Deer horn pens

[dickroan]

I just got my hands on enough deer horn material to make two pens if my hands are steady enough to not drill through the curves......Anyway, does anyone know what type of finish to use on the finished pens (polyurethane, friction polish, etc.)? Also will I have any unexpected problems on the lathe cutting down the horns?.....Any help would be appreciated....thanks, dick

[alancooke]

I have not actually turned any antlers yet, but I have seen some and talked with a couple of people who have b/c I also have some deer and elk antlers that I want to make some pens from. From what I've been told, they are not hard to turn but stink real bad in the process. The inside of the antlers are very porous, as you probably already know. Both people I've asked, if I'm not mistaken, used CA glue as a finish. This is common practice for lots of pen turners in general.

Keep us posted of your progress and anything you may learn about turning the antlers. Good Luck!

[dickroan]

I've been told to wear a good mask while turning the pens....I just never thought to ask about finish used or cracking, peeling, drilling, etc. I have the holes drilled in two pieces big enough to hold "pen tubes", but I really didn't know what to expect from there....One fellow I used to work with said he used friction polish to finish his pens, but the pieces just looked to porus for friction polish to me....Thanks for the follow up.....make something nice...dick

[muncyjohn]

I have had some deer antlers sitting high on the shelf for about 3 years because I didn't have the right equipment to cut them, now that I have the SS BS I guess I can't use that excuse anymore.

Personally I am not real impressed with a plain blah looking pen and thats what I saw when looking at the antlers but maybe I am wrong so I will take a stab at it and see what they look like today!

How about sharing your results Dick when you get yours turned!

I see you had the holes drilled already, that's good, I was wondering about that part too since I tried doing some of that countertop stuff and it was tricky drilling without splitting it, I think it took me 6 pieces to get 1 pen!

[muncyjohn]

Well Dick don't look for any finished deer horn pens from me, I just got them down and after cutting 2 sized pen blanks with the BS the odor got to me, spent the last hour with Fabriese and using the dust collector to vacumm everything, even took the cover off the BS attempting to get the smell out, nope horn turning is not for me!

[Greenvilleguy]

This is definitely an interesting post. I too have some deer antlers sitting on a self waiting to be turning into pens.

I found a turning forum in Australia of all places and asked for advice on turning antlers. Here is a summary of what I found out:

1. Wear a mask - the dusk can cause an allergic reaction.
2. CA was the finish of choice (I haven't tried this, but I guessing you use the thin stuff.)
3. Build a clamping jig to drill the holes. The one I saw was simple. It was just two pieces of 2x4 with bolts through them so you could clamp the antler between them.)

What I need now is some positive incentive. Has anyone made pens from antlers that turned out well? Like the post above, the antler I have looks plain. Why would I put up with the smell, etc. to make plain looking pens?

[alancooke]

What I need now is some positive incentive. Has anyone made pens from antlers that turned out well? Like the post above, the antler I have looks plain. Why would I put up with the smell, etc. to make plain looking pens?

I guess the best incentive is to have a pen from the antlers of a deer you harvested, or to make one for someone else who wants one from a deer they took. Like you, I don't see much other incentive, but, everone has different tastes:) Have fun turning!

[Greenvilleguy]

One more question, should I bleach the horn blank to make it whiter? Has anyone tried this?