Finishing bone & antler

[Killinumsoftly]

I just posted about how to finish my wood handles and I got some awesome tips that have made things a lot better. I just did a handle with tiger wood and they came out amazing and it's because of the people on this forum so before I post my new question I want to thank you all again.

I have a ton of antler and some bone, I usually make fire steel handles with it and some other small stuff, but I have a few large pieces I've been saving for the right knife. A buddy of mine found out that I was getting into knife making and saw the knife I'm doing for another friend and asked me to rehandle a hidden tang knife. He said he'd like the antler or bone for the handle. Id like to start using it more as I can get my hands on a bunch more of it fairly easy and cheap if not free.

My question is what's the best way to finish antler or bone, I want to put a high gloss finish on it that will really make it pop and also protect it. I have heard of people using super glue so I was wondering how I would go about applying and finishing super glue (if it's a good choice for high floss finish) and also is there any other good ways that the gurus out there use that they would reccomend? I was thinking maybe spray on clear coat but I'd like something that I could buff maybe with like a pink scratchless rouge and bring it back to life once it dulls after use. So anything that could be easily buffed would be a nice choice.

Thanks ahead of time for anyone who has input for me, this forum has helped a bunch on my new hobby of knife making. My projects have turned out amazing and I can't think they would look the same if not for you guys.

 

[Andy Lewis]

The tried-and-true approach for me is to just carefully shape and sand up through the grits from 80x through 1500x or higher using hard-backed papers. After that just a quick hand buff with old cotton (slightly damp) and most antler will come to a serious gloss on the highs while keeping the original bark and colors down in the creases and popcorn. Also the pink or green 3M polishing clothes work great on antler, bone, hardwood etc. Super gloss finish that’s easy enough to maintain in the real world.

IMHO you do not want to spray or coat antler/bone with anything that will form a film; especially on a user knife. (The exception would be your finishing wax of choice.) I tried a couple of approaches with super glue on antler some years ago. Both of them failed after a couple of normal humid gritty seasons down here. Probably nothing better to buff than the real thing - after all that’s what happens when they hit the rut anyway.

I think antler is material that appears exceptional to us partly based on the consequences of normal wear and tear. Celebrate that idea…don’t bury it in plastic. Also don’t soak in mineral oil hoping for a better finish. Bone-dry antler seems to take the best polish IME and the residual oil will likely effect the quality of any epoxy bonds down in your mortices etc.

If you want to try some different finishes, I would suggest you play around with alcohol-based leather dyes (diluted further in more EtOH) and/or potassium permanganate “stain”. Do some homework there as the effects are a lot broader than you might guess at first.

Best to you.

 

[Horsewright]

I agree with Andy. Sand, buff and wax. I use these materials a lot. Good stag just gets better with use. Now I will use superglue to fill any porous areas particularly on bone. But that is as a sealer not as a finish. Couple coats and then sand down so that you are to the surface of the material leaving the superglue in the pores. This allows you to buff without getting gunk down in those pores. Those polishing papers from 3M work great.

 

[Killinumsoftly]

Thanks guys, any more tips or tricks I'd love to hear them and I'd really love to see some pictures of your work and what you did to it.