# Deer Antler....Fresh or Aged?



## KKingery (Dec 7, 2004)

OK, I've never turned anything but wood. A friend is bringing me some deer antlers tomorrow (fresh off the noggin).....do these things need to age, dry out....how long?? Any input would be greatly appreciated!


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## Mac In Oak Ridge (Dec 7, 2004)

Ken, No authority here but I'll comment anyway.  When trophy deer antlers are taken for measurement for Boone and Crockett records they have to be of a certain age because as they dry out they change size. The pith in the middle of the antler is just like bone marrow and in some you find dried blood. I would wait a few months before I made anything from them or make a pen and see what happens.


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## Fred in NC (Dec 7, 2004)

And wear a gas mask while turning it ....


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## KKingery (Dec 7, 2004)

Hey, I appreciate any info on this subject, authority or not! I was'nt too sure, but I thought they might need to dry out a bit. When people order deer antler from suppliers, is there any info that comes with them to say how old they are, etc??? This friend is an avid hunter, and has had many antlers mounted, etc....maybe he can shed some light on shrinkage, etc. Thanks for the info!


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## PenWorks (Dec 7, 2004)

Ken, cutting antler is a crap shoot & personal taste. When you slice the antler, you will see the whitest part on the outside, white I call enamel ( not sure if that is the correct term) once you turn part the enamel, you get into the pith, which will ussually change color and can be pitty, you will have to fill that with CA, of you want a smooth finish. I like to size my antler to the tube I am using, so I just cut into the enamel and not the pith. Also I like to leave some of the natural antler showing and not turn completey round. (this is just personal taste) others like the look of the pith and cut deep into it. You will get a totally different look.  This is fun material to experiment with, if you can take the smell! If you look at my album, the first set of antler caps were just cut to the enamel, futher back in the album is a set where the antler was perfect and I took little material off to keep the elk look. Good Luck.


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## Guest (Dec 7, 2004)

I turn a lot of antler pens(getting some white-tail from NY today) and the trickiest part is trying to find a straight line large enough in diameter to drill through.
I cut to approximate length and the using a Bessy clamp to hold the section I rip on the bands saw using the clamp and my BS sled.
I then rotate it 90* and rip again.This results in a right angle on one length.It is normally enough to "Grab" in my drill vice.
If anyone has an easier way to drill them I would appreciate any tips.
I like drilling through the larger diameter ones,it's like driving on the high way in the middle lane with no one around you.The problem with the larger ones  as mentioned earlier there is a lot of "pith" which requires filling with CA.I have contemplated filling that with a colored powder but don't know what.Not familiar with it.
Another method I have tried to "true up" prior to drilling is to rough them on the lathe but I haven't gotten satisfactory results with that method.
As far the the smell goes,I find it no worse than a dentists' office.
I have a D.C. with an HVAC boot right behind the lathe.My D.C.vents to the "attic" of my shop so it helps with any fumes especially CA .
WOrd of caution when cutting on the bandsaw.Due to the irregular shape of the antler the blade can and will "grab" it when  you don't expect it.I've ruined a blade or two that way which is why I went to the "clamp" and sled method.


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## Fred in NC (Dec 7, 2004)

We need to raise deer with straight antlers !!!  Or find a way to straighten them out before cutting.


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## KKingery (Dec 7, 2004)

Hey guys, I appreciate all the info. I'm sure this first set will turn out to be what I like to call - "an adventure". Jumping right in to something new, is always an adventure. Since I don't own a bandsaw yet (told you I was a newbie novice), this should prove to be extremely interesting. I guess alot of what happens depends entirely on what the antlers shape, diameter, etc...is. I should have them in-hand by tonight, so I'll keep you guys posted. Thanks!


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## Fred in NC (Dec 7, 2004)

Ken...  I started out with no bandsaw !  I used a RAZOR saw from the hobby shop, these things cut through almost anything.  With a vise and a little care you can cut antler too.


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## Daniel (Dec 7, 2004)

Fred,
  About your straightening comment. It seems somewhere way pack in the back of this Pea i claim for a brain. I have heard comments about doing just that. straghten the antler. the first idea that comes to mind is steaming it. like they do to form wood into various shapes. the other thought that comes to mind is that it required use of chemicals.
can't get more than that to rattle out. either way I think it was to expensive of a process anyway which is why it never caught on. Now the breeding straight antlered deer. now that sounds like it has possibilities. we could just breed Deer with Water Bufalo and have antlers that are 6" thick.


