Deer antler Slim, attempt at a cleaner look.

[Drstrangefart]

So, I have a deal worked out at work for 2 deer antler Slims. This is the second one, the first one was posted on here a little while ago. I tried to shoot for a classier look than my normal work, something a little outside of my comfort zone. I know it's just a Slim, but I pulled components from several different Slim kits and took some effort to try and make it better than an average bushing-to-bushing Slim.

 

[Frank Nemke sr]

You did a very nice job on this pen

 

[G1Pens]

One of the finest looking pens you have ever posted. !!!!

 

[MarkD]

That's a great looking pen.Very classy! Great job with the antler...it's not easy to get antler as thin as a slimline requires.

 

[Rick P]

Well done! I too think this is one of your best.

 

[Drstrangefart]

Thanks! I had to attempt to drill 5 different pieces to get those 2. I was picking off the racks as carefully as I could to save the beefy main beams for Cigars or something like that.

 

[boxerman]

Very nice classy pen. Really like the antler & the C.B. Where did you get that C.B.?

 

[Drstrangefart]

Very nice classy pen. Really like the antler & the C.B. Where did you get that C.B.?

I'm not 100% sure. I got a few boxes of bits, pieces and random blanks. The CB was in a bag with 4 or 5 other CBs. I think it was the anonymous blank fairy, but it's been long enough for me to lose track of the source.

 

[corian king]

Very nice!!

 

[LeeR]

Very nice job. I cut up a bunch of antlers about 6 months ago, and still have not turned them. The smell was so bad cutting them that I threw them back in the box for "another day" ...

 

[Drstrangefart]

Very nice job. I cut up a bunch of antlers about 6 months ago, and still have not turned them. The smell was so bad cutting them that I threw them back in the box for "another day" ...

This has just been my experience, but cutting and drilling smell a lot worse than turning. Mostly because both generate more heat. It's a fun material to turn.

 

[Jim15]

That's a great looking slimline, nice work.

 

[Leviblue]

Nice job on the antler slim. I think this is one of the best ones so far. The graining in the antler help add character to the over all look.

 

[Ruby pen turning]

I agree. This is one of your nicest pens. Very nice.

 

[Rick P]

Thanks! I had to attempt to drill 5 different pieces to get those 2. I was picking off the racks as carefully as I could to save the beefy main beams for Cigars or something like that.

Antler and bone are often difficult to drill do to the varying density across the material, lubrication with something like say Pam cooking spray helps. However you ultimately have to work with the material. Try leaving the sections long, often the start end will be junk but the drill will track true just under the trash.


PS Sure wish I could bottle the smell of turning Musk Ox horn......one sniff and the complaints about the smell of deer antler will vanish! I could make a fortune marketing it for crowd control.

 

[Drstrangefart]

Thanks! I had to attempt to drill 5 different pieces to get those 2. I was picking off the racks as carefully as I could to save the beefy main beams for Cigars or something like that.

Antler and bone are often difficult to drill do to the varying density across the material, lubrication with something like say Pam cooking spray helps. However you ultimately have to work with the material. Try leaving the sections long, often the start end will be junk but the drill will track true just under the trash.


PS Sure wish I could bottle the smell of turning Musk Ox horn......one sniff and the complaints about the smell of deer antler will vanish! I could make a fortune marketing it for crowd control.

My biggest drilling problem has been from the natural curve of the material. It's tough to center it up in my clamp and not break through the wall on the inside of the curve with the drill bit. I just used up some small spikes that were only big enough for Slims, and they are tough. I've never gotten my grubby hands on any other antler/horn material, so I can't tell you how bad the smell is on that. The antler smell isn't too bad, but in the lines of work I've done, extreme odors are not too uncommon.

 

[bitshird]

I agree, it's the best pen you've shown so far, it looks very good. and like every one else, I like the center band I wish I could remember where I saw them. Maybe it was Hut?? I can't remember

 

[Rick P]

Try turning between centers to round the antler before drilling and or drill on the lathe. I have been able to get more out of marginal materials this way.

 

[rizaydog]

Nice! That is great work.

 

[Drstrangefart]

Try turning between centers to round the antler before drilling and or drill on the lathe. I have been able to get more out of marginal materials this way.

