First Antler

[Tanner]

Pretty bad. Nothing but marrow in this Elk antler. My next one I'm taking a smaller piece and round it first between points so I can stick into the vice. Those smaller spikes just look like I'll mess it up. I burned through a lot of nice white antler before I got to this mess. Lots of thin and Medium CA went into holding this together. It did come out nice and smooth. I was going to ask if anyone could identify this mess, but then I figured you experts would get it right away. Sorry for taking up space with this picture, however it did come out Ok, however weird looking. I'm learning.

 

[mrcook4570]

If you are not happy with that pen, please send it to me []. I don't see anything wrong with it. Many people like the looks of the marrow. You can also experiment with dyes to give it a different look.

 

[Ligget]

I agree with Stan, looks fantastic from way over here too.![8D]

 

[Gary Max]

I could sell that easy----
Good job

 

[elody21]

Sometimes the pens that are the most pain in the rear end come out the best. It looks beautiful to me!

 

[Jim15]

Nice looking pen.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Nature's greatest surprises often lie just under the surface. Antler is a natural product. Give yourself credit for discovering what nature provided. On the other hand, yes, smaller tines will give more solid material even though they do present a drilling challenge.

 

[jscola]

I like it!

 

[Tanner]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I read that Don says to put the smaller tine between the spur center and the live center to turn the blank down so it's easier for drilling. That's going to be my next effort. I've seen some beautiful pictures of white antler pens on this site. As far as my per, there was a lot of sponge down in there. Thanks to everyone that has posted on how to slurry the thin CA glue into the grooves and top it with medium CA glue. I've gotta tell you, there is a plethora of information on this site if you just do searches.