Elk shed

[iowashtr23]

I have acquired an Elk shed this week from a friend and he wants me to make a knife for him and use the shed as handle. Problem with the shed is that it is older and somewhat bleached and dried out. Does anyone know of a way to save this shed or bring some color back into it? Or if it can even be saved or used as a handle?? thanks

 

[R.H.Clark]

You have two options and you might want to try a small piece of antler with each option to see whick results you like best.I've used both options and been pleased with both of the results.

1. Dye it with Potassium Permanganate.Just use a jar large enough to submerge your antler. Mix the powered PP in the jar filled with water to saturation (when the powder stops dissolving in the water).Clean your piece of antler with acetone.Wear rubber gloves and after your antler is dry completly submerge it for a couple minutes. The longer you leave it the darker it will get.

2. I like a polished look on old cracked antler.Just soak it with the thin super glue to seal all the cracks and hand sand and polish it to the finish you want. I try not to sand enough to change any shape just enough to get it smooth. Take it to 1500 grit.A final buff with white rouge will really bring out the beauty.Just don't get it hot.

Because Elk has fairly thin walls I usually remove all the pith and fill it with accuraglass.

 

[godogs57]

Sure you can use it! I use elk sheds all the time, including the bleached ones. I like to seal them with walnut colored polyurethane finish, which also flows into the cracks. When you grind it down...you have a fantastic looking piece of work. Here are two examples of what I did with white sheds.

 

[iowashtr23]

WOW!! that looks great!! I'm glad it will work this is a 6 point shed that is 5 1/2 foot long big long tines and a very large burled end will look great as a knife handle. I will try both of these options and see which i like the best and post some pics once it is done.. I haven't even cut the knife out yet still deciding what to do yet. Thanks guys

 

[M.Griffin]

I used oil based leather dye on this one. It was an elk shed that was bleached completely white. I have never tried the potassium permanganate but see a lot of nice looking antler dyed with it. Good luck.

-Mike

 

[godogs57]

90% of my elk antler handles are from the two brow tines on each antler...the rest of the antler is so so for handles due to its shape. Good luck!

 

[R.Carpenter]

I got my start years ago just making antler knives making the handle and blade out of elk or deer antler.I would soak the antlers in a product called Paleo Bond and put it in my vacuum chamber and stabilize it.Always worked great and on a few knives I did the antler was solid enough to actually put a edge on the antler blade.Here are a couple photos of what you can do.Good luck and any questions you will certainly find the answers here on the forums.

 

[rannalf]

Mr. Carpenter, those look really cool! I would NEVER have thought you could make a blade out of antler like that, especially with an edge. Beautiful pieces of artwork.

 

[A C Richards]

Here is a piece of really weathered Elk antler I did a few years ago.

I used the superglue method to fill the checks. But the difference is I used Black superglue. It really highlights giving it another dimension.

 

[NickWheeler]

Really cool idea Chuck, GREAT knife!

Maybe I'm just weird... but I really like weathered antler left as is. When I went to Sitka, Alaska, there were a lot of custom made knives in the down-town shops with weathered antler handles and it really struck me in a good way.

I've always wanted to make up a hunter with a damascus blade, 416 guard, some very thin stacked spacers made of 416 and black G10, with a bleached out antler handle.... I think it would really look cool!!! IMHO

 

[Phil Dwyer]

I've seen pretty wild antler treatments from Indian George. He throws racks up on his roof—to be rained on, snowed on, wet through, dried out, frozen, thawed out and sun beaten for gawd knows how long—'til they look like sh_t. He then stabilizes pieces and dyes them weird colors like blue, green and browns. When he finishes them up darn if they don't look like old wonderfully colored mammoth ivory! Way cool!

 

[A C Richards]

The antler in my previous post was hung on a shed for about 10 years. I was driving down the street one day and it was hung over a trailer and looked like it was on the way to the dump. So I stopped and asked if he still wanted it. He gave it to me and I have 5-10 handles worth of material. It was white, gray and green, it was also checked. Lots of smaller checks but not too big. It had to be filled in some manner or it would continue to degrade. It would have also been very uncomfortable and would probably give slivers. I have also begun leaving antlers out in the weather to get this result. I takes a few years but it does develop. The algae that forms give some interesting colors, blacks and yellows after it dries.

 

[A C Richards]

Here's another one that I made for a friend who gave me a couple of sheds. I did not do much filling on this one. It was more solid and just needed to be finished out.