Antler Handle

[ashtar13]

I found an old knife that the handle was made of leather. It has rotted away and I want to put a deer antler handle on it. How is this done? Primitive Ways website says to soak the antler or boil it until the core is soft, then push the tang on. Does the handle really stay on? Any ideas?

 

[Black Hand]

If you want to stay pc, drill out the core of the antler and use pine pitch or poured babbit/pewter to affix the handle. The boiling may work to soften, and I tried this with elk antler with very little success. Maybe others have had better success?
Black Hand

 

[LRB]

If you want it to stay on, first make sure your tang is soft enogh to drill. Drill out the antler, slip it on full of epoxy. When the epoxy is hard, drill an 1/8" hole through the grip and tang, and install an iron pin. It will be there from now on, and look just as PC as pine pitch. As if you could see it anyway.

 

[onefeather]

that is what id did wick i know its not pc but it works if you are in a rush

 

[mglampson]

I use epoxy, the longer setting stuff, it dries harder. I drill down into the antler with a bit no bigger then the tang. Then with a much smaller bit I drill anchor holes into the sides of the main hole. This keeps the epoxy from pulling out of the antler. Then I file notches into the tang on the blade. This keeps the blade from pulling out of the epoxy. Fill hole in antler about halfway with the epoxy and insert the blade tang. Wipe away any excess. Stand the knife up where it won't get knocked over and let the whole thing dry. TaDa, finished. Not the most PC but works great! If you had a brass hilt for the blade, that would hide the epoxy but I just use the amber stuff and it looks fine to me. Hard like iron!
I have also used melted linotype but that is a different procedure.

Britches

 

[halfstock54]

I had some Acraglass bedding compound. I mixed in the black dye that came with it and it looked really close pitch. Maybe the same would work with epoxy. :results:

 

[Okwaho]

I read the posts here and all have good points. Old knives with antler or bone handles are hafted in several ways.I have collected primitive knives for many years and still make some belt knives using old blades usually from reshaped turn of the century butcher knives.I have also rehafted old blades primarily in antler handles. The various techniques are: One is the way suggested herein which is essentially the jam in technique. When this is used with a tapered tang a pin is added if the tang is wide enough at the base. Early knives often have molten lead poured in at the base to give extra strength and occasionally a tang will be made slightly longer than the antler and then peened on the end of the handle.A second method and one that was probably more common than the tapered tang is the flat tang which is found on knives with wooden or bone slabs in which case iron pins are added. I have seen very few early knives with brass or copper pins.The third method is the use of antler or bone handles on flat tangs.The handles are slotted and the tangs should be slightly thinner from the base out.Just slot the antler handle the appropriate length and then bevel the ends inward towards the blade The beveling is desirable for both tapered as well as flat tangs.If you are using an old blade or a used blade unless you have an eye far superior to mine you will need to drill two new holes. There are several ways to selectively take out the temper, one is to use a type of putty and I don't remember the name. I need to know since my freebie supply is almost gone. Simply mold the putty at the base of the blade and then heat the tang itself. Another way and one I haven't tried is to stick the blade into a potato leaving the tang exposed and then proceed to take out the temper accordingly.After you have done this put the blade in the handle making sure that it is slightly wider than the antler,take it out and put epoxy or whatever adhesive you like on the blade and then reinsert the blade and allow time for the adhesive to harden.Make sure you know where the previous holes are located so you can avoid them when you drill the new holes unless your eyes are such that you can hit the old holes.I never could.Then you drill the two new holes in the handle and cut two finishing nails the approximate necessary size and length,coat them with epoxy or some other type glue adhesive and insert them. Allow everything to harden.Now you are ready to finish the knife and here is why God made dremel tools. Using a grinder and the aforementioned dremel tools reshape the edges of the tang to match the antler handle using the Dremel to finish the job in between the ridges of the antler and the same is true for the pins.One little trick here is to age the edges of the tang and blade where you have reshaped them and the ends of the pins.Battery acid and a small artist's brush does a good job.If you want to age the blade itself it is best to do it before you put it into the handle. If,however you are using bone or want a polished appearance on the handle then it's a whole new ballpark as to the handles. I never did any preferring regular handles.There are two good books out there on these old knives and they are "The Knife in Homespun America" by Madison Grant. Be judicious a to the dates and text.The second and the better of the two is"American Primitive Knives:1770-1870" by Gordon Minnis.
I am on my way to Ft. Loudoun and when I get back I will post on the simple way of making early sheaths for rifleman's knives.
Bo'jou Neejees
Tom Patton :m2c:

 

[Okwaho]

