DISCLAIMER</u> ...... THIS IS WHAT WORKS FOR ME... IT IS NOT THE ONLY WAY TO DO ANTLER OR MAYBE EVEN THE BEST WAY TO DO ANTLER ... IT IS WHAT I DO WITH ANTLER .. IF THIS WORKS FOR YOU ALSO, GREAT.. IF NOT PLEASE ASK FOR OTHER OPTIONS
I have received a couple of emails asking how I do my axis deer antler
Instead of answering each separately, here is my technique for anyone who is interested...
I prep all my deer antler the same way... My method may sound time consuming, but it actually takes longer to describe than to do, especially if you are doing a couple of pens at a time like I do...
Deer antler has one real annoying feature, it is not straight and does not fit nicely into a pen drilling vise to allow you to get a real good drilling dead center on the blank...
To fix this problem, I preturn my blanks so that they are round and fit the vise nicely...
Cut your blanks a little oversize and mark the centers on both ends..
I use a stebcenter on the headstock and a live center on the tailstock and set the blank in place. With the lathe running at a bit over middle speed, I use a round nose scraper to gently round the blank. REMEMBER, you will be turning air some of the time, so don't try to cut it all at once or you will have pieces of antler instead of a blank.. If the antler is thick, I will generally turn it to a bit over 3/4" or so...
I also mark the ends of the mating cuts of the antler so that I know which blank mates with it's partner...
After the blanks are rounded, they will not only fit in the drilling jig so that the bit will cut through the center, but the marks left by the live center will give you an index to start your drill at..
On axis deer it is even easier since this antler has a small "blood hole" in the center to use as a reference when setting it up on the lathe...
Drill, glue tubes (epoxy for me on antler), trim and turn as usual.. I use a skew for almost all my turning...
Axis Deer technique:
Sand to 600-800 grit.. the final sanding should be done with a real light touch so as not to leave too many sanding scratches.
I then use automotive rubbing compound, clean with water on a paper towel, then automotive polishing compound, clean again... check the finish for scratches under bright light.. if no scratches.. I then use plastic polish to get the final swirl free gloss... At this point I will use 2 coats of TSW buffed to a high gloss followed by Ren wax for additional protection...
Other Deer Techniques:
North American deer tend to have a porous internal structure that needs to be filled. After turning, I sand to 600 grit lightly and then use thin CA with a Bounty or Viva (brand matters) paper towel to fill the "grain".. sometimes 2-3 coats are required.. resand to 800 grit.. and follow the directions above for the axis deer...
The biggie here is to get a complete fill on the porous antler... if you sand it down and it is still open pored.. go back to the CA again, but this time use medium CA... or even thick CA, but use a light coat.. do not over do it.. and start your sanding again.. "
I hope this helps someone who has not done antler or is having a problem with antler...
Again this is not the do all or be all method for antler.. it is just the way I do it and it works for me...
I have received a couple of emails asking how I do my axis deer antler
Instead of answering each separately, here is my technique for anyone who is interested...
I prep all my deer antler the same way... My method may sound time consuming, but it actually takes longer to describe than to do, especially if you are doing a couple of pens at a time like I do...
Deer antler has one real annoying feature, it is not straight and does not fit nicely into a pen drilling vise to allow you to get a real good drilling dead center on the blank...
To fix this problem, I preturn my blanks so that they are round and fit the vise nicely...
Cut your blanks a little oversize and mark the centers on both ends..
I use a stebcenter on the headstock and a live center on the tailstock and set the blank in place. With the lathe running at a bit over middle speed, I use a round nose scraper to gently round the blank. REMEMBER, you will be turning air some of the time, so don't try to cut it all at once or you will have pieces of antler instead of a blank.. If the antler is thick, I will generally turn it to a bit over 3/4" or so...
I also mark the ends of the mating cuts of the antler so that I know which blank mates with it's partner...
After the blanks are rounded, they will not only fit in the drilling jig so that the bit will cut through the center, but the marks left by the live center will give you an index to start your drill at..
On axis deer it is even easier since this antler has a small "blood hole" in the center to use as a reference when setting it up on the lathe...
Drill, glue tubes (epoxy for me on antler), trim and turn as usual.. I use a skew for almost all my turning...
Axis Deer technique:
Sand to 600-800 grit.. the final sanding should be done with a real light touch so as not to leave too many sanding scratches.
I then use automotive rubbing compound, clean with water on a paper towel, then automotive polishing compound, clean again... check the finish for scratches under bright light.. if no scratches.. I then use plastic polish to get the final swirl free gloss... At this point I will use 2 coats of TSW buffed to a high gloss followed by Ren wax for additional protection...
Other Deer Techniques:
North American deer tend to have a porous internal structure that needs to be filled. After turning, I sand to 600 grit lightly and then use thin CA with a Bounty or Viva (brand matters) paper towel to fill the "grain".. sometimes 2-3 coats are required.. resand to 800 grit.. and follow the directions above for the axis deer...
The biggie here is to get a complete fill on the porous antler... if you sand it down and it is still open pored.. go back to the CA again, but this time use medium CA... or even thick CA, but use a light coat.. do not over do it.. and start your sanding again.. "
I hope this helps someone who has not done antler or is having a problem with antler...
Again this is not the do all or be all method for antler.. it is just the way I do it and it works for me...