Love learning something from the opposite end of the spectrum. I have some fine tools, but always think about survival, simplicity, my grandpa. Much respect.
A " Do it Yourself Craftsman" - wearing CROCS ! I am so confused. Just playing. Excellent video, Learned a lot. Any hand-made antler blade of any kind can sometimes be expansive. Thanks for giving me motivation for my next project.
The outside of the antler reaches 212 degrees F, (the water boing point) about the same time the water does.............but the inside is still lower in temperature. Leave it boil for a few minutes, (5 or 6) so that everything reaches the same temperature. And red vegiesoup has a great idea, ,use a rubber mallet. And mount the antler vertically in the vise. I have made many hundred knife handles my self, but never mounted any like you show. But I am surely going to try it, and thanks for showing this method.
30 seconds in boiling water will only raise the temperature outer surfaces of the antler. Even at 5 minutes the interior would still be quite cool. However your method works because each time you make a hole with the tang it allows the hot water to get further inside the antler with each 30 second dip, so you complete the process with minimal heating of the whole antler. I never knew you could do this! What would happen to the antler if it were left in the boiling water for 30 minutes? Has anyone ever done that? Also, I have worked in steel mills and leather gloves are the worst for handling hot objects. The leather insulates for a few seconds then the heat penetrates. You drop the hot object but the leather continues to burn you. Try a cloth glove inside the glove, it might work better.
I wouldn't have ever done this wearing Crocks. Boiling hot water on the feet does not feel good. Great job, and I did learn a lot from your video. Thanks tons!
Your final work is excellent, the guard is well in place and the handle looks great ! Why don't you help the handle cool off with cold water once it's in its final place against the guard? It wont crack the antler. A suggestion; sharpen the edge of the steel handle just slightly with a file to allow it to dig into the antler, you may need less attempts to install it all the way to the guard which in general may result in more stability.
Vinegar works great for removing surface rust, just soak it for a few hours and hit it with some steel wool that way you don't lose any patina or lettering on the blade
Dude that was really cool. Thanks for showing me that you can do this. I love finding sheds and I’ve found some that would work great for this and make me a nice hunting knife of my own. Awesome man
Yep, it works. I tried Phils technique on 1 knife and a 1 meat cleaver so far, it worked for both. I only boiled for 1 min and used a maul to pound the antler onto the tangs. I had to place into the boiling water twice and the antler slid right on. Not sure that they'll ever come off. Only time will tell. Water was at a rolling boil.
😊 Not too bad 😉 Only use and age will tell us how well it works. The only problem I see is the antler will dry out again and the pith ( marrow ) will grow weaker with use. Using epoxy helps stabilize the inside walls of the handle as it will harden the pith. But your knife is beautiful and would look great on a mountain man's hip at rendezvous. Glad I watched.😊 Nice to learn something new. Made my first antler handle when I was 11. 55 years ago.👍 Many blessings to you 🙏🪶🍀✌️
Really appreciate your comment Big Tex! The day I quit learning is the day I die. Glad I could help showing you a different way to do something. I'd be curious to see/hear how this method works for you. The main points to remember are having enough pith to handle the tang and shoving the tang into the antler as straight as possible without wiggling it. Good luck my friend.
I had a couple thoughts: 1. would tapping the antler with a rubber (or plastic) mallet help with getting it all the way on (and maybe make it hold tighter to the blade in the long run) and 2. what if before the very last time you push the antler on, you coat the blade tang with a good resin? Would either (or both) of these ideas give you a more indestructible knife? Just thinkin'... 👍
To free up both hands, perhaps you could make some kind of holder for your phone to hang around your neck, with a clip attaching it to your chest to prevent movement. -Maybe use some pieces of those old antlers to create a frame that your phone could slot in&out of.
I would still pin it, antler shrinks as it gets old, and humidity can do a number on the "glue" part. Soak the rusty blade in mixture of salt and vinegar...and you can heat up the tang to dark red instead of boiling the antler - that's how they used to shoe horses the old fashioned way
Nice choice of blades. Perfect size handle choice as well. That came out Aweeesome!!! Thanks to everyone for the extra tips. Use Vertical downward pressure ✔. Rubber mallet✔. Leather strip for vice✔. Boil 5-6mins✔ My 1st antler handle should be fun for me. Thanks again guys.✊🏽
Useful info. Although, before shoving the handle on, I would've screwed one or two very short nuts&bolts into the two tang holes. With these sticking out either side of the tang, yet still inside the antler, would give the pith glue more surface area to grip around once it sets. ........Maybe...Maybe no, I'm only guessing.
