Thread: Deer antler source

Just wanted to give a heads up to anyone who wants to make scales or brushes out of deer antler, I found a pretty good source. If you have a Pet Smart near you, they sell deer antler pieces as dog chews. There were plenty of pieces large enough to make scales or brushes at pretty good prices. Like I said, just a heads up.

I saw that last time I was there, I just wasnt sure how to go about sectioning it into scales. Maybe someone could post a pic of a sectioned antler? Are they solid or hollow?
Thanks,
Eric

solid !!! these are sections i cut for future scales/brush handles



i think to do them better next time im gonna kinda cut them in slabs then shape them on a belt sander ...
if your interested check out this thread
http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...-complete.html

Is that marrow in the center Gooser? I like those but Im interested in making a thin set out of the outer skins of the antler. I think im going to need a large diameter antler to get the required thickness (or maybe thin-ness).
Ill pick up one of those from the pet store to experiment with next time im there.
Eric

Originally Posted by epd

Is that marrow in the center Gooser? I like those but Im interested in making a thin set out of the outer skins of the antler. I think im going to need a large diameter antler to get the required thickness (or maybe thin-ness).
Ill pick up one of those from the pet store to experiment with next time im there.
Eric

there solid and hard as a rock ...lol
thats what i was saying about my next set , i wanna cut them down the middle then thin them out on the belt sander .. that way i can have a normal sized scale thickness and also shape them the way i want and just have the outer ruffness of the antler, im gonna use the main beams of the rack for this , the scales i made are a tine( point) off the main beam .. ... that thread is the second set i tried , if your gonna cut them id say use a fine toothed metal blade , it seemed to be more accurate , slower cutting , but more effective .. im no pro on them but i learned as i went more ways to make life simpler on me as i made them ...lol
on a side note , least the antler isnt brittle , i cut mine with a saws-all in a bench vise and all the vibrations didnt bother them one bit .. good luck and post up what you come up with ....

And all this time I've been sitting in the woods with my rifle when all I needed to do was go to the pet store .... jk... Thanks for the post.

Originally Posted by Katan2212

And all this time I've been sitting in the woods with my rifle when all I needed to do was go to the pet store .... jk... Thanks for the post.

and the pet store is warmer ..... now then i wonder if they have moose

The difference between horn and antler is, all horn is hollow and all antler is solid. Deer shed their antlers every year and grow new ones. Usually a little larger each year. The veins are on the outside and are part of what is called velvet when they are growing. With horn, the veins are on the inside and are not shed ever. You can sometimes find antlers in the woods where deer have shed them but the mice and bugs eventually eat them. The mice eat them for the calcium. Some species of antler are more solid than others. Whitetail for instance tend to be more porous inside than mule deer. Mack

Originally Posted by syslight

and the pet store is warmer ..... now then i wonder if they have moose

I like picking up sheds and did a touch of research, and apparently moose shed too. So if you have moose in your area you can get sheds with a little searching.