finishing elk antler

C

cordovan

Joined
May 30, 2007
Messages
47
Hello,

New to the forum and looking for some advice on finishing elk antler. I've got a couple knives that I built with 1095 high carbon, brass bolsters and elk antler handles [the rocky mountain stuff:) ]. Any ideas on a finish for the antler would be greatly appreciated. Basically, these are skinners meant to be user knives.

Thanks!
 
How about pics of what you have now. You may not need to do much finishing if the antler is stable. you can polish it out if you want, just knock off the tops of the bumps or just put a coat of wax on the rough antler. All depends on what you want.

Chuck
 
I use quite a bit of elk. If it's dried with hairline cracks, I fill them in with krazy glue, sand, then another line of glue then sand again. I buff the elk and burn it somewhat to add some browns to the color. Elk buffed shines up nicely.
Scott
 
I use Loctite super glue. Put a vinyl powder free glove finger on your pointer and spread 3-4 drops as foar as you can then do 3-4 more. The glue doesnt stick to vinyl. Spread it thin so as not to get waves. 2 - 3 coats is enough. If it's to shiny rub it with a white scotch brite type pad to dull it a little. Can also be waxed after a couple days.
$.02
TJ
 
Thanks for the reply's, sorry it took so long to get back. I use elk antler which is pretty stable. Since I live in the rockies, I can get it from friends and be very particular (usually no hairline cracks, no bleaching and typically aged a year or so). The superglue methods sound good. I will give them a try.

Let me try to figure out how to post a pic and I will show my first knife I did. It was nice, cause it was sold before I finished it. A friend picked it up and said, "I'll buy that from you". O.k.!!
 
cordovan said:
Hello,

New to the forum and looking for some advice on finishing elk antler. I've got a couple knives that I built with 1095 high carbon, brass bolsters and elk antler handles [the rocky mountain stuff:) ]. Any ideas on a finish for the antler would be greatly appreciated. Basically, these are skinners meant to be user knives.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hi Cordovan,

I've used quite a lot of elk antler in the past (see photos below), the one thing I like to do is to dye it with some rather dark leater dye, then fill ALL the open pores with super-thin super-glue, especially down the core of the bone, where it is porous. Before I drill the hole for the tang, I put a piece of masking tape on one end of the antler, then start pouring in the super-glue until it fills completely up. Once the super-glue is hard, then I'll drill the hole for the tang. I let the dye sit on the antler for several days to make sure that it's completely dry, then after it is shaped on the knife, I'll buff it out. It shines up real nice, and the buffing seems to help set the color off on the antler and seals it as well.

I hope that this is helpful,
-Mike

custom22.jpg


custom19.jpg


custom1.jpg
 
Thanks for the good info Mike and Dan...... you guys are giving me something to shoot for with the pic's you posted. Very nice stuff!

Mike, you mentioned dyeing the antler with leather dye. Is this a "soak" treatment or rather a topical one? I guess I would have the same question for Dan on the permanganate.

Thanks.

Norm.....

P.S. Sorry for taking so long to get back to these posts, I just got engaged and she seems to be taking up most of my time:)
 
cordovan said:
Mike, you mentioned dyeing the antler with leather dye. Is this a "soak" treatment or rather a topical one?
Click to expand...

Hi Norm,

I just used Fiebings "chocolate" leather dye, and dobbed it on like I would putting it on leather, BEFORE the antler was put on the knife and had any shaping done to it. Then as I ground away some of the exterior stuff shaping the handle it went through the color into the white underneath. I just put the dye on then once it was shaped, I carefully buffed it so that I gave it a nice gloss, but didn't remove any of the dye on the surface.

This method seems to work really well for me, however, one of these days I want to give the permanganate a try. . . it couldn't hurt. But I already have plenty of the leather dye, so it was just easier.

cordovan said:
P.S. Sorry for taking so long to get back to these posts, I just got engaged and she seems to be taking up most of my time:)
Click to expand...

Well, congratulations. . . I think. . . If you think she takes a lot of your time now, just wait!!!:p

Good luck to you,
-Mike
 
cordovan said:
Thanks for the good info Mike and Dan...... you guys are giving me something to shoot for with the pic's you posted. Very nice stuff!

Mike, you mentioned dyeing the antler with leather dye. Is this a "soak" treatment or rather a topical one? I guess I would have the same question for Dan on the permanganate.

Thanks.

Norm.....

P.S. Sorry for taking so long to get back to these posts, I just got engaged and she seems to be taking up most of my time:)
Click to expand...

I just paint it you can soak it but if the pith is porous you don't need it in there and have to dry it out again..

Congratulations , I wished women took up most of my time again :D:D ;) just kidding , it would be nice being younger again though..
give her all the time she wants.. it makes for a longer relationship.. :thumbup:
30 years ago the 6th of this month for the woman and I....
I've been a little tied up lately too :D
 
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