Howdy. I was thinking on trying to make a couple knife handles out of deer antlers. I have a couple sheds laying around and thought it would be interesting to try. I would think I can cut the antler to length sand the cut edges smooth, drill a hole for the knife blade and epoxy it in. Any tips or pointers before I try one would be appreciated.
Thanks
Joe

Make a jig of some sort to hold that antler in place so you can make a nice, clean LEVEL slice through it. It has to mate up flat against the knife blade so any unevenness to it will be a pain to deal with.


-DallanC

I have heard though never tried, that soaking them in water also makes them a little pliable, if its got a slight curve to it.. I have worked with cow horn, and found it works with them real well.. can bend them all over once they are warm! but ohhh the stench!

Yeah, work in the garage or shed, not in the house, smells like burning hair and dead things.
I have both drilled out the center 9couple of round holes side by side (:)and epoxied the knife tang in the hole.

Cut them in half, fitted the knife handle, drilled my holes and used brass brazing rod for pins. ( or copper rivets).

I second the fixture idea that Dallan said.

Never worked with antlers though (guess I need to get a set off a deer before I can actually work with them ) so goodluck and enjoy your project!

Dimitri

A lot will depend on how elaborate you want to get. If you make your own blank from a file or an old blade you have laying around you'll have little choice but to drill holes and pin, or epoxy the blank in. Epoxy works well, but it needs to be quality stuff, like Brownells Acura Glass gel. I still reccommend pins as well. As stated, bras brazing rod works well and can also be 'braded' with a punch to keep it snug. If you plan a bolster, the cut across the antler will be critical as the angle will have to meet both the blade and the bolster. Saw, sand and fit to your satisfaction before adding pins or epoxy.

Main piece of advise... DO IT! If you like it... DO IT some more. Each piece you make you will learn something. Knife making can turn into a wonderful hobby. There are great 'how to's' on the net. Polishing can be tough without equipment, but you only have to make one person happy... YOU!

Thank's everyone for the input . I think I'm gonna go with drilling a hole and epoxying the tang. A dremel tool should do a good job on that. I'm looking forward to trying this. I have a Schrade old timer gut hook that
I'm gonna use the blade from. I will remove the original handle and file the tang to fit my antler piece. Thanks again
Joe