supply …

 

This rabbit hole is deep, and lined with gore!

[freeztar]

As far as using the bones for a blowdart type weapon, don't all bones have a natural curve to them?

[Turtle]

As far as using the bones for a blowdart type weapon, don't all bones have a natural curve to them?

 

The femur does by this evidence. >> http://www.jointline.co.uk/downloads/Revitan_Straight_ST.pdf

 

Can't find a similar clarification on the humerus.

 

Not a problem in any regard. Just as in woodworking, I would select the best formed sections of bone to join with tabled scarf joints, and then use a foot powered lathe to bore a uniform hollow.

 

Rather than blow the darts or other projectile out the bone barrel, I will use 2 nicely matched skull caps joined edge to edge to make an air reservoir which I will pump up to pressure with a bone pump and make use of it as do BB guns.* :phones:

 

*Beeman Precision Airguns

[DougF]

Turtle

The femur does by this evidence. >> http://www.jointline.co.uk/downloads...traight_ST.pdf

Thanks for the link Turtle' date=' Good read!

How about the Tibia? I think it's fairly strait.

The Tibia and Fibula

[Turtle]

I’ve seen photos of your work, Turtle, and don’t doubt your craftmanship, but suspect you might encounter some surprises substituting bone (animal, please – fiddling with human remains, in addition to being pretty seriously, they-will-put-you-in-jail illegal most places, just smacks of a dark place best not to visit) for wood....

 

This rabbit hole is deep, and lined with gore!

 

I've raced Rabbit before, and gone down his hole while he was off running. Arguably macabre, it's little more than a sideshow.

 

So all grisslyness aside for the moment, we can with a few exceptions own human bones.

 

The Bone Room - Post-Cranial Human Bones

Yes' date=' we do sell human bones! Our human bones come to us from a variety of sources, from antique American skeletons, to demonstration pieces from India. Be sure to let us know of your special requests, as bones are as individual as you are!

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About Our Human Bones

Bone Buying and Selling Restrictions

With the exception of Georgia and Tennessee, most kinds of human bones can be bought or sold in the U.S. ...[/quote']

 

Two full skeletons currently available ~ $4,000 US :)

[Turtle]

… suggesting more creepy food for fiction: If, rather than killing his victims to harvest their bones, Masterqman’s character kept them alive, with some good orthopedic and vascular surgery, he could grow bones of the size and shape needed for his weapons. :) Bones are a living tissue, and do far better when they have a proper blood supply …

 

This rabbit hole is deep, and lined with gore!

 

That is a tasty fiction feast indeed Craig. :bat: The bone-maker then extends the bones down into the ground as stakes and grows the rest of his victim into his house thus preventing escape. Bone-maker collects more & more living victims and adds them as garages, second stories, etc., but has to work more and more gathering food to feed them seein' as how they are grown into the structures. :doh: What undoes bone-maker, and the reason I won't be making any bone tools, is breathing the dust of bones he cuts and inhaling a few prions which then turns his brain to mush in some tragic scene in his house of horrors. ;)

 

So, make that clear, I have no intention of trying one or any other joinery on bone for the mere question of whether or how well it works.

 

That said, I have more techniques that could yield long lengths, or even flat sheets of bone stock. Cutting the bone into dimensional strips and then laminating them seems a reasonable method. Strips up to 1/8" thick & 1/2" wide seems reasonable. Tubes would be built as are bamboo fishing poles, but with staggered joints, and flat goods built by laying down bias rows in layers ala plywood or so called 'glue-lam' beams.

 

Then there is the matter of the freshness of the bone, and this is also a matter in 'traditional' woodworking. Many woodwork parts, such as chair rails, rungs, & legs are best and properly made by splitting out the stock from green wood. Dry wood does not split out straight and that's why it is sawn out when making those chair parts these days. I am not saying fresh bone splits out like wood, it definitely doesn't, but I do think the freshness will somehow play into the outcome of using joints, laminations, glues etcetera.

 

Oh jeez...it's past midnight. :) :) :)