Advice on antler working for a first timer

[Fozz_forrester]

Hi all, ive recently gotten hold of a really nice bit of red deer antler, and i want to cut t into sections to make walking sticks, fire strikers etc however im looking at doing it all 'traditionally' I.E without powertools, can any one offer any advice on how to do this? Im sure ive seen somewhere that you can use heat to cause the antler to break. and how could i hollow it out?

 

[Clouston98]

I don't know about hollowing or anything like that but for cutting sections a hacksaw has always worked fine for me on bone so should work on antler and if you don't have one they are quite cheap.

Good luck. Hope this helps.

 

[Kerne]

I've cut it with a hacksaw and used a round file to hollow it out. The inner stuff (there is probably a technical name for it) is pretty soft and relatively easy to shift. Like you say, I seem to recall seeing someone heat it then break it - maybe on a Ray Mears programme - but it all depends on how traditional you want to be.

 

[Mesquite]

Traditional before metal would mean working it with heat from an ember, hitting where heated to break it then using flint scrapers

 

[HHazeldean]

Yeah the Ray Mears program said to put a hot stick on it, blowing on it so it heats up all around, when the piece has been heated in a ring around it, the antler becomes brittle from the heat and will shear along that line. I suppose that would be the traditional way, although a hacksaw would be easier and make a cleaner cut imo...

 

[dwardo]

Well ventilated area or a dust mask is helpful using any tools. Stinks no end but works so well.