We make and sell quite a few antler pens, at least 150 of them in a year. Occasionally one of them develops a crack in the antler before it is sold, it has been a several years since anyone returned one that had developed a crack. So cracks are rare, except for one show. This one show is in the winter in a convention center, the pens start cracking on the second or third day of the show. The last time we were at this show we had 18 cracked pens. Most of these same pens had been in our inventory for a few months at least. They had been to other shows in all kinds of weather, they had been loaded up and hauled thousands of miles, some of them for as much as a year to dozens of shows with no cracks developing. Two days in this show and a third of the antler pens we had were cracked. I'm not planning to take any antler pens along the next time we go to this show.
Why are the cracks developing at this one show only. It is not terribly hot in the building. Humidity may be very low, I've never checked. This wasn't a one time occurrence, it has happened to a lesser extent 4-5 times, but only at this same show, same location and at the same time of the year.
The pens were made of several types of antler, whitetail deer, mule deer, elk, caribou, and moose. As far as I know all types cracked equally, the antler was well dried, but some was drier than others. I don't rule out that some types of antler or dryness of the antler could be the issue. Sometimes only one section of a two section pens cracked and the other section was fine, even though both sections were made from the same piece of antler. 18 pens developed cracks, but 35-40 more did not. Larger diameter pens developed more cracks than skinny pens.
What causes these cracks to develop? How do I keep them from cracking?
Why are the cracks developing at this one show only. It is not terribly hot in the building. Humidity may be very low, I've never checked. This wasn't a one time occurrence, it has happened to a lesser extent 4-5 times, but only at this same show, same location and at the same time of the year.
The pens were made of several types of antler, whitetail deer, mule deer, elk, caribou, and moose. As far as I know all types cracked equally, the antler was well dried, but some was drier than others. I don't rule out that some types of antler or dryness of the antler could be the issue. Sometimes only one section of a two section pens cracked and the other section was fine, even though both sections were made from the same piece of antler. 18 pens developed cracks, but 35-40 more did not. Larger diameter pens developed more cracks than skinny pens.
What causes these cracks to develop? How do I keep them from cracking?