Staightening Antler

K

kvolle

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Jan 24, 2008
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I received a few racks and have had them in storage for a year until I was ready for them. I have a particular piece that is the right size shape and look but it is curved badly. I tried soaking in boiling water and straightening it out in my vise. That didn't work. I thought mabye I didn't let it soak long enough so I did it again and allowed it to soke after boiling for a week. That didn't work. I tried steaming it and again that didn't work.
The piece is roughly 1 1/2" round/oval. It is 4 1/2" long and both ends have been cut. It appears to be saturated. I just don't know why it will not straighten. I even tried to apply excess pressure in my press and it still sprang back to the original curvature. Just to clarify I did leave it in the vise and press until it was dry. Mabye it still retained some moisture that I couldn't detect.
Does anyone have any idea's. I have read all of the threads I could find and it doesn't really cover this. Any help would be appreciated. I hate to let it go to waste. It's a really nice looking piece of stag. Thanks in advance.
 
Soaking is not the point. Heat is the point.
Boil it for a long time-until the piece is saturated with heat, then clamp and cool.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Soaking is not the point. Heat is the point.
Boil it for a long time-until the piece is saturated with heat, then clamp and cool.
Click to expand...

I must not have made that a point. I boiled it for around an hour and tried to straighten and it still sprung back. After a few attemps I let it soke to see if that would help. Sorry for not clarifying. I was in a hurry to ask the question and get the dinner off the stove before it burned.
I did boil it for a long enough time period but this piece is giving me one hell of a time. It just will not stay straight. It's like it have spring steel embeaded in it.
 
I've followed a tutorial by I think it was Primal Fires as Bill said above its the heat, form rolling boil to the vise in less than 10 seconds (have everythig ready) and have had fair success doing it this way though its not a for sure cure for the curve.
Ken.
 
How long would you need to leave the boiled/heated antler in the vice before it would keep it's new shape?

Phil Millam
Winthrop WA
 
Whitetail antler is notorious for its corkscrew shape. That, and the solid, strong part of the antler does not go very deep. Those are 2 reasons why it's not used that often. I've used it, but probably 1 in 10 crowns are straight enough and solid enough to use. If you did manage to straighten it, in the back of my mind I would constantly wonder when it's going to curl back after being installed on a knife.

I don't know how others feel, but I'm not comfortable calling whitetail antler "stag." When I'm handed a knife and told it's stag, I'm going to be expecting sanbar or something of better quality. Just my 2 cents.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Antlers are not bone.
Click to expand...

Antler is dead bone. horn is very compacted hair. antlers are normally shead horns are normally not.

from wickepedia: Antlers are made of true bone that is fed by blood which is carried in the outer velvet covering. Velvet antlers are hot to the touch, with brushy hair and a waxy feeling coating.
 
I've had *some* luck boiling for a few hours and then QUICKLY clamping in the vise between two pieces of wood and letting it FULLY cool to room temp. It will not get it perfectly straight but, it can help. This is the only way that I know of.
 
Antlers are in fact a type of bone.

This article ought to shed some light.
http://www.iwla-rh.org/html/DGIF_articles/deer_antlers.html

Another thread here on the subject:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3095745

Here is the primalfires thread (including a vinegar soak):
http://primalfires.yuku.com/forum/viewtopic/id/1978

You may need to keep it clamped for a week or more...or until it fully cures.

Or possibly boiling and clamping it between hardwood w/ c-clamps and boiling some more? and then leaving it clamped for a couple months until fully cured.

The more severe the curve the harder it is to straighten and retain its straightness even when cured.
deer antler is notorious for the slightest bit of moisture in it being the cause of shrinkage,warpage or a return to it's previous natural shape.
 
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Karda im glad you posted that saved me alot of explaination. Horn is really hard to straighten good luck .Kellyw
 
Well, from what I have heard, horn (hair) is easy to straighten....antler (bone) is hard.

I asked Ed Fowler about straightening sheep horn several years back. He put me in touch with and old man he knows who does a lot of antler and horn. I was told that boiling was not enough. He said he puts a can of sand in the oven at 300F, and when the sand is fully heated (about 30 minutes) buries the antler or horn in the sand.After about 30 minutes more, clamp it in the straightening jig or a vise. Slightly over bend it. If it doesn't want to move, put it back in the oven for longer. Once bent, leave it in the clamp for several days.
I did this with sheep horn and it works well.

I have boiled cow and (water) buffalo horn and it becomes very pliable. I only did one piece of whitetail antler, and the hot sand worked.

The only other trick I have been told ( but never did), is that using a pressure cooker to boil the antler/horn will make it much more pliable. It makes sense, because the water in a pressure cooker is 250F.

Stacy
 
What Stacy said plus, with horn sheep, buffalo, etc. the dry heat of the sand in the oven is much more desireable because it keeps the horn dry. sheep horn moves and shrinks the most as it is drying. boiling it just makes it full of moisture and then it needs to dry completely again before use or it will curl/warp after it is on the knife.
 
I've cut up a lot of sheep scales. Put them in my oven at about 275 for around 20 minutes.
Remove quickly and press flat between plates of steel. (I have a press that I do this with.)
They move easily while hot and retain their new shape rather well.
If you're going to use antler, just get one the shape you want it to be to start with.
 
i've did this and for no more straighness ten you get, its best for me to just find straight ones
vern
 
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