That's a good idea. I'll try to remember to do that whenever I buy the stuff to turn between centers.

 

[Younka]

Very nice pen! Where did you get the hardware?

 

[Drstrangefart]

Very nice pen! Where did you get the hardware?

I've had the good fortune to be mailed a few boxes of blanks, leftover kits and some bags of random parts. The kit is a mutt pulled from parts of a few different kits.

 

[Drstrangefart]

Update on this one: I traded this, a deer antler Comfort Twist with custom centerband, and a Slim made from a pre-drilled blank to a co-worker for my wife's large Christmas present. He gave the other two away and had to keep this one.

 

[wiset1]

That really came together nicely! Very clean and elegant

 

[Ambidex]

Very nice...might be the nicest slim I've seen yet!

 

[sseamen]

Somewhere in this forum is an article on drilling Antler on the lathe. Basically, you use a drill chuck in the headstock and a live center in the tail stock. Mark your desired entry and exit points on ends of the antler. Grab the antler with a pair of slipjoint pliers and then place the marked exit point against the point of the live center. While pressing the antler against the live center, advance the tailstock until the drill bit touches the marked entry point. Make sure you have a good hold on the antler, turn on the headstock and continue advancing the tailstock until you have the blank drilled almost all the way thru. Move the tailstock back and use the pliers to force the blank onto the drill bit the rest of the way (to avoid drilling your live center.
This is much easier than it sounds and works great. I haven't wasted a piece of antler since reading it.

 

[Drstrangefart]

Somewhere in this forum is an article on drilling Antler on the lathe. Basically, you use a drill chuck in the headstock and a live center in the tail stock. Mark your desired entry and exit points on ends of the antler. Grab the antler with a pair of slipjoint pliers and then place the marked exit point against the point of the live center. While pressing the antler against the live center, advance the tailstock until the drill bit touches the marked entry point. Make sure you have a good hold on the antler, turn on the headstock and continue advancing the tailstock until you have the blank drilled almost all the way thru. Move the tailstock back and use the pliers to force the blank onto the drill bit the rest of the way (to avoid drilling your live center.
This is much easier than it sounds and works great. I haven't wasted a piece of antler since reading it.

Nice. Right now I'm limited to my drill press. At some point I need to just boil and straighten my antler out. Get it over with. I just haven't had a good reason to move it up very far on the priority list.

 

[carpblaster]

I only have a smell when cutting them on my bandsaw, I havemade hundreds of slimpens, i just hate the black marrow, i put some ca glue in them and put them away and turn another one, so far i havent figured out how to post on her a pic, i just do a regular finish on my antlers and buff, its the sanding, i have never tried ca or anything, I would like to make one with my sons pic on it one of the deer horns he killed with it,may have to use a lot of ca if i tried, any suggestions
carpblaster

 

[Drstrangefart]

I only have a smell when cutting them on my bandsaw, I havemade hundreds of slimpens, i just hate the black marrow, i put some ca glue in them and put them away and turn another one, so far i havent figured out how to post on her a pic, i just do a regular finish on my antlers and buff, its the sanding, i have never tried ca or anything, I would like to make one with my sons pic on it one of the deer horns he killed with it,may have to use a lot of ca if i tried, any suggestions
carpblaster

Most of it is pretty straightforward stuff. Just do 4 or 5 coats of thin CA before you sand it, and then sand it again after a few coats of medium CA. It's some really nice stuff to work with if the smell doesn't bother you. I treat it like I would a PR blank. Works pretty well for me. The hardest part will be getting a good tine drilled out. You don't wanna use a main beam for just a Slimline.

 

[joefyffe]

Turning is not as bad as cutting and sanding on a disk! At least that's my .02

Very nice job. I cut up a bunch of antlers about 6 months ago, and still have not turned them. The smell was so bad cutting them that I threw them back in the box for "another day" ...

 

[Drstrangefart]

Turning is not as bad as cutting and sanding on a disk! At least that's my .02

Very nice job. I cut up a bunch of antlers about 6 months ago, and still have not turned them. The smell was so bad cutting them that I threw them back in the box for "another day" ...

Oh good lord no. All of the smell is contained in the smoke that's hidden in there somewhere. It only comes out during drilling, cutting, and especially sanding.