Finishing Deer Antler

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Woodpecker26

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Jan 27, 2013
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10
Location
Fresno, CA
Hello All,

Just turned my first deer antler and it looks great, though I am not sure how to finish. Most of it is still the hard shell, though there is a section where the softer inner section is exposed. I saw one post from a while back that suggested CA. I'd like to keep the feel of the antler without coating it with CA, though am not sure how the softer spot will wear over time. Also, I'm not overly confident with a skew yet so will need to sand, and I read about issues with discoloring or 'burn' spots. My inclination was to wet sand through the MM pads, then run it through the buffing wheel. again, just not sure about the softer section.

Thanks in advance for your kind advice.
 
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Wish I'd known you lived in Fresno...just moved out 2 weeks ago!!! First...never turn antler without breathing protection on your face...dust masks and fans are useless and the stuff will kill you.
Second, the soft spot could be marrow and it will wear and stain over time. Maybe a thinner finish like WTF may work well.
 
Don't wet sand unless you have sealed the antlers already. Water will soften antler. As a matter of fact, you can somewhat straighten antlers by putting them in hot water and clamping them to a straight board. The reason for not breathing the dust from antlers, is because they are actualy solidified blood cells and not bone. With the cronic wasting being found lately, you wouldn't want to breath any pathogens in, plus they stink and smoke when you drill them. I will usualy hand sand 400-1200 and use three part buffing prosess. Brown compound, white compound, followed by canuba or a high quality car polish or wax. This will give you the feel you are looking for as well as waterproofing the blank. CA will also work for sealing, but will give you a glassy feel and look. I often keep the dark areas in the blank or even some natural features, as I think this gives more charm to to the pen, and people don't have to ask what it is made of. Jim S
 
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Just use ca.

If you really don't like ca just use enough to seal up the soft stuff.

I wouldn't trust anything else to wear well over time in that spot.
 
The pen I carry everyday is antler finished with friction wax. It has natural divots in it that didn't turn out when I finished the pen. So I didn't want to cover them with CA. In my opinion I like the wax finish better. To me it has a better feel. I am a mechanic so my hands are often greasy or oily and the antler still looks great. An old timer once told me the best finish on a pen is from the oil off the users hands.

Dean
 
Dean L. said:
The pen I carry everyday is antler finished with friction wax. It has natural divots in it that didn't turn out when I finished the pen. So I didn't want to cover them with CA. In my opinion I like the wax finish better. To me it has a better feel. I am a mechanic so my hands are often greasy or oily and the antler still looks great. An old timer once told me the best finish on a pen is from the oil off the users hands. Dean
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But not if there's marrow showing.

I think you're talking about what us sometimes called bark. On the outside of the antler.
 
Be careful with the buffing. Antler is full of tiny pores that I unfortunately learned are great at stripping and trapping deposits from your buffing wheel. I used what I thought was a clean wheel and ended up with gray and black smudges--brass residue from an earlier buff. Unless you're looking for a super gloss finish, I'd skip it.

I have a bar of carnauba wax that I use to rub down the exposed interior of antler. Rub a little on, and hit it with a paper towel at low-med speed. If the result is too glossy for my liking, I burnish it with some fine steel wool. This seals the pores and doesn't noticeably change the natural appearance of the antler.
 
All of the antler that I have turned, I have finished with CA. There's just no replacement for it. Leaving the blank on the lathe after turning, I rotate it so any soft or porous spots are up and then lightly fill them with thin CA. Hit it with a very light mist of accelerator. To much and it will yellow. Repeat until filled. Then 3 to 5 coats of thin CA using 400 abranet, lightly, between coats. (just to keep the bumps and stuff down) Then I apply 3 to 5 coats of Medium CA. Then 400 abranet to smooth and then work through the MM. Finally I polish it with a bit of acrylic polish and I'm finished. It's a lot of work to get it all right but it's worth the time and the finish will last. Hope that helps.

Allan
 
eranox said:
Be careful with the buffing. Antler is full of tiny pores that I unfortunately learned are great at stripping and trapping deposits from your buffing wheel. I used what I thought was a clean wheel and ended up with gray and black smudges--brass residue from an earlier buff. Unless you're looking for a super gloss finish, I'd skip it. I have a bar of carnauba wax that I use to rub down the exposed interior of antler. Rub a little on, and hit it with a paper towel at low-med speed. If the result is too glossy for my liking, I burnish it with some fine steel wool. This seals the pores and doesn't noticeably change the natural appearance of the antler.
Click to expand...

My understanding is that carnauba doesn't truly cure and thus would not really seal it.

Renaissance wax is the only one I'm aware of that really hardens.

I may be wrong though.
 
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But not if there's marrow showing.

I think you're talking about what us sometimes called bark. On the outside of the antler.[/quote]

I have bark and marrow on this pen and have not had any problems out of it. The bark is why I did not want to use the CA.

Dean
 
Dan Masshardt said:
eranox said:
Be careful with the buffing. Antler is full of tiny pores that I unfortunately learned are great at stripping and trapping deposits from your buffing wheel. I used what I thought was a clean wheel and ended up with gray and black smudges--brass residue from an earlier buff. Unless you're looking for a super gloss finish, I'd skip it. I have a bar of carnauba wax that I use to rub down the exposed interior of antler. Rub a little on, and hit it with a paper towel at low-med speed. If the result is too glossy for my liking, I burnish it with some fine steel wool. This seals the pores and doesn't noticeably change the natural appearance of the antler.
Click to expand...

My understanding is that carnauba doesn't truly cure and thus would not really seal it.

Renaissance wax is the only one I'm aware of that really hardens.

I may be wrong though.
Click to expand...

Well you are 2/3eds wrong!! First, antler is not bone, it is dried blood cells, so there is no bone matter in it. If it were bone you were working with, the marrow would be in the center that you drilled out. Second unless there is a hardner added to wax it will not "cure" or harden. Third, why does water run off your car? Becuase the wax has put a protective waterproof seal on it. As the coat of wax wears off, less and less water will bead on the surface, because it never cures. There is a reason they use a wax seal in the toilet in your privy, because it is not only waterproof, it is air tight. Also, not your problem, but why would you use a buffing wheel that you have polished brass on to buff any surface, much less a white one?? Jim S
 
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You can use CA, but not polish it to a shine…stop at the beginning of the MM pads or try the satin polishing compound instead of the glossy stuff normally used.
 
I sand and then use a plastic polish. I've also used CA. Both have worked great for me. I decide based on what my customers want. Some want the antler but want it to feel like plastic so I use CA. Others want a more natural feel, then I use the plastic polish.

Jim
Penn Valley, CA
 
Thank you all so much for your input and advice. I use a filtered respirator, though after the comments about the dust will make sure I'm extra careful. I plan on turning more so will probably try many of the suggestions. Thanks again.
 
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