Antler - basic question

[PMisiaszek]

A friend just dropped off two bushel baskets of white-tail deer antler. I've read the threads on this site about turning antler, but I have a very basic question. The antler consists of the "soft" center core and the harder outer layer. In cutting and selecting blanks to turn for pens, must I select blanks in which all of my turning will be in the harder outer layer, or does it work OK to turn into the softer core? If it is OK to do so, will there be a visible difference in the finished pen between the harder outer layer and softer core?

 

[ctEaglesc]

It depends what you want for a finished pen.
The harder part with all the color will give the impression of ivory, The softer part when hardened with CA will have different colors in it.
The softer part will sand differently than the solid.
If you have 2 bushel baskets full, by the time you are done you should be an expert.
This is more information than I had when I turned my first antler pen that I made from an antler I got out of a dumpster.[]

 

[its_virgil]

I have a customer who purchases about 10 antlere pens each year and he wants elk antler with the nice white stuff turned off so the reddish purple marrow is visible and another customer wants his so the pens have the ivory look eagle mentioned. Another wants the outer bark left intack in one or two spots. Leaving the outer bark in a spot or two takes some thojght and judicous drilling but can produce a quite stricking reslut. You could just send the antler to eagle and me and we will post some pictures of the pens we make and you can look at the pictures[]
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Originally posted by cteaglesc
<br />It depends what you want for a finished pen.
The harder part with all the color will give the impression of ivory, The softer part when hardened with CA will have different colors in it.
The softer part will sand differently than the solid.
If you have 2 bushel baskets full, by the time you are done you should be an expert.
This is more information than I had when I turned my first antler pen that I made from an antler I got out of a dumpster.[]

 

[alamocdc]

Two bushel baskets? I should be so lucky! [] I can't add to what Eagle and Don have told you, but you can send me anything you don't send to them. []

 

[PMisiaszek]

I'd be happy to swap some...

 

[its_virgil]

I don't need any and was just tossing in a little levity with the comments about sending the antler to eagle and me. I could offer some suggestions.
(1) if you want mostly the nice enamel look, choose a piece of antler close to the OD of the pen's busings.

(2) if you want the marrow to show choose a very large diameter piece.

(3) good solid dense bone is found on the end of the antler where it attaches to the skull.

(4) for a slightly curved antler blank and to make use of as much of the antler as possibel, mount the blank between centers and rough turn it round. You now have a blank that will easily mount into your pen drilling vice and greatly improve drilling accuracy. I have not had the bit exit out the side since rough rounding prior to drilling.

(5)When you turn into the marrow...the porous stuff in the center, fill it with CA and continue turning.A slurry using antler dust and CA can be used to fill small pits in the porous parts.

(6) antler polishs like glass and makes a beautiful pen.

(7) I sand antler to 600 then through the grits of MM and finish with a coat of TSW

Do a good turn daily!
Don

 

[Scott]

A day late, and a dollar short! I guess I really don't have anything to add to the great information above, other than I hear there is a great article on turning antler coming out in the next (December) issue of More Woodturning! [8D]

Have fun!

Scott.

 

[PMisiaszek]

Thanks for all the info. I turned a wine opener/stopper last night to see how the antler turns. Like all the previous posts indicated, it smells bad, but turns easier than a lot of stabilized wood blanks I use, and finishes up real nice. I did not CA the blanks as I turned them, but it didn't seem to matter. At 400 grit, it looked as though I'd polished with MM. I used MM out to 4000, then friction finished. One thing I should have done... wear a mask. I felt a little off after turning, and that may have been from ingesting the dust.

 

[alamocdc]

I'm always up for a trade. PM sent.