First Antler Project

[Jason Christenson]

This weekend I turned a shop pencil from some deer antler a coworker gave me. Somewhere along the line I banged up the threads on the inside so I had a hard time with assembly and scratched up the tip in the process. I used a CA / BLO finish and it is a little shinier than I would prefer. All in all it turned out fairly well and I'm still gonna give it as a Christmas gift.

Any comments or criticisms (on the turning OR the photography) are more than welcome.

Thanks for looking.

Jason

[Jeremiah Jordan]

Very nice Jason. I have always wanted to try some of those pencil kits. I have never turned antler before but it might give it a whirl since a buddy of mine totaled his car on a deer, but has the antlers.

Jeremiah

[Jason Christenson]

Thanks for looking.

[Mark Cothren]

Hey Jason,

I'm not a pen turner, but I love anything made from antler! My dad used to make knives and he used a lot of antler for handles. I can still smell "that smell" as he would cut and grind on the bone... PEE EWW...

This is a great looking pencil you turned and put together. Very nice!

Thanks for the picture!

[John Hart]

I like it too Jason! I have one antler waiting...and waiting. Never seem to get around to it. Maybe I'm avoiding the inevitable smell.

[Kurt Forbes]

Did you get decent cuts from your gouge?? Even razor sharp I had a heck of a time cutting antler. I ended up bending one pen mandrel I finally gave up on cutting it and did most of the roughing with a heavy file and just ground off most of it untill I could make light finishing cuts with the gouge and skew. The Roughing part was killer since the antler was aprox 1 1/2" across.

[Joe Horne]

I have been wondering that too Kurt. How does the Antler turn? I have some saved back for some pens someday, any tips or hints would be welcome.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Super Sharp tools are key It still turns very hard!!

Jason, it looks great! I have about 4 or 5 racks left from my scrounging, I have a few ideas for them

[Jason Christenson]

You are all correct, the turning is difficult, especially until you get down to round.

[Gary DeWitt]

Antler is similar to bone, both of which I've turned with scrapers only. This on the advice of Bonnie Klein, who is into small turning of alternative materials.
I wouldn't try any other tools on it myself.
Last spring, I turned a small, ring size box with lid from a cow bone aquired at the local pet store. They had bleached or boiled bones already nice and clean.
The box, with separate inset bottom and loose fit top, took a full day to turn and finish. No actual finish applied beyond museum wax, as it polished up to a nice gloss with micro mesh. Not sure it was worth it, I still have trouble convincing people it's not plastic, even tho you can see some of the same kind of "grain" in it that you see in antler.
Anyway, very hard material, turns like alabaster or some other stone, smells like teeth being drilled at the dentist.