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I vaguely remember reading somewhere that bone becomes very pliable after being boiled for a long time and I'd like to use alternating strips of bone and wood for replacing the bindings on an shop bought guitar. Possibly something like saddle bone and koa. Is this a monumental task?

I haven't used bone for binding but I have used ivory.
This is made pliable not by boiling but by soaking it in white vinegar. You might try it on bone to see if it works similarly.
Are you replacing a long section (like an entire back) or just a short piece?

Danny,
Please try something, whichever your research tells you, and report back, I'd love to know if it can be done.

Now, I'll try to source some giraffe leg bones. They could yield enough length to go around in one piece.

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I'd like to rebind the whole guitar, possibly including the fingerboard. Thanks for the white vinegar tip. It's sounding like it might actually be worth trying.

what are you going to do with the rest of the giraffe ?

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make stew!!

but it'd need to be a big pot........

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Wait,
After looking at that cute Giraffe, I've decided to just use the Brontosarus bone I've been saving.
It's not on the protected species list.

Seriously though, bone binding would be great for a small vintage style guitar. Quaint and all that.

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