Yes, antler can become brittle with drying. Another nice tool is a soldering iron tip in brass. I had the rare opportunity to excavate a prehistoric buffalo kill site and uncover one of the the folsom points. I'll never forget the thrill picking up a tool last handled by the hunter who threw it milenia past, and promptly slitting a huge cut in my left palm. Fortuititously, these tools are the sharpest know with edges one molecule thick. My hand healed very rapidly with only a faint white scar.