any advice before I start turning pens from antlers would be greatly
appreciated.

Red

On Jul 31, 6:21 pm, alysonsdad wrote:
any advice before I start turning pens from antlers would be greatly
appreciated.

Red

Hey Red, long time no see!

I can only tell you what I know from turning moose antler I bought.

You tools MUST be very, very sharp... as sharp as you can get them.
The antler I turned was a tiny bit splintery in some areas, and a very
sharp tool was the answer. Plan on using your skew as pretty much the
only tool for the project. Cut slowly and make tiny curls.

Do the things you should be doing anyway: wear eye and breathing
protection. There is something lost in my memory about ingesting the
bone dust into your lungs and the possible danger, but it escapes me.
Also for reasons lost to me was the importance of not turning "green"
antler, probably because of the danger of ingesting a biohazard of
partially dried or rotted meat and blood still in the bones and their
marrow.

I finished the pens I made with water thick CA glue. I put it on the
antler, and let it soak in and dry. Then I finished like a plastic
bodied pen, going through all the grits and ending/finishing with a
quality polish.

If you do it correctly, the antler or bone will lend a really nice
touch to your work or a finished project.

Robert

Red
The big thing with antler is to get the stuff out near the tip if possible.
It is harder there and, I think, prettier. Be prepared to harden the softer
areas with CA. Make sure the stuff is dried. Fresh antler may still have
blood in it and is a lot softer. The stuff STINKS when turning. Most of the
neighborhood dogs will line up for a whiff and thank you for it. Ventilation
and a good filtration mask are a God send. That all said, sharp tools and
away you go.

--
God bless and safe turning
Darrell Feltmate
Truro, NS
http://aroundthewoods.com
http://roundopinions.blogspot.com

"alysonsdad" wrote in message
oups.com...
any advice before I start turning pens from antlers would be greatly
appreciated.

Red

Hello,

I turn quite a bit of antler, including various Deer, Moose and Elk to name
a few. As the others have pointed out, wear a good respirator when turning
and sanding antler. It can have a strong smell at times, but some pieces
I've turned have not been that bad. I've had some green wood that smelled
far worse... :-o

If you're making pens, the harder and denser material near the points makes
a nicer pen, IMHO. If you're picking your own material, look for antlers
that have the least amount of curve. This will make your drilling easier and
allow you to have more options when turning it.

I do not use a skew, although it can work very well on antler. I prefer to
use a 1/4" Henry Taylor micro spindle gouge to turn my antler pens, using an
Irish grind on the profile. For fine detail areas, I switch to a 3/16" micro
spindle gouge, also with an Irish grind on the profile. It's a very easy
material to work with and it cuts and finishes well. It can be on the
abrasive side, so you will need to sharpen your tools frequently.

If your turning reveals the centre pithy area in the antler, you will need
to fill it with a thick CA glue, or similar. It may take a few applications
of CA to get every tiny area filled in this pithy area. The larger sections
of the antler near the buttons make nice letter opener and magnifying glass
handles.

Antler can be taken to a very high polish, resulting in a surface that looks
like polished marble, or stone. The only real challenge with using it is
drilling an accurate hole when the blank section is curved excessively. I
solved this challenge by using a laser to assist with positioning the drill
bit for an accurately centred hole. If you have any questions, please do not
hesitate to contact me. Take care and best wishes to you and yours!
--
Better Woodturning and Finishing Through Chemistry...

Steven D. Russell
Eurowood Werks Woodturning Studio, The Woodlands, Texas
Machinery, Tool and Product Testing for the Woodworking and Woodturning
Industries

Website: http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com

Free Monthly Woodturning Newsletter * Your email is kept confidential
Sign up at: http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/lathe-talk.html

On 7/31/07 6:21 PM, in article
, "alysonsdad"
wrote:

any advice before I start turning pens from antlers would be greatly
appreciated.

Red

"Darrell Feltmate" wrote in
news:NKZri.70914$tB5.57473@edtnps90:

Red
The big thing with antler is to get the stuff out near the tip if
possible. It is harder there and, I think, prettier. Be prepared to
harden the softer areas with CA. Make sure the stuff is dried. Fresh
antler may still have blood in it and is a lot softer. The stuff
STINKS when turning. Most of the neighborhood dogs will line up for a
whiff and thank you for it. Ventilation and a good filtration mask are
a God send. That all said, sharp tools and away you go.


Darrell,
I've never turned antler or pens for that matter. I taken moose and white
tails and the horns (antlers) have a very different texture. Moose antlers
seemed to be hairier (when you cut into them, you can almost detect a
fiber) than white tail antler. Again, never turned them, but I have carved
them. I never noticed the blood and stink and stuff because I usually sawed
them off (with a piece of skull) right after butchering. I normally store
the anlers for some time before carving or mounting.
It looks like I'm going to become a pen turner. I never intended to turn
pens, but the man I recently bought my "new" lathe from included everything
needed to turn pens (presses, trimmers, mandrels, bushings, drill bits
etc.). Ordered 10 slimline kits to practice on.
Regards and love your website,
Hank