I’ve actually used this method before almost as you would do a burn through tang, then removed the slotted antler, filled with epoxy, then reinstalled. If I’m putting my name on a knife, I’ll reinforce as much as possible so I dont get phone calls about handles falling off. My thinking was, the epoxy would stabilize the existing pit and keep air out as those pits will break down over time.
awesome video, thanks 👍....its a great idea to boil the antler, but i have a question, wouldn't the water now in the antler cause the steel to badly rust inside the antler once seated onto the knife?
Going to try this method in the next few days for my first attempt at an antler handle. Just have a quick question. Do you think it would help to heat up the tang of the knife as well?
Was the pith exposed? Did you see bubbles coming out the end? If the tang is wider than the pith, it won’t work. Also, most antlers take multiple attempts. Maybe this will give you some ideas. Feel free to comment with more info if you still need help. All the best!
Cool! Let me know how it goes. I've been playing around with hardwood handles but still really like this process and find myself returning to it time and time again. Thanks for your comment.
Thanks for your comment! Boiling loosens the pith just long enough to turn it into a glue that seems to hold really well. Apparently, the same is true for horns, horse hooves, etc. I'm dating myself here but it might be where the jokes come from about sending lame horses to the glue factory. Thanks again!
The large knife made in this video was gifted to a friend for his birthday. He loves it, I can't say how it's held up but the brownie points were well worth the effort. Since this video, I've made another and gifted it to a nephew as a right of passage/family tradition... he cradled it like a baby and couldn't wipe the smile off his face. That's gotta be worth something, right? The small knife shown at the first of the video has quickly graduated to my personal "go-to, do-all" utility knife. I pry, cut, dig, and stab anything and everything that needs prying, cutting, digging, and stabbing. Over several years it hasn't failed yet and is as straight and solid as the day I made it. I accidentally left it out in the weather for a few months (our winters are colder than Anchorage, Alaska, and despite some surface rust, it was fine.) Just needed a bit of cleaning and a little sharpening and was good as new. I'd attribute most of this to the initial steel used for the knife but the handle has been more than solid and I expect the knife will be solid and functional for years to come. I really like it and certainly plan on using it that way. Good comment, thank you!
Nicely done. For future reference, scrap leather works very well as a medium to hold a blade in a vice without scratching it up. It grips the blade tightly enough that it won't slide like it did with the rag you used in this video.
You all probably dont care at all but does anybody know a tool to log back into an instagram account? I was stupid lost my account password. I appreciate any tips you can give me
@Lawson Brysen Thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site on google and I'm trying it out atm. Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
It’s been a while but if you’re still checking comments... how would this work if I wiggled it a little on purpose, and then filled the gap with epoxy before setting the tang again?
Antler will only rot if exposed to constant wet. Even when left out in the weather for years, the antler will still be solid, if discolored. I've worked with antler for thirty years, and it does not rot easily. I find bits of scrap that were left outside in buckets or on the ground for many, many years and they are still workable. Usually the only degradation of antler is cracking from repeated soaking and drying, and natural bleaching.
I have some cow horns that I had from fresh & dried out naturally. They've been sitting in the barn for a couple of years waiting for me to do something with them & haven't rotted at all. Perhaps if the knife were soaked on a regular basis you'd have problems, but then again you'd have lots of rust issues by that point anyway.
It looks like it might have been a skinner knife and it was modified at some point in its life. I mean it could of been worm away from use and ended up like that but there’s plenty of steel left to make it worn away due to sharpening use so that makes me think it’s a modified skinning knife due to its blade curve and spine. Of cause I could be wrong but that’s my thoughts anyway…
If you are going to cut up an Antler to make a knife why not go ahead and get your blade finished not just half done . Now for the left over Antler making rings doesn`t sound bad and when you get closer to the point make a key ring holder by adding a hole for a split ring . Does look good
I agree, all very good and well thought out points. I appreciate your feedback and agree there are countless ways (and hours) one can spend making the best of all the parts of antlers and should definitely do so. My goal with this video was simply to show one method. Did you know you can make rings out of white chalky antlers as well? They make great rings as long as they're thick enough and if you can sand past the chalk decay with enough ring left. I've also seen some cool whistles which sound similar to your keyring idea except with a whistle attached. Been thinking of making a video about that. Make the best of everything you've got and don't hesitate trying different ways to do so. Thanks again for the comment, hope you stay tuned for more.