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## Guest (Dec 7, 2004)

At a show this weekend I was asked why the deer antler pens cost more than wood pens and I told the young lady it was because of the length of time it took to steam them to starighten them out.
I winked at her and told her I was kidding.
I'd like to see if someone has steamed them to straighten them.
It would make things a lot easier.
Daniel, you're not just pulling our legs are you?
I have read that water buffalo pens should be soaked before turning but never knew why,don't think that has anything to do with straightening.


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## its_virgil (Dec 7, 2004)

Here's how you straighten them out...Place slightly curved pieces between centers and turn until round and straight (or at least close). Then drill using the blank vice of  choice. Haven't missed drilled an antler blank since starting this method.

Antler is bone and the inside is bone marrow...containing dried blood. Use a good respirator while turning and sanding....no, not the paper masks with the rub ber band to hold it on. Protect yourself.

Do a good turn daily!
]Don


> _Originally posted by Fred in NC_
> <br />We need to raise deer with straight antlers !!!  Or find a way to straighten them out before cutting.


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## Fred in NC (Dec 7, 2004)

Thank you, Daniel, for straightening me out ..........


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## Daniel (Dec 7, 2004)

Eagle,
  It is really expensive. the steamer takes an awful beating trying to keep a deer in there long enough.
  I like the turn it straight idea. I ahve been ready to envent a whole new set of jaws for my vise. 
 Fred. don't get me started, I have alot of time on my hands today and you don't want to know where I can go with this. more "straight" to the "Point".......see there it's starting already.


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## PenWorks (Dec 7, 2004)

I think the least expensive way, is mail it threw the US postal to Daniel, let them drive over it once or twice, leave it out in the rain, throw it down the shoot a couple times and miss, have him not except the package, then let the Postal system do it all over again on the way back to you and you have a straighten antler !  Anthony


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## Fred in NC (Dec 7, 2004)

Hehe, Anthony!  Or we might end up with curly antler. . .


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## Daniel (Dec 7, 2004)

I suppose it would come back with really impressive grain. Can you consider tire tracks as grain?


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## Guest (Dec 7, 2004)

I needed a modified slimline to fill an order and I just glued up the blank and roughed it.
This time I used the table saw and sled with the Bessy clamp to square it up.
I use and 8&1/4" framing blade on the TS because it has a thin kerf.
After squareing one corner you can refrence that side to the rear fence of the saw and get a flat cut across teh top of the blankis for drilling.
Hope that helps.


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## Rudy Vey (Dec 7, 2004)

Has anyone here ever thought about a disease called "Chronic Wasting Disease" of the deer?? It is supposedly similar to the Mad Cow Disease (BSE)in cattle and Creutzfeld-Jacob's disease in humans. Since someone mentioned that antler is bone with marrow and blood inside, I would not cut, drill or turn antler that I do not know where is comes from or that is freshly hunted. I heard this disease is mainly in the Rocky states, but made it's way somehow to the midwest (like Wisconsin etc). Remember years ago in Europe, and specially in England, people were warned not to eat certain parts of the animal, like brains, spinal cord, eyes, marrow....

Just a thought..a remember also reading an article some 5 years or so ago in Field and Stream about some hunters from the south that got some deer or elk in the Rockies and then died later all. CWD was then mentioned and it was the first time I heard about it.

Rudy


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## Guest (Dec 7, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Rudy Vey_
> <br />Has anyone here ever thought about a disease called "Chronic Wasting Disease" of the deer?? It is supposedly similar to the Mad Cow Disease (BSE)in cattle and Creutzfeld-Jacob's disease in humans. Since someone mentioned that antler is bone with marrow and blood inside, I would not cut, drill or turn antler that I do not know where is comes from or that is freshly hunted. I heard this disease is mainly in the Rocky states, but made it's way somehow to the midwest (like Wisconsin etc). Remember years ago in Europe, and specially in England, people were warned not to eat certain parts of the animal, like brains, spinal cord, eyes, marrow....
> 
> Just a thought..a remember also reading an article some 5 years or so ago in Field and Stream about some hunters from the south that got some deer or elk in the Rockies and then died later all. CWD was then mentioned and it was the first time I heard about it.
> ...


