Antler grip long knives

[Macon Due]

I have a question on knives.......when using deer antler for the grip....is it slit for the tang? No one ever seems to show the grip from the top or bottom so it's hard to tell if is sawed like a wood slab grip or a hole drilled and the tang made thin and rounded?
Thanks for your input.
Macon

 

[hoochiepapa]

I think most of them are bored out to accept the tang, which extends through the handle and is peened over to hold the grip on. Go to www.longrifle.com, there are some there.

 

[shooyer_250]

I have always heard...the antler (handle) was soaked in a bucket of water a long way from the house, (smells real bad after a bit), about 30 to 45 days. The inner core of the antler softens to the poit one can slide (force) the tang of the blade into the antler, the core, once the tang is fully inserted, begins to dry and will form a suction anround the tang, no glue required.

but then I could be wrong.

God Bless

Lee

 

[Andrew smith]

You can soak the horn for 30-45 days and yes, it will soften so you can force the antler onto the blade. You have to give the horn plenty of time to dry once you get it on the tang though and before you peen over the the end. the horn will shrink a little. You can always drill it though.

 

[LRB]

They can done be either way. Use iron rivets if you are going to use the split grip half tang method.

 

[ohio ramrod]

When I use antler for knife handles I use two methods. For patch knives I drill the center an d then burn out the remainder with a red hot piece of steel slightly undersized from the knife tang. Then insert the blade tang and rivet it in place. For loarger knives I slab the antler and hold the slabs on with rivets. I'lll try to post a picture if I can get photbucket to work.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Here ( I hope is a picture ) the antler handles in the lower right were burned in and held withj a single pin.