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  #1  
Old 11-20-2005, 03:54 PM
chaos_customs chaos_customs is offline
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deer antler

i got a piece of deer antler from a friend and was wondering if there is any thing special to do to it i noticed it had like marrow in it do i not use this and help would be appricieated
thanks vic
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Old 11-21-2005, 01:58 AM
Jason Cutter Jason Cutter is offline
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Vic, there are many types of antler and they are all slightly different, particularly in density and quality of the surface figure. The spongy centre core needs to either be removed or filled in completely to ensure that the handle structure is strong enough to take the stresses of serving as a handle.

Some people go as far as to completely stabilise the antler with a filling agent before starting work on it. I like to just drill as much of the soft spongy core as I can get out. It should be soft enough to drill out with a masonry drill bit. Cut in the space for the tang with a drill and a square file and really impregnate the core well with lots of thin superglue and let it cure. Then adjust again to fit the tang and I use 2-tonne epoxy to affix the tang in place.

Again the trick is to make sure all the space is filled through. Hope that makes sense. Jason.


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  #3  
Old 11-22-2005, 06:02 PM
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snakeman458 snakeman458 is offline
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almost the same thing i use excepst I don't use super glue. antlers very in density and internal structure, also you need to look for cracks in the antler, small almost minute ones will eventually show up and cause the handle to break away from the blade. good luck.
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Old 11-23-2005, 09:40 AM
chaos_customs chaos_customs is offline
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so i should fill the air pockets of the core with epoxy how would i do that
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Old 11-23-2005, 12:55 PM
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oljoe oljoe is offline
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Vic, The answer is yes you do need to fill all of the voids with epoxy. I use slow curing epoxy and mix it up and pour it into the hole made for the tang. I use a finish nail or piece of wire to get the bubbles out and allow the epoxy to get to the bottom of the hole if it?s not a through tang handle. You want epoxy to squish out around where the handle meets the guard.

Joe


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Old 11-23-2005, 06:11 PM
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snakeman458 snakeman458 is offline
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joe answered it all. thats the way>


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Old 11-27-2005, 06:33 PM
chaos_customs chaos_customs is offline
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what if i wanted to do scales would i just cut it and it is round how would i make a flat scale out of it
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  #8  
Old 11-27-2005, 06:47 PM
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Shakudo Shakudo is offline
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cut the flat part of the antler............. make a knife small enough to fit the scales you are able to cut. or shoot a large enough deer with a rack suitable for a large knife.
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  #9  
Old 11-27-2005, 11:40 PM
Dan Kenyon Dan Kenyon is offline
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John Greco showed me a neat trick for making a good set of scales out of antlers, deer or elk. If the antler is of a large diameter slice in three sections - discard the center section , this will be mostly the spongey stuff. Slice the two outer scales to a thickness slightly larger than you want the finished scales to be.I use a band saw. Some of the spongey stuff will still be in the 2 scales left - fill this with super glue, you may have to apply two or three coats. The super glue will stabilize the antler and strenghen the slab, it will also fill the cracks. If you want to color or stain the antler you need to do this before applying the super glue. After the super glue has cured ( I usually wait 24 hours ) you can sand the scales flat. Attach the scales like you would any other material. I have had very good luck with this procedure. It looks really cool on a full tang knife.
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Old 11-28-2005, 03:40 PM
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snakeman458 snakeman458 is offline
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chaos custom:
ass explained above, I also make a jig or guide to help when I run it in my band saw.
* must seal antler with glue or epoxy * snakeman
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  #11  
Old 11-30-2005, 07:26 PM
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GHEzell GHEzell is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Kenyon
John Greco showed me a neat trick for making a good set of scales out of antlers, deer or elk. If the antler is of a large diameter slice in three sections - discard the center section , this will be mostly the spongey stuff. Slice the two outer scales to a thickness slightly larger than you want the finished scales to be.I use a band saw. Some of the spongey stuff will still be in the 2 scales left - fill this with super glue, you may have to apply two or three coats. The super glue will stabilize the antler and strenghen the slab, it will also fill the cracks. If you want to color or stain the antler you need to do this before applying the super glue. After the super glue has cured ( I usually wait 24 hours ) you can sand the scales flat. Attach the scales like you would any other material. I have had very good luck with this procedure. It looks really cool on a full tang knife.
Thanks for passing on that tip, Dan, never thought of doin it that way.
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