O.K. I htought about it.
Now I'm going out to make some more Antler pens that I get $65.00 a piece for.

What about the the dust from acrylic CA or woods in general?
Come on now lets be realistic,somethings gonna kill me, either the cigarettes I smoke or the dust from the fertilzer factory I worked in years ago ,the chemicals I sprayed and sold,mold from crawling under peoples houses installing duct work.
I'll take my chances with my $65.00 antler cigar pens.


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## PenWorks (Dec 7, 2004)

I thought about that last night between puffs, the orange resin from Brea made my eyes water something terrible and whatever chemical it gave off went to the back of my throat even wearing a mask. I cut alot of plastic, but this stuff was different. So I know something was floatin in the air that I should not have been sucking besides the nicotine! Anthony


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## Guest (Dec 7, 2004)

I picked up some acrylics from Klingspors put out by HUT.
I swear when I cut them they are made from some kind of fruit.
They smell sweet when I cut them.


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## DCBluesman (Dec 7, 2004)

To date, ongoing investigations by state and federal public health officials have shown no causal relationship between CWD and human health problems. 

However, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment  and the DOW advise hunters to take simple precautions (as listed BELOW) when handling deer or elk carcasses in units where CWD is known to occur. If you have questions about the precautions, or CWD and public health, contact CDPHE at (303) 692-2700.


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## PenWorks (Dec 7, 2004)

Eagle, did you ever cut that gold inlace with Kentucky tobacco in it. It sure has an amroma to it. Makes a real nice pen to. A very dark golden brown, that has an antique look to it. Anthony


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## KKingery (Dec 7, 2004)

Thanks again everyone for all of this info! I figure once I get the antlers in-hand tonight, I'll know best how to proceed. I just hope I can manage to make something presentable out of them, and not butcher them up beyond use! Well, back to my little "shop" - I'm finishing up my first duck call - (I just had to try one)


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## KKingery (Dec 8, 2004)

Well, I got the antlers......Good Lord, these things are more bent than a pigs curly tail!


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## Guest (Dec 8, 2004)

Cutting and preparing Antler blanks takes a little mor time than the wood blanks we buy.
If you are using a Table saw it is best to have some type of jig to hold them while you are cutting them.
Cutting any round object on a TS is tricky.
Secure the work piece.


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## knottyharry (Dec 9, 2004)

Ken,
I'm not the expert by any means on the deer antler. But this is what I do. I have a scrol saw that I cut them on, and it seems to work fairly well with a small kerf.
I read in one of the forums where someone soaked them before cutting.
I tried that and it seemed to help. With the smell and the turning.
The first couple I cut, I wouldn't even let my wife go to the dungeon. 
Maybe it's just my imagination, but i've been doing it that way since. 
Bone, or mineral i'm not sure. But it is very hard, so keep your chisel sharp.
I use a caliper on the antler to check for size to see what I can cut from and what I can't. Some of it I had, from where they had been rubbing, about half way down it was too thin to drill through.
I try to kind of square it up on my disk grinder before putting it in the centering vice to drill it.
It will all be different in color and markings. The newer it is seems to me the more color you have. And some you can leave kind of rough. Like was mentioned earlier.
I also apply the CA to it before final finishing.
Take your time, and hang in there. you'll get it.
Harry


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## ldoforcno (Dec 16, 2004)

I've been turning quite a bit of antler and I can tell you, old antlers are much better.  The first pen I turned was with some antler that had been left outside for several years.  It turned beautifully and came out looking like marble!  That got me hooked, so I contacted my neighborhood deer butcher shop and got some antler from them.  It was like night and day!  The fresh antler is very "chippy" and "punky."  Not much fun to turn.  I even got some antler that was several years old, but had been protected indoors the whole time.  Not much better.  I guess the trick is to let it weather outside.  Got a few years to spare?[]


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## Rifleman1776 (Dec 18, 2004)

Aging outside will cause it to lose much of its calcium and all of it's oils. Brief to long aging inside is best. I have turned it just fine and didn't have the 'chippy' condition you described. This is a natural product and can vary depending on diet and genetics of the animal it came from. To restore or preserve, just soak in mineral oil.








