Thread: Finishing Antler

I have a bag of deer antler that my father in law has dropped off. I've been scheming up some uses for it, but am not sure how to finish it. I just assumed I would sand up to about 600 grit, but wasn't sure if I needed to apply any finishing product. Some sort of wax maybe?

Anyone have any good ideas or experience with finishing antler?

Sanding should be fine, I would go to 1000 or 2000 grit for a nice glossy finish. Incidentally, it's better to wet sand it. It keeps the dust down and helps keep you from burning the antler.

You can also topcoat it with polyurethane, lacquer, shellac, epoxy or CA for a little extra protection.

Love the antler and bone work...hopefully you'll post your work?

Thanks,

Mac

Please post some pics when your done. I like the look of antler myself.

Building up some hand polishing/ burnishing heat at the end seems like a good thing to me. burnishing with a clean cloth, wax, rub... never tried pastes or wet sanding(?)

My granddad would really sand, polish and buff his knife handles, and that looked pretty cool. But some pieces need as little as possible.

A double cut file, card-scraper, and sharp knife all work well. True some pieces are more knifeable than others.

Anyone have a extra friend with a bag of antlers that I could borrow?

Just kidding. Please post picks of your scales when your done.

Doug

Originally Posted by JetHed

Anyone have a extra friend with a bag of antlers that I could borrow?

Just kidding. Please post picks of your scales when your done.

Doug

Actually, we have a set of deer horns we use as a climbing for the Quaker Parrot. As he has aged, he has stopped using it. I probably should look at them and see if he damaged them any.

My father-in-law was a deer hunter. We bought his house. I'll check to see if he had any in the shed. We won't be going up there for a couple of weeks.