Finishing Deer Antler?

[davidrei]

I finally got some antlers to play with and I'm trying to figure out the best way to finish. I've tried Hut Crystal Coat with PPP as well as a straight CA finish; neither is great (though there is likely some operator error involved). A few questions:

- Will the soft part of the antler hold up? Before finishing, it feels fuzzy, but I'm not sure if that means it will be susceptible to 'falling apart' later.

- Does Hut Crystal Coat contain oil? Will it yellow the pen over time?

- If I want a smooth finish all over (getting rid of the fuzzies) is a CA finish the only way to go?

- On my one attempt at a CA finish on antler, I seemed to have trouble getting the glue to stick in some spots and as a result I have some low spots and a little cracking. I flooded the entire surface with thin CA, then covered it with thick CA, dried & sanded down. Is there something else I should do to get a better bond? Maybe I put too much thick CA on at one time?

- I thought about using the CA/BLO process, but got worried that the linseed oil would yellow the antler. Has anyone done this successfully?

 

[its_virgil]

The fuzzy part: I'm ***uming you're speaking of the marrow you've turned into. I should be filled with CA or a slurry of CA and antler dust. I sand to600, MM to 12000 and buff with white diamonds. If you choose antler whose diameter is just a bit larger than your pen the surface should be all bone and not marrow and it polishes like gl***. No finish needed. No crystal coat or wax on any of my pens. I have done the CA finish on antler but see no need for it. The antler polishes nicley.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Originally posted by davidrei
<br />I finally got some antlers to play with and I'm trying to figure out the best way to finish. I've tried Hut Crystal Coat with PPP as well as a straight CA finish; neither is great (though there is likely some operator error involved). A few questions:

- Will the soft part of the antler hold up? Before finishing, it feels fuzzy, but I'm not sure if that means it will be susceptible to 'falling apart' later.

- Does Hut Crystal Coat contain oil? Will it yellow the pen over time?

- If I want a smooth finish all over (getting rid of the fuzzies) is a CA finish the only way to go?

- On my one attempt at a CA finish on antler, I seemed to have trouble getting the glue to stick in some spots and as a result I have some low spots and a little cracking. I flooded the entire surface with thin CA, then covered it with thick CA, dried & sanded down. Is there something else I should do to get a better bond? Maybe I put too much thick CA on at one time?

- I thought about using the CA/BLO process, but got worried that the linseed oil would yellow the antler. Has anyone done this successfully?

 

[ctEaglesc]

Deer Antler is why God invented CA[]

 

[rtparso]

CA all the way. Only one added comment. I had some older antler and the pieces that I turned all bone and did not finish developed a rough surface after about 6 months. The CA finished did not. I now put a coat of CA on all my antler just in case.