> _Originally posted by ldoforcno_
> <br />I've been turning quite a bit of antler and I can tell you, old antlers are much better.  The first pen I turned was with some antler that had been left outside for several years.  It turned beautifully and came out looking like marble!  That got me hooked, so I contacted my neighborhood deer butcher shop and got some antler from them.  It was like night and day!  The fresh antler is very "chippy" and "punky."  Not much fun to turn.  I even got some antler that was several years old, but had been protected indoors the whole time.  Not much better.  I guess the trick is to let it weather outside.  Got a few years to spare?[]


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## KKingery (Dec 21, 2004)

Hey guys - I appreciate all the input everyone gave me on this subject. After all was said, I have started on the first pen from these antlers. I hope to have a picture up soon. I will say one thing - the inside of the antler sure looks different from what you see outside!


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## Rifleman1776 (Dec 21, 2004)

I am a pre-1840 historical reenactor and a lot of the people who do this make most of their own accessories from natural materials, including antler. Heating and bending horn, as from a cow or bison, is common. But I have never heard of bending antler. In long lengths it does have some 'spring' to it but it does come back. I'm not saying this is impossible, I've just never heard of it being done. And with wacky, innovative guys I hang with, I'm sure someone would have tried it and bragged if successful.
 I believe turning on a lathe is the only way to 'straighten' antler. If you want straighter pieces, try to get long points from moose.










> _Originally posted by Eaglesc_
> <br />At a show this weekend I was asked why the deer antler pens cost more than wood pens and I told the young lady it was because of the length of time it took to steam them to starighten them out.
> I winked at her and told her I was kidding.
> I'd like to see if someone has steamed them to straighten them.
> ...


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## Rifleman1776 (Dec 21, 2004)

Got some replies from my other list. Those who have tried have not had success with steaming or boiling antler to bend/straighten it. Nor with other methods. One person asked if antler was bone. I am not sure if it is or how to classify it. On the other hand, I do seem to remember a grade school science experiment where bone was soaked in vinegar and made soft. It rehardened with rinsing and drying. Might be worth a try.







> _Originally posted by Rifleman_
> <br />
> I am a pre-1840 historical reenactor and a lot of the people who do this make most of their own accessories from natural materials, including antler. Heating and bending horn, as from a cow or bison, is common. But I have never heard of bending antler. In long lengths it does have some 'spring' to it but it does come back. I'm not saying this is impossible, I've just never heard of it being done. And with wacky, innovative guys I hang with, I'm sure someone would have tried it and bragged if successful.
> I believe turning on a lathe is the only way to 'straighten' antler. If you want straighter pieces, try to get long points from moose.
> ...


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## Rifleman1776 (Dec 22, 2004)

Got another reply from my historical reenactors group. This guy is from New Zeland. He says that over there, antlers already come pre-bent. Always gotta be a wise guy in the group. Oh,well. []










> _Originally posted by Rifleman_
> <br />
> Got some replies from my other list. Those who have tried have not had success with steaming or boiling antler to bend/straighten it. Nor with other methods. One person asked if antler was bone. I am not sure if it is or how to classify it. On the other hand, I do seem to remember a grade school science experiment where bone was soaked in vinegar and made soft. It rehardened with rinsing and drying. Might be worth a try.
> 
> ...


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## elody21 (Jan 1, 2005)

I turn  a lot of antler. Cut the length longer than you need just like any wood blank. Then I mask up and take the blank to the belt sander. I us a 80 grit belt and start on the high spots and keep rotating until I have a fairly round blank. The plank is placed in the pen vice and now I drill it. I loose very few blanks this way. I pick out the  largest and of course straightest section. The pen I find the best to make in antler is the Provitioal from Berea. It has nice short blanks!


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## Rifleman1776 (Jan 1, 2005)

Let them dry in the house for a couple months. There will be some shrinkage. Might speed things up if you cut to length. There is a distinctive odor when working antler with power tools.







> _Originally posted by KKingery_
> <br />OK, I've never turned anything but wood. A friend is bringing me some deer antlers tomorrow (fresh off the noggin).....do these things need to age, dry out....how long?? Any input would be greatly appreciated!


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