Well.....I now have a steady line on antler tips ,crowns and scales of pure Canadian Elk antlers. According to the guy I'm dealing with they are all naturally shed and harvested from various government inspected farms. They only buy antlers (not meat) from the farms, cut them up into various sizes for dog treats. I was lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time to pick thru the big pile and stock up on the best ones around......lol.
Ya Rob I will post some pics of our progress and stock...including a couple Damascus blanks I scored ,once I figure out the whole post a pic thing on this site....lol. I belong to another forum and I hate using photobucket so I don't post pics a lot on either site. I hope its easier here ?
It's pretty brutal for antlers! If you want to buy them, they have to come from an government inspected farm. I found that out at the pet store awhile back, one day when I asked why a 3 inch piece of deer antler was $14 freakin' bucks!!! I'm glad I hunt, and have a few friends who hunt, so when we go hunting, I get the antlers! They are great dog chew toys, unless I need them for some knife handles hahaha
Do deer antlers make for decent knife handles? Another knifemaker once told me he found whitetail and mule deer antlers too pithy (I think that's the word he used) and wasn't sure if even professional stabilizing would completely rectify the problem. Not sure what his opinion was on elk antlers. Jim T
I think it's kinda like wood. You just have to find the right pieces. Personally, I don't like the feel of antler as a handle. The white tail antler I've seen, have been pretty nice specimens, not very porous inside or anything. I would think that it was just down to preference, and if it's the right piece for the job. I know the last time I cut up a rack, I used the recip saw and it was like cutting concrete lol. So I'm not sure what he meant in his assessment As for elk, I think it's one of the most commonly used in the north, along with moose and caribou.
I recently used some red deer antler on a folder rebuild. I am not a fan of any kind of antler on a knife but it turned out pretty good. As Shadnuk said it it totally personal preference.
Probably one of the oldest handle materials to be used for knives, I like it myself , lots of requests for it , aging of antlers is the key to longevity , the casque (outside layer) thickness is most important , the punky porous inner core can be a great adhesive bond for epoxy and fairly easy to remove as well for hidden tangs....
i'm the same as Rob-use a lot of it and like it-except the smell if it gets hot grinding or cutting-but the key is drying it.Usually throw mine on the parents shed roof in sunny sask for a couple of seasons
Do you guys bother with stabilizing antlers or do you just make sure they're good and dry? I know Mike at WSSI does do his stabilizing procedures on antlers.
We use deer and elk antlers often. Our extended family members hunt and find sheds on their property often. No stabilizing. We make scales or use crowns with hidden tang. Lots of hunters here in Manitoba. They sell them on Kijiji for dog chews too, all cut above 6 inches.
I have stabilized a elk antler because the core was very porous, afterwards it was all good and solid. The catch is that if both ends are open you will loose most of the stabilizing resin and you can literally pour it out. Best to have one end closed either naturally or with a hard wax so that the resin stays inside until cured.