Are you saying I could impersonate Bush Sr.? Haha, that'd be awesome! I've got the Beavis voice down so probably not far off. :) I could do a whole segment, call it "Ramblings of an Old Man", first episode would be "Why do diapers stink?" I like it and may have to try some recordings. Thanks for the comment.
That is such a cool idea! I love making things from deer antler but have not made a knife handle yet. When you're pushing the antler on the tang would it be okay to use a rubber mallet to tap it in place or would that be a bad move? Just found your channel and subscribed. Thanks for sharing this idea.
O.M.G im not the only one to wear crocs whilst doing serious work!!
Love learning something from the opposite end of the spectrum. I have some fine tools, but always think about survival, simplicity, my grandpa. Much respect.
You made this knife quicker than a single fire roasted Vienna sausage.
I never knew the inside of an antler will get soft in boiling water. Good to know. Thanks for the video!
This is the exact technique that I needed to see. Thank you!
Such an awesome easy way to do this if needed and no access to glues. Love it
A " Do it Yourself Craftsman" - wearing CROCS ! I am so confused. Just playing. Excellent video, Learned a lot.
Any hand-made antler blade of any kind can sometimes be expansive. Thanks for giving me motivation
for my next project.
Thanks for some real good info on mounting an antler to an old knife blade. My next project!
So awesome, exactly the video i was looking for for a craft project and a couple of gifts. Thank you for sharing!
The outside of the antler reaches 212 degrees F, (the water boing point) about the same time the water does.............but the inside is still lower in temperature. Leave it boil for a few minutes, (5 or 6) so that everything reaches the same temperature. And red vegiesoup has a great idea, ,use a rubber mallet. And mount the antler vertically in the vise. I have made many hundred knife handles my self, but never mounted any like you show. But I am surely going to try it, and thanks for showing this method.
30 seconds in boiling water will only raise the temperature outer surfaces of the antler. Even at 5 minutes the interior would still be quite cool. However your method works because each time you make a hole with the tang it allows the hot water to get further inside the antler with each 30 second dip, so you complete the process with minimal heating of the whole antler. I never knew you could do this! What would happen to the antler if it were left in the boiling water for 30 minutes? Has anyone ever done that? Also, I have worked in steel mills and leather gloves are the worst for handling hot objects. The leather insulates for a few seconds then the heat penetrates. You drop the hot object but the leather continues to burn you. Try a cloth glove inside the glove, it might work better.
I wouldn't have ever done this wearing Crocks. Boiling hot water on the feet does not feel good. Great job, and I did learn a lot from your video. Thanks tons!
I'm 65, I make antler knives, I will try this on my next one😊
Your final work is excellent, the guard is well in place and the handle looks great !
Why don't you help the handle cool off with cold water once it's in its final place against the guard? It wont crack the antler.
A suggestion; sharpen the edge of the steel handle just slightly with a file to allow it to dig into the antler, you may need less attempts to install it all the way to the guard which in general may result in more stability.
Should of pre heated the tang also.....the cold tang...is cooling the inside of the antler
Very useful, I'll definitely try this technique! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with this video.
Vinegar works great for removing surface rust, just soak it for a few hours and hit it with some steel wool that way you don't lose any patina or lettering on the blade
Can also mold horn by soaking it in vinegar
ll
Dude that was really cool. Thanks for showing me that you can do this. I love finding sheds and I’ve found some that would work great for this and make me a nice hunting knife of my own. Awesome man
Yep, it works. I tried Phils technique on 1 knife and a 1 meat cleaver so far, it worked for both. I only boiled for 1 min and used a maul to pound the antler onto the tangs. I had to place into the boiling water twice and the antler slid right on. Not sure that they'll ever come off. Only time will tell. Water was at a rolling boil.
Hey man. I'm curious how the antler grips are holding up.
Never seen this before, I'm impressed and will give it a try. Thanks
Good stuff brother. I was searching for just this thing. Just subscribed.
Dude !!! That was so cool ‘!! Thanks for the tutorial!!! That’s so cool !!! No pins, no epoxy?? Can’t wait to get an antler!!!
