Deer Antlers

[Christopher K. Hartley]

I was out at the Cemetery today and went for a walk in the forrest behind the park at lunch time. Deer are quite heavy in the area and when I saw a clearing I thought I might just find some tracks. Guess what? No tracks, but there on the ground about three feet apart were these (pics). Now, I have heard people turn them but I have no idea what I could turn from them. Any ideas out there? They would sure be appreciated.

[Travis Stinson]

These always go over well.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

These always go over well.

This is cool is it deer antler?

[Barry Stratton]

Great find, bones in a graveyard....;)
Yep, pens. I've made 3 now and folks up here love them. I'm also going to try a bottle stopper with a moose or caribou antler base.

[Doug Shepard]

I saw some small cabinet door pulls made from 2 of them that looked pretty cool. They weren't turned and just kept their natural curve. They either tapped them or epoxied machine bolts into the back of them then bolted them through the door like a standard pull - except the bolt spacing was probably anything but standard.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

I saw some small cabinet door pulls made from 2 of them that looked pretty cool. They weren't turned and just kept their natural curve. They either tapped them or epoxied machine bolts into the back of them then bolted them through the door like a standard pull - except the bolt spacing was probably anything but standard.

Cool idea. Thanks

[Greg Savage]

Chain pulls for lights and fans are always handy....and you can get a bunch of them from a few antlers.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Thanks Everyone, Some Great Ideas

[Steve Ash]

I'll just echo what some one else said....in our cabin up north we used antlers for the pull chains on our ceiling fans and lights, also used them for cabinet door pulls, they also make a nice "candelabra" by fixing several candle bases along the main beam you can have 3 or 4 small candles glowing on a coffee table. Also some small ones are nice to hold the curtains back along the window casing. I've also seen some very nice hunting knife handles made from deer antlers. If you had enough of them you can make a chandelier (ours is fake one purchased from Cabelas) to hang down from a cathedral ceiling.

You can find all kinds of uses if you look in a Cabela's catalog. good luck in whatever you do with them.

[John Hart]

I really like the Antler pens that are made fom Antler and a 30.06 shell. Very classy looking

[Steve Ash]

I really like the Antler pens that are made fom Antler and a 30.06 shell. Very classy looking

Here is my variation of your concept...not exactly pens but are antlers and 30.06 related...both of them in the Michigan commemorative bucks record book.

[Pete Jordan]

Chris,

The guy that did the antler pen demo at our club really complained about the smell.

[Kurt Aebi]

Here's what I did with antler and a .308 shell.

[John Hart]

Here is my variation of your concept...not exactly pens but are antlers and 30.06 related...both of them in the Michigan commemorative bucks record book.

Very nice Steve. 'Course...they'd be very difficult to get mounted on a pen mandrel. ;)

[Kurt Rosenzweig]

Open all the windows! ! Antler will really stink up your shop! I had a friend turn some and he swears he can still smell it after months!

[Frank Fusco]

Christopher, there sure must be something really neat you can make out of that deformity on the one on the far right.

[Frank Fusco]

Here is a picture of a Baron pen I made from antler, this is my personal pen. I like working with antler and don't find the aroma objectionable.

[Ernie Nyvall]

I think I see two or three bottle stoppers in the bigger parts.

Ernie

[Dale Thompson]

Christopher,
Antlers make GREAT anything, especially pens. :) The pen blanks are a real challenge to make but they are worth it. I've shown some of my pens to people and they think that it is ceramic. :o

If you make pens, drill the blanks VERY slowly and withdraw the bit frequently. Heat buildup is a problem with antler because it cracks easily. I even inject water into the hole to reduce the heat.

If you have a weak stomach, the smell will cause frequent "barfing".
:( :o :) The solution to that is quite simple. Sprinkle a few drops of after-shave on one of those cheap paper dust masks and you will not be bothered by the odor! :cool: :)

Lastly, don't be afraid to leave a little "ruffage" on a pen blank. It really looks cool and, when you top it off with a rifle clip, the hunters (I'm NOT one) go crazy!! :cool: :)

You're lucky!! Don't waste those "bad boys". :D

Dale T.

[Pat Salter]

I also saw where someone made a bottle stopper and then put an indian head nickel on the end. Something to try.

[Keel McDonald]

Beware of the SMELL!!! But well worth turning!

[Glenn Hodges]

I used them for handles on a large bowl.

[Keith Beck]

Christopher,

If you've ever had a tooth drilled, that's what drilling antler smells like (to me anyways). It's not a great smell, but I can think of many things that smell a lot worse.

The thing with turning antlers is, you sometimes get a "punky" middle, so you may have to use some CA to firm it up. Other times, you'll get some that turn so smoothly, that they look like marble.

Antler makes interesting looking pens, but I often have a heck of a time drilling a straight line through it. I don't even want to think of how many I've blown through the side of while drilling. :(

Keith

[Christopher K. Hartley]

All great ideas and advice, Thanks, I'll let you know what they turn into.