Caribou antler handle ?

[Bfusmc03117]

A guy gave me a piece of caribou antler he wants for a handle on a knife I'm making him. It looks a little old but it's a good piece. How do I go about prepping this to be a good handle material? I've read people soak them I'm gorilla glue or send then to get stabilized. Is this necessary ? Just wondering the best approach to take with working with and prepping the antler. I never have worked with this material before and I don't want to screw it up on him since it's a nice piece .
Thanks again guys

 

[Frank Niro]

I was given a couple of dropped beams. I didn't do any preparation to use them for the full tang knives I used them on. They seemed to be very stable and much like elk but without the ridges. Frank

 

[Bill DeShivs]

The caribou don't have them stabilized, so you shouldn't need to.

 

[Bfusmc03117]

The caribou don't have them stabilized, so you shouldn't need to.

That's a very valid point. But as this material ages I'm sure it becomes brittle and may rot over time. Just want the finish to look nice and try and prevent any cracking or the absorption of liquids especially if used outside. What type of finish is usually used for this? Or do you just sand the material to a fine grit then leave it as is?

 

[Willie71]

If you get a alaline dyes you can do some interesting coloring of the material.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Sand, polish, wax.