I’m about to buy a knife blade off of crazy crow, and i already have two sheds from a buddy who knows people who raise deer! I’m excited!
WOW you did it old West style awesome 👍 thanks for sharing
😊 Not too bad 😉 Only use and age will tell us how well it works. The only problem I see is the antler will dry out again and the pith ( marrow ) will grow weaker with use. Using epoxy helps stabilize the inside walls of the handle as it will harden the pith. But your knife is beautiful and would look great on a mountain man's hip at rendezvous. Glad I watched.😊 Nice to learn something new. Made my first antler handle when I was 11. 55 years ago.👍 Many blessings to you 🙏🪶🍀✌️
That was informative, never knew it could be done that way.
Good to hear ya still have the doe for a pot to piss in. That struck me as pretty funny! Great video and thanks for postin'!!
Excellent video ,.. watched it twice
you have a great channel thanks for the info
Always used epoxy, i like this method so much more! I have dozens of blades and a few decent pieces of antler, gonna give this a try very soon!👍
Never did this before, made lots of deer horn knifes but, never use this before going to try it.. your never to old to learn..Texas
Really appreciate your comment Big Tex! The day I quit learning is the day I die. Glad I could help showing you a different way to do something.
I'd be curious to see/hear how this method works for you. The main points to remember are having enough pith to handle the tang and shoving the tang into the antler as straight as possible without wiggling it.
Good luck my friend.
Yee haw
You have your pot to piss in but do you have a window to throw it out of?..lol
lol... that may be a little too fancy for me.
I had a couple thoughts: 1. would tapping the antler with a rubber (or plastic) mallet help with getting it all the way on (and maybe make it hold tighter to the blade in the long run) and 2. what if before the very last time you push the antler on, you coat the blade tang with a good resin? Would either (or both) of these ideas give you a more indestructible knife? Just thinkin'... 👍
It's been 5 years on this handle instalation.
How did it hold up ?
Rusted to hell and back on the inside probably. Water and metal dont mix, and he boiled the antler
Nice ! I didn’t know you could do that. Going to try it myself. Thank
Works really well...........Thanks!
To free up both hands, perhaps you could make some kind of holder for your phone to hang around your neck, with a clip attaching it to your chest to prevent movement. -Maybe use some pieces of those old antlers to create a frame that your phone could slot in&out of.
That's great! Thanks for posting this!!
Thanks for this great information.
Awesome tip, much appreciated. 😉
Worked like a charm... Despite the chunks it took out of the "Harbour Freight grinding stone.😬
Didn’t know that nice video just subscribed 👍
Nicely done. I wonder if anything is stamped on the blade. 🤔
Nice! Thankyou for showing how you did that.
Very interesting. Will try that.
Nice job.. You could put a little scrimshaw on it. Make it fancy.
if you do wiggle it and it goes loose, you can always fill it with epoxy, its not a lost cause.
Very good point! It's nice to get the tang to stick with antler pith but if you don't, epoxy to the rescue.
I would still pin it, antler shrinks as it gets old, and humidity can do a number on the "glue" part. Soak the rusty blade in mixture of salt and vinegar...and you can heat up the tang to dark red instead of boiling the antler - that's how they used to shoe horses the old fashioned way
Nice choice of blades. Perfect size handle choice as well. That came out Aweeesome!!! Thanks to everyone for the extra tips. Use Vertical downward pressure ✔. Rubber mallet✔. Leather strip for vice✔. Boil 5-6mins✔ My 1st antler handle should be fun for me. Thanks again guys.✊🏽
👍
Useful info. Although, before shoving the handle on, I would've screwed one or two very short nuts&bolts into the two tang holes. With these sticking out either side of the tang, yet still inside the antler, would give the pith glue more surface area to grip around once it sets. ........Maybe...Maybe no, I'm only guessing.
Thanks for this vid, amazing! Would you ever use a dab of epoxy on the tang at the last push, just to set it really hard?
I’ve actually used this method before almost as you would do a burn through tang, then removed the slotted antler, filled with epoxy, then reinstalled. If I’m putting my name on a knife, I’ll reinforce as much as possible so I dont get phone calls about handles falling off. My thinking was, the epoxy would stabilize the existing pit and keep air out as those pits will break down over time.
awesome video, thanks 👍....its a great idea to boil the antler, but i have a question, wouldn't the water now in the antler cause the steel to badly rust inside the antler once seated onto the knife?
