I think I like it a little better on a hunter. It is more weather resistant and considering the amount of blood I get on the things, they need all the help I can give them. I do not thin it much so I have to drill my hole before I stabalize and I have to leave it in longer. This one was in for near a month. It also takes a long time to dry. About a week. With the other things I've tried they would break down after several months exposure to the sun. That would leave the outer layer of antler unprotected. Causing a real problem would take years of abuse but on a knife that I've put so much work on things you can't see, why not try to avoid even remote problems when you can. This is the first time I've tried the mink oil/beeswax dip in addition to the marine finish, and from what I've seen, I like it so far. That recipe by the way, is Bruce Evans leather dressing.
The stuff I make from beeswax and linseed oil and turpentine works better but smells so damn bad, I decided I didn't want it on any more hunters.
Test it the way I did. Take a couple of antler scraps. Stabalize one in your favorite and one in the marine poly. Let them dry really well and weigh them. Throw both in a bucket of water over night and the next day weigh them again. See which one gains the most weight percentage wise to their origional weight. I think you'll be suprised at how much moisture things like wood hardner let in.
