How to choose materials for making bone carving crafts, and what are the production processes?

Bones used as design materials include cow bones, sheep bones and camel bones. Bone carving makers first choose materials. After degreasing (removing bone fat by various methods), cleaning, soaking, simply sawing the bone, removing its redundant parts, or transverse cutting or direct cutting, sometimes rough planing or bleaching until it meets the requirements. Select the cow bone or camel bone that meets the requirements, and cut and divide it according to the shape, thickness and length of the material. For example, bones with flat and long surfaces are suitable for carving large-area parts such as clouds, while some cylindrical hollow ones are suitable for making gazebo and other parts.

The general production process is roughly divided into three parts: first, the carving part, mountain pavilions, figures, clouds, animals, flowers and trees, etc. Then polish, so that each part is smooth, detailed and shiny; Finally, the parts are assembled skillfully by traditional methods such as drilling, nailing and tenon to become a seamless whole. Cow bones and camel bones can be used to make musical instruments. For example, the string frame of China's national musical instrument Da Ruan is made of bones. Cattle bones and camel bones are also used to make chopsticks.

Animal bone chopsticks are mostly made of cow bones, elephant bones, camel bones, and some are made of deer bones. Although deer bones nourish and chopsticks are good for health, few people develop them. In the north, camel bones are mostly used as chopsticks, while in Yunnan-Guizhou minority areas, elephant bones are mostly used as chopsticks, and each has his own needs. Among animal bones, elephant bone chopsticks are the best.