Any tips or links on carving staghorn?

[ChrisPer]

I am planning to decorate a gunstock with stag plates carved and scrimmed, and I am starting from no knowledge. Can anyone point out some useful links or articles on working this material?

My project is here: Wheellock puffer kicks off

I plan to buy some cast antlers (don't live in deer country). Can I slab them to thin plates (about 1/8")with a bandsaw, then steam and form to stock contours? I have cut some sheep horn and found it kind of resilient, but the lustre and colour is very resinous. Is cast staghorn hard and brittle, maybe more like ivory? Will it form if steamed, or do I have to cut it to form?

 

[hookie]

Hey ChrisPer,
Not to sure about the steaming of antler.

I work with Red deer,Rusa and Fallow antler for knife handles etc.etc
Scrims up beauty, sand the thin pieces with fine wet and dry then clean with Brasso always going with the grain then scrimshaw designs on.
If you cut the pieces fine enough you could copy the Japanese way of attachment drill fine holes around the piece then glue the piece to the wood then nail dressmakers pins cut to half their length through the pre-drilled holes.
A Dremel tool is the best for carving though the purists use small files.
Fine pieces can be stained using coffee, onion skins even watered down acrylic paint though it still looks like paint.
You can finish it off with a lacquer...if you can get it try mums nail polish on a small piece.
I think sheephorn is made of completely different stuff and I understand its best used for walking sticks.
Hope this is some help.
Hookie

 

[ChrisPer]

Thanks Hookie! I would love to see some of your work, is there a page up I could see?

 

You may want to consider using cow bone instead. You can get good size bones cheap from the butcher, and even have him cut them into slabs for a small fee. You will need to degrease them. They bleach real white, polish up nice, and are fairly easy to scrim. They can easily be aged to look like ivery.

Bill

 

[hookie]

Yeah, Cowbone works well Bill.It is easiest scrimmed while it is hot just after it has been boiled and again it can easily be made to look like ivory.Polish it when cold with Brasso or any copper polish.
Hookie

 

[cptleo1]

When I need bone for a project, I go to my local PC supply house "Pets are Us"

They have huge bones, dried,cleaned ready to go.

I like em CUZ they are processed ,very dry and oil/fat free so they take stain/dye very evenly

 

[ChrisPer]

Great ideas, thanks guys!