Gerry, Have made quite a few antler pens from White Tail, Axis, Elk, etc. You must be careful with antler. Drill & turn slowley. Antler is prone to cracking, especially from heat. Have had customers leave in their vehicles and they crack from the heat down here in TX. Be sure to drill very slowly keeping the drill bit cool. Takes time but worth the effort. I usually use a little CA, especially on the ends. If porous I fill. Sometimes it is so porous it is hard to fill and get good results. Drops which have whitened from exposure are more prone to cracks. If the crack is anything more than superficial it will probably crack later whether you use CA or not. I always treat the ends with CA at a minimum. Don't need CA for a finish as it will polish nicely, just like plastic. I sand to 12,000 mm, don't by-pass the cross sanding step at each grit. Then use a plastic polish, two coats of Lou's TSW, the a coat of Ren Wax. If your mask doesn't have a charcoal filter it won't filter out the odor. You get used to it in a few minutes anyway. Not as bad a everyone makes out. Good luck, once people see them you will get in a real rut as they are very popular. I get a real premium for good antler pens but they do require more attention & work.
