Antler ramrod tips

[hanshi]

Here are a few of the antler tips I made for my rifles; the small ones are tricky.

 

[hanshi]

this is my EV with the rod tip. I cup them to the contour of the ball.

 

[mikemeteor]

:thumbsup:
like that.
any issues with cracking or breakage over time ?
any chance you could post a brief tutorial on your fabrication steps over in the Craftsman forum ?
thanks /MM

 

[ohio ramrod]

Antler turns much like wood. I have made several pens out of antler and find it easy to turn. However it does tend to crack if turned thin but it can be reenforced with simple thin super glue which will penetrate into the pores and seal them as well as reenforce the tips. I find rasps are superior to turning tools for final turning as they are less likely to chip the antler. :hmm:

 

[hanshi]

Sure, I can do that. It is true it will crack if too thin and that should always be a consideration. I'll be happy to post something in that section very shortly.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I can second Hanshi on the turning. It turns much like wood or plastic on a lathe. Or even drilled for a machine screw and then chucked in a drill and shaped with a file while it spins. Flat buttons can be cut with a plug cutter on a drill press and smoothed off. It epoxies readily to make belt buckles and inlays. Even Scrims.

 

[rabjr]

Nice, ever thought about using Ivory? I have a Mammoth Ivory tip on my .36 cal Flinters stick. :thumbsup:

 

[Zonie]

While it's not exactly an antler, I used some cow horn to make this ramrod tip.

I must admit I haven't used it as a ramrod because I use my range rod when I shoot.

I suspect it might be a little fragile and might break off but I must admit it's different.

 

[Roy]

I have made them out of cow horn too... haven't tried antler yet.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

I make mine out of horn like the originals I have seen. They are drilled thru and sit on a shoulder on the rod. The rod is sawed in a cross at the top and a solid hardwood wedge and two side wedges are driven in. The tip does not slide down or come off.