The Firearms Forum banner

1st foray into Stag handled knives

3K views 18 replies 7 participants last post by  Fatstrat 
#1 ·
Blade is very worn (originally 7", now 6.5") WW-2 Camillus USMC blade. Reshaped & polished. Guard is from previous PAL-36 knife project. Handle material is Elk.
 
See less See more
1
#2 ·
Your picture didn't turn out all that well. I love the looks of the stag handled knives, but for a knife that you will use regularly they, in my opinion, don't hold up well. Not enough strength in the handles. I've broke two handles off.
 
#3 ·
A valid point. Antler drop handle knives are probably the weakest/least durable design there is. In fact, hidden tang knives are in general weaker than full tang. All of the WW-2 knives I begin my projects on are hidden tang w/compressed leather handles. And it's surprising how many actually exhibit bent tangs from where the knife was used to pry on something. And I've seen pics of severely bent tangs and even some broken off. Obviously the compressed leather is more pliable than antler or bone, which will break when heavily stressed.
 
#5 ·
As a skinning knife, or a serving knife, for slicing turkey, or ham, they work well. Yours is looking good. The handle flows, and should fit the hand well.
 
#6 ·
Getting closer. Still a ways to go. Note how long I made the tang. On most hidden tang antler handle knives I've seen, the tang was MUCH shorter. I'm hoping a longer tang inside the handle = more strength. It was a lot of work making the hole. Especially making it fit tight to the tang. Even w/o being glued, the blade will not fall out.
 
#16 ·
Beautiful work.

Now the questions...

I've been considering doing this. Did you harvest the antler yourself? I want to do this with one of the sheddings I find frequently, but can't seem to find anything on how to treat the antler before I move on.

I'm assuming it would have to sit for a drying period, but again, no reliable intel out there...

I would value any input.
 
#17 ·
I did not harvest the antler. But rather purchased it at a gunshow several years ago. Being as this was my first "stab" at anything other than stacked leather handles, I'm not terribly knowledgeable on the subject. But did do due deligance in researching it while working on my knife. What I came to believe was that just storing it in stable dry environment (such as inside your home) will stabilize (I assume dry out) the antler. Which was great for me as that was what I had (inadvertently) done. After that you want to seal it much like you would a gunstock, to prevent moisture gain and/or loss. IE: Keep it as it was when knife was made. So you don't have to have a stabilized antler to start with. You just want to make sure it stays like it was when knife was made and doesn't swell or shrink later. There are a dizzying number of ways to do it. The simplest I saw was to rub Super Glue into it. The 1st few coats sealing the antler. Later ones building a protective finish. Another is to rub in a mix of Devcon epoxy and acetone (1 to 3 parts mix as I recall). Another was soak it in linseed oil.
I kinda strayed from the pack and went my own way. Combining the 1st and 3rd methods with something I had on hand and had experience with. Birchwood Casey "Tru Oil". Which is basically Linseed oil with some unknown additives. And applied as I would a hand rubbed stock finish. Several light coats rubbed in and allowed to dry. The buffed w/fine steel wool prior to the next.
I inquired for opinions on my idea on the knife forums I frequent for info. And received 0 replies. But it looks good to me. Ideally you do want to stabilize your antler prior to knife assembly.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top