I read the posts here and all have good points. Old knives with antler or bone handles are hafted in several ways.I have collected primitive knives for many years and still make some belt knives using old blades usually from reshaped turn of the century butcher knives.I have also rehafted old blades primarily in antler handles. The various techniques are: One is the way suggested herein which is essentially the jam in technique. When this is used with a tapered tang a pin is added if the tang is wide enough at the base. Early knives often have molten lead poured in at the base to give extra strength and occasionally a tang will be made slightly longer than the antler and then peened on the end of the handle.A second method and one that was probably more common than the tapered tang is the flat tang which is found on knives with wooden or bone slabs in which case iron pins are added. I have seen very few early knives with brass or copper pins.The third method is the use of antler or bone handles on flat tangs.The handles are slotted and the tangs should be slightly thinner from the base out.Just slot the antler handle the appropriate length and then bevel the ends inward towards the blade The beveling is desirable for both tapered as well as flat tangs.If you are using an old blade or a used blade unless you have an eye far superior to mine you will need to drill two new holes. There are several ways to selectively take out the temper, one is to use a type of putty and I don't remember the name. I need to know since my freebie supply is almost gone. Simply mold the putty at the base of the blade and then heat the tang itself. Another way and one I haven't tried is to stick the blade into a potato leaving the tang exposed and then proceed to take out the temper accordingly.After you have done this put the blade in the handle making sure that it is slightly wider than the antler,take it out and put epoxy or whatever adhesive you like on the blade and then reinsert the blade and allow time for the adhesive to harden.Make sure you know where the previous holes are located so you can avoid them when you drill the new holes unless your eyes are such that you can hit the old holes.I never could.Then you drill the two new holes in the handle and cut two finishing nails the approximate necessary size and length,coat them with epoxy or some other type glue adhesive and insert them. Allow everything to harden.Now you are ready to finish the knife and here is why God made dremel tools. Using a grinder and the aforementioned dremel tools reshape the edges of the tang to match the antler handle using the Dremel to finish the job in between the ridges of the antler and the same is true for the pins.One little trick here is to age the edges of the tang and blade where you have reshaped them and the ends of the pins.Battery acid and a small artist's brush does a good job.If you want to age the blade itself it is best to do it before you put it into the handle. If,however you are using bone or want a polished appearance on the handle then it's a whole new ballpark as to the handles. I never did any preferring antler handles.There are two good books out there on these old knives and they are "The Knife in Homespun America" by Madison Grant. Be judicious a to the dates and text.The second and the better of the two is"American Primitive Knives:1770-1870" by Gordon Minnis.
Bo'jou Neejees
Tom Patton
:m2c:

This was a post I did back in September but I think it's still pertinent to the subject.This is the way I make antler handled rifle/butcher knives using old blades although you could do the same with wooden or bone scales.I haven't done any in a while but when I get my shop set up again I may make some more. I've got a bucket ful of old blades which need handles.
Tom Patton

 

[jaguarxk120]

If you choose to use epoxy get the J B Weld at the depot. Cures extremily hard and tough. Is a grey in color when fully cured. What you put together will not come apart. TF

 

[paulvallandigham]

If you find a tang that is too hard to drill for the retaining pins, heat the tang up using a propane torch, while the knife is held in the jaws of a vise. The vise will serve as a heat diverter(well), so that you do not ruin your blade. Center punch your tang for the drill, and drill the tang when it is red hot. It will cut like wood, rather than steel. And, you can use an ordinary( Cheap) high carbon steel drill bit ! When the holes are drilled, remove the heat and let the tang cool. If you have some water near by, douse it to cool. This works with stainless steel knives, and those laminated blades you see advertised, where the tang can burn out a ordinary drill bit, if you drill it cold.

 

[Legionair]

I did a small patch knife with a antler handle, and I cut barbs in the tang. When Its pushed into the horn (carfully...), the barbs first push the horn apart, then the horn wil close in behind as the barbs pass. Locks the blade in. Unless you destroy the horn, I don't think you'll get it back out.

Legion

 

[lyman]

Your tang is probably a rectangle so drill a hole just a wee bit smaller then the tang. Get some clear apoxy and mix some antler dust with it and poor in the hole then jamm the tang into it.when you do this make sure the point is down on some wood and you knock the horn with a wood mallet. It will go in a little hard but thats what you want. Some of my knives have lasted over 30 years that way.
Bob

 

[Swampman]

Wow! All I've ever done is cut a grove in the antler and file it to fit the blade. After I anneal the tang with a torch, I just drill through the antler (and blade), pin it with brazing rod and peen the ends of the pins so they don't come out.