Elk Antler ?

In Bo Bergman's book on Knifemaking he mentions elk antler for many of his projects. Someone told me that swedish elk is actually our moose. I know that our elk is actually Wapiti, but can it (Wapiti) be used in the same way as the antler in his projects(Is it as durable, attractive, etc)?
Thanks for any help on this one,
Sutcliffe
 
T

tom mayo

Joined
Jan 27, 1999
Messages
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any horn can be used...and if done properly is very attractive...one problem with all american horn vs indian types, is that the pithy center is very large on our domestic animals, whereas the axis and sambar have a much smaller center and lots more harder outside part....otherwise they are the same. cutting it is the trickiest part to get what you want in the final product.

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http://www.mayoknives.com


 
I may be mistaken but I beleive most of the horn Bo Bergman uses in his book is from the reindeer (caribou in North America). I'll have to pull my copy out and take a look. Excellent book by the way on making Nordic type handles and sheaths. -Guy Thomas
 
I am lucky enough to live in the heart of Elk Country and thus have had opportunity to use it as a handle. Tom is right, the center is very large. You have to be careful when designing/finishing the area where the guard and the handle meet (hidden tang)or else you will have to much of the core exposed. It does finish like glass though. Try soaking it in strong coffee or tea for a day or two. You will change the fairly dull original off-white color to a beautiful golden brown. Good luck???

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Scraped, burnt, sliced, smashed. AHHHH, knifemaking!!!!
 
The best part of the elk horn for handles are the brow tines. The big bulls have 4, 2 on each set that protect the eyes in battle. They dont have the pattern rubbed off like most of the other tips. They look the most like stag tapers of all the points. Try this for a finish: Sand and polish. Be sure there are no sanding scrathes at all. Use the kitchen stove burner on medium and start heating the antler and rubbing in KIWI dark brown shoe polish. Keep heating until it melts the polish and flows into the antler. Stop at the desired color. It seals and is a permanent dye. I do this after the knife is totally complete. Bruce
 
The Oxblood polish works good too. You can also use the neutral polish to enhance the natural color and seal.

Jake
 
I saw a knife once that had an elk antler handle that had all the texture ground off and then it was died green. That was pretty swell, but...

I guess I'm a little surprised at all the different posts on coloring the antler. Here in Washington, if you can actually find a piece with thick enough enamel to use as a handle, the natural colors are beautiful. A very pristine white enamel with dark,dark brown, almost black texture.

I was given plenty of sets of antler that were only good enough to make really pretty file handles. I have bought several pieces from North American Antler in Oregon. You can pick out each piece you want.

The third knife I ever made had a tip from a 6 point/double eyeguard bull (no, I didn't cut the rack, but it was about 5 feet tall before it was cut). I ground it to fit the hand and left the tip as nature left it. It looked like ivory, enough to have 3 full-time makers ask me where I got the ivory....

Just some thoughts.
Nick
 
I have found that if you can get ahold of a spike elk shed the whole antler is useable.ther isnt as much pith even at the crown.I have a friend here in Ms. that has a exotic game ranch and I get his sheds in trade every year.I have been wondering if you can have elk antler stabilized and filled like they do on burl,and bone..This skinner handle is from a section of the mainbeam of a elk spike......Bruce
View


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The Soul of the Knife begins in the FIRE !!!! Akti # A000223
 
I use a quite a bit of Canadian Elk (Wapiti)and Moose that I collect by hunting or shed collecting. I have found it best left in its natural color then I have it stabilized. It then becomes impervious to weather conditions and will not swell, shrink or crack.
As stated by Bruce the first two or three points on either side are the best. You can actually make a knife that definatly feels better in the left or right hand by orientating the natural curviture of the antler point.
Check elk out at http://members.tripod.com/knifeworks/page17.html
Check moose out at http://members.tripod.com/knifeworks/page28.html
Sorry for the photo quality but I'm working on it, but you can see how nice it polishes up if its stabilized and still retains its natural look.

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Robert
Flat Land Knife Works
rdblad@telusplanet.net
http://members.tripod.com/knifeworks/index.html

[This message has been edited by R Dockrell (edited 05-27-2000).]

[This message has been edited by R Dockrell (edited 05-27-2000).]
 
Here's one that I did with elk antler. It was the eyeguard off a 6x6. Just move your blade around the horn until you find a section that will match up nicely and fits the hand well. If the pith is too grainy at the open end of the slabs, you can pack white epoxy into it with very good results. This one had a very tight grain, so I just sealed it with super glue.
Hope this helps
Leonard<a href="http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=875252&a=6373014">CLICK HERE


[This message has been edited by LRICE (edited 05-27-2000).]
 
Heres one I did with Elk Antler.I like the natural look so I don't sand to much.I shape the guard to fit the horn and fill the ends with epoxy glue when I put it together.This is a stick tang with a flat nut on the end.
Take Care
TJ Smith
View
 
I've also found that the natural look on elk is very nice. The color contrasts are beautiful between the sanded white and the deep brown in the "grain". I learned to fill the center with figerglass resin rather than epoxy. This will flow much easier than epoxy and will fill in the soft center core. The fiberglass resin is mixed just like the instructions, just don't add the fiberglass cloth. This can be used on stick handles as the handle is assembled over the hidden tang and on slab handles prior to setting with epoxy to the full tang. Sorry, all have sold, no pictures....

Dan
Hannon Bearpaw Knives http://www.freeweb.pdq.net/dhannon/hannon.htm
 
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