Antler knife

[Mike Cruz]

I have a friend that asked me about making a knife (handle of course) out of deer antler. He's happy to supply the antler. Now, I'm asking this in the turning section because I'm assuming there is some turning involved, even though one would want as much natural antler exposed. I've noticed some kits available. Don't know much about any of them. Don't know what is involved.

For anyone that has made them, can you tell me what is involved? Is it just as simple as buying the knife, cutting the antler down the middle, flattening it, drilling the holes and inserting the pegs? Or is it like pen making where you get a multitude of accessories, bushings, etc, etc, etc? I am not planning on making a bunch of these. So, I don't want to get too involved with it. But if it is simple enough, with mininal cash out (other than a good kit), I might try it.

Thanks for your help. Oh, yeah... A good supplier and or specific item would be appreciated.

[John Keeton]

Mike, I am going to move your thread to General Woodworking, though even that may not get you much response in a woodworking forum. I don't make knives, but I have a friend that is a professional knifemaker. There won't be any turning involved, but a lot of grinding, sanding, etc. The "blanks" are called scales, and are usually sold in pairs.

You might start with this link - http://www.crazycrow.com/knife-making-supply This company is a well known supplier for the primitive crowd, but also has knife scales in various materials, including American stag (a misnomer as the stag is not an American animal!) However, whitetail deer antler is rarely thick enough for knife scales and antlers that large usually go toward other uses. Elk antler is available, and periodically, there are current listings on Ebay for that. Stag antler scales are more common, and there are several listings on Ebay for those.

You will need to decide if you are going to use the "rose" or "crown" (base) in the handle. If so, the technique is altogether different.

Good luck!!

[Mike Cruz]

Okay, John, if you think this is my best bet, I'll take your word for it...

I looked at the link you posted. Thands. That's a great start. Since I'd be looking for something on the lesser expensive side, I found these:

http://www.crazycrow.com/mm5/merchan...de=841-200-110

and

http://www.crazycrow.com/mm5/merchan...de=841-200-030

But, I have no idea of actual quality, and no idea of how to attach a handle. Any guideance would be appreciated.

[John Keeton]

Mike, both of those blades are intended for drilling the solid handle (perhaps with the crown.) It is hard to tell, but the tip of the Damascus blade may be threaded to accept some form of retention, or perhaps one would hammer the tip of the tang to create retention of the drilled handle. You can also epoxy the blade, with a guard fitted to the handle/blade. Scales would not be used with those blades. This is probably the easiest method vs. scales.

I have a handmade primitive knife I will try to take a pic of and post it for you. Can't offer much beyond that as I have not made one.

I believe there are several YouTube videos out there, and you might want to search for links associated with rendezvous and muzzleloading accoutrements.

[Mike Cruz]

If it is as easy as drilling and epoxying it in, that would be great! Now, you are talking about a retention. Do you mean some sort of guard to keep your hand from slipping down the knife over the blade? If so, I suppose that site sells them, right? Do they (that site) have any tips or instructions for doing that sort of installation? Or do you think my best bet is to just check out the YouTube videos? Also, I'll check out your last two suggestions of searching for " links associated with rendezvous and muzzleloading accoutrements". Thanks John.

[John Keeton]

The extended portion of the tang is for an outside retention. If I were going to use an antler base with crown, I would remove that. It should be soft steel as the heat treat on the blade should not extend that far. At that point, you could just use epoxy, and yes, you will need a guard that is fitted to the step in the blade. After it is assembled, most folks sand/grind down the antler to fit flush with the guard on the sides.

I failed to mention, yes, Crazy Crow has a wide assortment of guards http://www.crazycrow.com/knife-making-hardware. If you order the blade from them, I would call to see if they can match a guard to the blade to minimize fitting to the tang.

[Mike Cruz]

Thanks, John. I think my best bet will be to call them, explain what I want to do, and have them walk me through it.

One last question... Of the two examples I gave above, which is better/would you chose? Or is there another in that price range that you think is better (better steel etc)? Sorry, I don't know a whole lot about knives. The only think I do know about knives and blade steel is how it is folded over on itself multiple times to create strength. My understanding is that Japanese steel (used for Samurai swords and such) is some of the best there is because of how many times it is folded over and how well it holds an edge. But other than that, I wouldn't know the difference between one or the other on that site... Again, thanks for your input and help.

[John Keeton]

Mike, the Damascus has a unique look that a lot of folks like, but I am not knowledgeable enough on the topic of knife steel to be much help. Along with the type of steel, the method of heat treat is all important. Without talking with them, it would be hard to suggest a particular blade. As with anything, though, I suspect one gets what one pays for. Really good knife blades can run lots of $$$$. I would imagine anything in the price range you are looking at will be medium quality steel.

[Mike Cruz]

Yeah, I'm looking at the cheapest stuff they have, I know that. I have a feeling the guy just thinks it would be cool to have it. Not sure that he would really be using it all that much... Who knows, he might hang it on the wall, and no one would know the difference between a $20 knife blade and a $500 knife blade up there. I need to get a little more info from him to find out what he'd do with it. Thanks, John.