Antler handle maintenance

[Boweniron]

I like to use stag antler for my knife handles. What should I use to keep them from getting tarnished and dirty? A clear coat of paint?

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Stag doesn't tarnish.
Just keep them clean.
A coat of paste wax doesn't hurt.

 

[Geoff Flato]

I'll give stag a light buffing on a loose wheel charged with pure carnauba wax, and that's about it. You can use CA glue, but it's easy to make a mess doing that unless you ground most/all of the bark off

 

[john april]

are you speaking of the white parts that were sanded down? what grit do you sand to ? the higher you go, the more it will resist staining and getting dirty. buffing to a shine works well.

 

[kuraki]

I also like to buff antler with hard carnuba.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

The above is good advise.


Or, you could do what the deer do when their antlers get dirty ... just replace the handle every year with a new antler