antler Baron w/black

[Rifleman1776]

I was a bit hesitant to post this in the show off your best work forum. I hadn't done any antler lately and decided to try a Baron. The antler chosen was a bit older and dried out than I usually like, but it was the right size so I used it. The kit chosen was a black titanium. As I turned, it became obvious that there would be much porous pith showing. When the final shape was done I was very unhappy with the porousness and color, it looke dirty to me. Those who have read my rantings here know I like super glue (that's CA for those of you who speak acronymneese [] ) about as much as I like turning plastic. That is not at all. [V] But it seemed that to rescue this project super stuff was necessary. I doused it pretty liberally and let set for several hours. Sanding required a lot of time and effort using my usual 220/320/800 technique. I then finished with Myland's melamine and gave a couple coats of Johnson's paste wax. The lines were burned in an attempt to distract from what I considered an unpleasant 'dirty' appearance. The lines burned brown and not black like on wood. They actually compliment (I think) the natural colors in the antler. I choose to leave out the black ring from the center band so the final product would not be 'ringed' to death. When assembled, lo and behold, it doesn't look too bad. In fact it has sort of a primitive appeal. I'm thinking it might appeal to raw meat eaters and crotch scratchers. Can I say 'crotch scratcher' here? [}] Oh, well.

 

[smoky10]

Very nice pen Frank. What you say looks dirty, I think, gives antler a look of its own. If its too white and clean it looks like corian. I'd rather it look like antler as yours does.

 

[swm6500]

I tend to agree with you Frank. Not my favorite antler pen, but it is OK.

 

[DCBluesman]

I generally don't like antler all that much, Frank (ask Eagle), but I really like this pen. The pores, the burn lines and all. []

 

[BigRob777]

Frank it looks wonderful, hold on....I have some raw meat stuck in my teeth, scratch! scratch![]
In only hope I can turn pens like yours when I grow up.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Thanks all for the compliments. My wife said the antler did not go with the modern pen design. But keep in mind, she is also an historical reenactor. And the stuff we use is ALL pure primitive. For a while-while doing this I considered dyeing it but having never tried dye on a pen I played safe. I have couple scraps from this antler and will test dyes, probably diluted acrylics, on those for a future project. Will be gone for a couple days, so you can talk about me. I'll never know. [][]

 

[Glenn McCullough]

If this pen is too primative for you, send it to me. It'll be right at home, I have a whole family of scratchers, here.

 

[jvsank]

Looks pretty good to me

 

[ctEaglesc]

Frank it looks like you made a great save.
Because I turn a lot of antler and since I have never forun two that finish exacltly alike I have surmised there is no one way to finish it.
I am amazed at every piece I turn, what I will find"hiding" inside.
On thing I have come up with when the antler is as you described is to fil with thin CA and then add thick.
Rather than sanding, use the skew to remove the uneven glue. repeat until you get an even surface.
Yep you are going to have "plasticized" antler but it feels better than the porous barrel that you experienced.
You are right about not getting black rings, I have found a string will sometimes work better than wire and won't guillotine the antler down to the tube.(DAMHIKT)
The other thing is the "rings" burn in better without the CA there.
I think you did exceptionally well considering the piece you described starting with.
(I'll take all the "pithy" antler you want to get rid of)[]

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by cteaglesc
<br />Frank it looks like you made a great save.
Because I turn a lot of antler and since I have never forun two that finish exacltly alike I have surmised there is no one way to finish it.
I am amazed at every piece I turn, what I will find"hiding" inside.
On thing I have come up with when the antler is as you described is to fil with thin CA and then add thick.
Rather than sanding, use the skew to remove the uneven glue. repeat until you get an even surface.
Yep you are going to have "plasticized" antler but it feels better than the porous barrel that you experienced.
You are right about not getting black rings, I have found a string will sometimes work better than wire and won't guillotine the antler down to the tube.(DAMHIKT)
The other thing is the "rings" burn in better without the CA there.
I think you did exceptionally well considering the piece you described starting with.
(I'll take all the "pithy" antler you want to get rid of)[]

Yes, that wire will cut through quickly. I was just lucky on the first 'burn/cut' to notice what was happening in time. I'll try the string thing next time. I should have skewed off the gunk. Next time. I have quite a bit of antler, need to get my technique right. But, I still find the hardest part is drilling through a curved item without coming out the side and leaving enough material to turn. No technique there, I just eyeball and go for it. Thanks for the comments.

 

[alamocdc]

I like it, Frank. It has a rustic look that appeals to me.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by alamocdc
<br />I like it, Frank. It has a rustic look that appeals to me.

Thanks. We all appreciate validation for our efforts.