Help using Red Stag Antler on Knife

[Outdoor Gear Dad]

I got a nice set of Red Stag Antlers off a high fence hunting ranch a few weeks back. I put down a piece....I noticed the inside is obviously softer almost like a hardened sponge (not that soft). I ground it down as much as I could so there isn't much of that inner material, but is there a way to prep the inside of the antler? Maybe like using a resin or epoxy or even CA glue to harden it up a bit?

 

[FredyCro]

You can flood it with thin CA glue to stabilize it.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

People do many things.

The best one is to leave the pith in the antler and flood it with CA glue and let it harden overnight. You may have to repeat this many times.

Other methods are:
Fill it with a wooden plug
Fill it with epoxy

 

[Willie71]

I’ve used cactus juice in the past. Works well.

 

[Horsewright]

I got a nice set of Red Stag Antlers off a high fence hunting ranch a few weeks back. I put down a piece....I noticed the inside is obviously softer almost like a hardened sponge (not that soft). I ground it down as much as I could so there isn't much of that inner material, but is there a way to prep the inside of the antler? Maybe like using a resin or epoxy or even CA glue to harden it up a bit?

Ya doing scales or a stick?

 

[Outdoor Gear Dad]

Ya doing scales or a stick?

Scales.

 

[Horsewright]

Scales.

Red deer are very similar to elk (they’re cousins), in that they have a lot of pith in the center. However cut into scales and then sand on the inside. I use a flat disc to sand the inside of scales with a 60 grit ceramic PSA disc.

This wip I did a while back will help ya a lot:

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/processing-elk-sheds-a-wip.1467821/

I did this stack of elk sheds the other day:

Occasionally when finishing a knife along the tang ya get a little pith showing. I will fill this with superglue at that time prior to handsanding the handle and then buffing. It just keeps the gunk from buffing out.