Stag pith removal

Forrest Taylor

Forrest Taylor

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
May 13, 2021
Messages
354
Saw something recently where the person stated that when making stag handled knives it was necessary to remove all the pith from the stag and replace it with epoxy. He said the pith will rot out over time. This was news to me since none of the stag handled knives or decades old stag rounds I have show any signs or rotting. His accent sounded Australian. I wonder if the stuff they get is fresher and still contains lots of moisture.
Anyone else ever heard this?
 
I could see that being the case for something like whitetail antler which is very pithy in the first place, or possibly even elk, but I've never heard of it being necessary for nicer stuff like sambar stag. I've never heard of it being necessary but I suppose it couldn't hurt.
 
leaving the pith in is like leaving the bark on your lumber, imo. Provides very little structural support
 
Seems like you'd have to make an effort to leave it in. A sharp drill is a pith eater. The only advantage to leaving some would be reducing the amount of epoxy and handle weight in some material with a large channel.
But why make a knife that looks good but has internal weakness.
 
Spencer Aplin uses CA glue (+ a minute in the microwave) to make the (red deer antler) pith stronger.
Soaking the pith in CA glue , let it harden and you get a kind of fiberglass.
Mister Aplin hit the hardened pith with a hammer without damaging it.
 
I have some old stag from a whitetail deer that is around 30 years old. It still has all of the pith and shows no signs of decay.
 
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