Does Antler Age Matter?

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Woodlvr

Woodlvr

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I see that we have a new fundraising raffle for a set of Deer Antlers and they are from 1971. I got to wondering if age of antlers matters when turning it? I do not know if the insides of the horn rots and gets mushy or what. I know that with the wealth of knowledge that we have on this great site I could get an answer that would explain it. Thanks in advance.:)

Mike
 
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I don't think age matters in terms of turning antler as long as it has dried. What does matter is whether the antler was shed or taken from a kill. The shed antler will be denser and stronger on the inside.

Paul in AR
 
Originally posted by pssherman
<br />I don't think age matters in terms of turning antler as long as it has dried. What does matter is whether the antler was shed or taken from a kill. The shed antler will be denser and stronger on the inside.

Paul in AR
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I have to disagree with Paul. Shed antlers are not more dense and stronger. They are more porous and tend to be worthless.

Age does matter as far as how long a shed antler has been laying in the woods. The long it has been laying, the more the weather and little critters eat away at the inside.
 
I've used both without to much of a problem,I think the problem is with the big fat antlers that get real pourous on the inside,the smaller ones I'd prefer to have some age to them.
 
The only thing that really matters regarding the age of the antler is how it was stored. Some people around here store antler on the roof of their barn or garage. After a year baking in the sun, the stuff is cracked and split and when you try to turn it, it turns to powder. I've turned 10 year old sheds that were perfect, but they had been stored indoors. Last year I made 65 antler Sierras for a local company, all from shed antler of varying age that had all been stored indoors. Other than wrecking a few pieces while drilling, it all turned and finished very nicely.
 
I have recently turned antler(s) that were both dry (older than 1 year) and some freshly cut antler (less than 1 month). They both turned well and I'm of the belief that 'age' does not matter much with turning antler. What I did notice is that the 'freshly' cut antler did not 'stink' up as much as I turned them vs. the older antler. JMO

-Peter-
 
I think the answer lies with what Gerryr said and what Kent4Him said about being outdoors. The sun is no friend to antlers and as Chris said critters will gnaw on them because they are a good source of...necessary compounds.
After they have been shed or taken in the fall, they are not organic so will not rot. Of course I'm no expert in the area of their composition. I've actually been wrong...no, really.
I know a lot of people complain about the smell. I would like to make a suggestion. I use a half respirator with organic cartridges when I'm turning. I don't smell anything when I'm turning antler...I mean nothing. It also helps with CA. I'm probably going to invest in a full face respirator because of the CA fumes. (Anything that burns my eyes like that, can't be good for them.) If I can spend $50 on certain pen kits, $50 on a good turning tool, a good respirator can be had for less than that.
 
I will agree with the outdoor and sun issue. We got some antler off ebay and they're big, white and weathered. We have found them to be pretty much worthless[:(]
 
I buy my antlers from a guy in Texas that picks up sheds and tosses them into a room in his shop.. I pick and choose carefully, he'll have some that are beginning to show signs of gnawing and sun deteriation.. as for the smell, I guess I've gotten used to the smell. Hardly notice it any more... IMHO, don't think age has any effect, if as others have said, the storage has been out of the sun and weather.
 
I can't remember who passed this information on to me in this forum, but it makes sense- once the deer loses the velvet on his antlers,the blood flow is absent and they are no longer growing. By the time deer season opens, the antler is already hard and stable, so antler from a freshly harvested (is that the politically correct way of saying killed?) buck does not need to be seasoned or "dried" before it is ready to turn. I tend to stay away from sheds unless I can see their condition ahead of time- they do tend to degrade pretty quickly in the Texas sun if they're left outside in the weather.
Originally posted by workinforwood
<br />So if I can interject...how long does it take an antler to dry?

I'm getting ready to turn my first antler, I have enough blanks from one antler for three pens...my god that stuff stinks!
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Gerry has it right. Outdoors displayed antlers are almost worthless. Some may be salvagable by soaking in mineral oil. But shed or harvested, there is no difference. Stored indoors, an antler should be OK for our purposes for almost forever. I have seen jewelry, knife handles, etc. that were centuries old and still solid. In fact, I have knives I made more than 50 years ago, still as good as new, only prettier with age patina.
 
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