I have a piece of antler that I would like to use for a knife handle. Is there a good way to straighten a piece of antler? The antler in question is from a white tail deer. Thank you in advance............watch yer top knot..........
Bending antler
- Thread starter buford87
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It's possible but can be tough to do depending on the antler piece - old drops are harder to straighten without problems than fresher pieces for instance
1) Cut to size and pre-drill the piece so that there's a hole in the middle
2) Make a set of wooden V-blocks for your vise
3) BOIL the antler in a half-gallon of water mixed with a cup of apple cider vinegar for 15-30 minutes
4) IMMEDIATELY remove and while hot (use gloves)place in the V-Blocks and slowly tighten - stop when it gets REALLY hard to close the vice or if you hear a "cracking" sound (the letter may be too late)
5) Let set for 6 hours - if need be re-do.
6) Once set to the desired straightness leave for 48-72 hours in the vice
7) If need be re-do as above....
1) Cut to size and pre-drill the piece so that there's a hole in the middle
2) Make a set of wooden V-blocks for your vise
3) BOIL the antler in a half-gallon of water mixed with a cup of apple cider vinegar for 15-30 minutes
4) IMMEDIATELY remove and while hot (use gloves)place in the V-Blocks and slowly tighten - stop when it gets REALLY hard to close the vice or if you hear a "cracking" sound (the letter may be too late)
5) Let set for 6 hours - if need be re-do.
6) Once set to the desired straightness leave for 48-72 hours in the vice
7) If need be re-do as above....
Never tried, some say soak in vinegar.
You're welcome and good luck -
as for soaking in vinegar I've tried it several time and have yet had it work - boiling in water with added vinegar on the other hand has worked for me at least 75% of the time....the other 25% - cracked antler - mostly older drops...
and FWIW - my top knot is in pretty good condition despite getting a bit thin thesed days ...
as for soaking in vinegar I've tried it several time and have yet had it work - boiling in water with added vinegar on the other hand has worked for me at least 75% of the time....the other 25% - cracked antler - mostly older drops...
and FWIW - my top knot is in pretty good condition despite getting a bit thin thesed days ...
Sperit de bois
45 Cal.
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Curious,,the "cat thing" is the only hold back,,,,
I have been wondering in my mind,,,what would happen if you took a section on antler that would fit into a quart jar,,,mixed up a brine solution like you put pickles in and then processed the antler in pressure cooked.Just like if you were going to preserve them????
Brine is very hot,antler is heated and in a solution of vinegar and water or just vinegar,cause you are not looking to preserve but soften.
Also take a brine solution and use a quart jar and the wife's vacuum sealer,(better if she isn't home,she will recognize the new one)put the antler in the jar and vaccum the jar,the negative pressure would pull the vinegar deeper into the cells of the antler.
I have been wondering in my mind,,,what would happen if you took a section on antler that would fit into a quart jar,,,mixed up a brine solution like you put pickles in and then processed the antler in pressure cooked.Just like if you were going to preserve them????
Brine is very hot,antler is heated and in a solution of vinegar and water or just vinegar,cause you are not looking to preserve but soften.
Also take a brine solution and use a quart jar and the wife's vacuum sealer,(better if she isn't home,she will recognize the new one)put the antler in the jar and vaccum the jar,the negative pressure would pull the vinegar deeper into the cells of the antler.
You try it first with your wife's vacuum sealer and let me know how that works out for you... :rotf: Not that i'm Hen pecked or anything, But I do have Hen house ways when it come to SWMBO canning stuff. :redface: :slap:
Good Luck Buford let us know who it come out :thumbsup:
Good Luck Buford let us know who it come out :thumbsup:
Sperit de bois
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She tilted her head a little,raised one eyebrow, turned and walked away,,never said a word,,, go figure. :hmm:
You're a lucky man :haha:
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that one's a keeper
50cal.cliff
58 Cal.
LaBonte nailed the process for you. I like to call it the HBBOB method.
Heat till hot all the way thru and then while so hot you can't hang on to it, slap it in the already to go vice (lined with wood), and then it is break, bust or bleed.
Crank the vice till you can't crank no mo and leave it there for a while. Personally I like to leave it 24-48hrs. it lets the moisture dry back out and if you got it far enough on the first try you won't have to go thru all that again because you released from the vice too soon.
This piece was used to make a friction folder and was bent almost too a 45* when I started and I brought it around straight enough to allow the blade to center up when the slot was cut for the blade to pivot in!
Heat till hot all the way thru and then while so hot you can't hang on to it, slap it in the already to go vice (lined with wood), and then it is break, bust or bleed.
Crank the vice till you can't crank no mo and leave it there for a while. Personally I like to leave it 24-48hrs. it lets the moisture dry back out and if you got it far enough on the first try you won't have to go thru all that again because you released from the vice too soon.
This piece was used to make a friction folder and was bent almost too a 45* when I started and I brought it around straight enough to allow the blade to center up when the slot was cut for the blade to pivot in!
Jim West Pa
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That is an absolutely beautiful knife Cliff!!!
Very interesting and unique knife. Has it's own beauty too. :thumbsup:
50cal.cliff
58 Cal.
Thanks guys but this post was about the antler I chose to make it from. It was pretty much right for what I needed except it had a sharp kink where the other spike came off of it, at the bottom. If you look close you can see where it was cut off!
I had tried straightening antler before with mixed results. My first mistake was not getting it hot enough in the boiling water. Once boiling I made sure I had enough water to leave it in the boiling water for a while. I left this piece for about 20 minutes.
Next mistake was the first time I tried to straighten a piece of antler I used a C clamp,with wood blocks. It was hard to line it all up and not enough pressure. The vice applied much more pressure and you need it to force out the curve!
The third thing I did wrong was removing it too quick from the clamp. The first time I removed it after an hour and once it had dried it returned some of the curve.
When I did this piece I left it in the vice for two days and it never tried to re-curve after it was straightened!
On a side note I already had the wood in place like LaBonte says and when I cranked it down the antler actually embedded itself into the wood. But I never stopped turning the vice until I couldn't crank no mo!
I had tried straightening antler before with mixed results. My first mistake was not getting it hot enough in the boiling water. Once boiling I made sure I had enough water to leave it in the boiling water for a while. I left this piece for about 20 minutes.
Next mistake was the first time I tried to straighten a piece of antler I used a C clamp,with wood blocks. It was hard to line it all up and not enough pressure. The vice applied much more pressure and you need it to force out the curve!
The third thing I did wrong was removing it too quick from the clamp. The first time I removed it after an hour and once it had dried it returned some of the curve.
When I did this piece I left it in the vice for two days and it never tried to re-curve after it was straightened!
On a side note I already had the wood in place like LaBonte says and when I cranked it down the antler actually embedded itself into the wood. But I never stopped turning the vice until I couldn't crank no mo!