Thanks for sharing! Very cool
Awesome video. Thank you.
That was awesome!
Going to try this method in the next few days for my first attempt at an antler handle. Just have a quick question. Do you think it would help to heat up the tang of the knife as well?
Beautiful 👍
A brass wire brush, or brass wire Dremel bit works great for removing rust..brass is soft, won't scratch
Nice one👍
Just had a thought while watching this. Can you sharpen the end of the tang so it goes in easier?
Nice skill
Thanks for sharing
Great tip,but I’d rather use 2 part epoxy and pins.
nice job !!!
Why not heat up the tang (without damaging the heat treatment)? Enjoyed your voiceover a lot.
I boiled a piece of antler for an hour and it was still way to solid to do this, any ideas why it didnt work for me?
Was the pith exposed? Did you see bubbles coming out the end?
If the tang is wider than the pith, it won’t work. Also, most antlers take multiple attempts.
Maybe this will give you some ideas. Feel free to comment with more info if you still need help.
All the best!
Awesome 👍
I'm going to have to try this for my Mora knife, I have had problems making the right handle because of the tang, and the drill.
Cool! Let me know how it goes. I've been playing around with hardwood handles but still really like this process and find myself returning to it time and time again. Thanks for your comment.
cool
That was all right
Thank for your idea ,l didn't know that we can boil the deer handle to fix it .
Thanks for your comment! Boiling loosens the pith just long enough to turn it into a glue that seems to hold really well. Apparently, the same is true for horns, horse hooves, etc. I'm dating myself here but it might be where the jokes come from about sending lame horses to the glue factory. Thanks again!
@ProspectorPhil does it fill the holes in knife tang too, the ones that you put the pins on on wooden handles
You can Put your rusty knife in vinegar and baking sodand baking soda to get the rust off Then wash it with soap and water
Can also soak the horn in vinegar to soften and mold it some what..ancient plastic
Can also put threads on it
Cool idea
👍🏼Harbor Freight
Have you tried soaking a piece of antler for a week then working the knife tung into the antler when the antler dries you can't pull it apart
How is it holding up now that it’s seen the hot and cold weather? Has it loosened any, or is the pith glue still strong?
The large knife made in this video was gifted to a friend for his birthday. He loves it, I can't say how it's held up but the brownie points were well worth the effort. Since this video, I've made another and gifted it to a nephew as a right of passage/family tradition... he cradled it like a baby and couldn't wipe the smile off his face. That's gotta be worth something, right?
The small knife shown at the first of the video has quickly graduated to my personal "go-to, do-all" utility knife. I pry, cut, dig, and stab anything and everything that needs prying, cutting, digging, and stabbing. Over several years it hasn't failed yet and is as straight and solid as the day I made it. I accidentally left it out in the weather for a few months (our winters are colder than Anchorage, Alaska, and despite some surface rust, it was fine.) Just needed a bit of cleaning and a little sharpening and was good as new.
I'd attribute most of this to the initial steel used for the knife but the handle has been more than solid and I expect the knife will be solid and functional for years to come. I really like it and certainly plan on using it that way.
Good comment, thank you!
Could you also heat the handle some what
Mind: blown.
Hello, to u & other commenters. Will a lower front forleg bone work in same manner as antler?
Curious about this too.
I've got an old butcher knife that the hickory handles are splitting .
Thank you for the instructions
Thank you for the comment. I hope the video helps get your butcher knife back into action.
Can you heat up the tang with a torch to help ???
Nicely done. For future reference, scrap leather works very well as a medium to hold a blade in a vice without scratching it up. It grips the blade tightly enough that it won't slide like it did with the rag you used in this video.
You all probably dont care at all but does anybody know a tool to log back into an instagram account?
I was stupid lost my account password. I appreciate any tips you can give me
@Ramon Jason instablaster :)
@Lawson Brysen Thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site on google and I'm trying it out atm.
Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Lawson Brysen it worked and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy!
Thanks so much you saved my account !
@Ramon Jason glad I could help :)
Is there some sort of writing on that blade or am I seeing things? I only noticed it once the rust got removed.
What does the writing say on the blade? I couldn't quite make it out?
this should work on a elk antler that is a bit wheathered? not a fresh shead.
Thank u sir, one more thing keeping kids off computer games
It’s been a while but if you’re still checking comments... how would this work if I wiggled it a little on purpose, and then filled the gap with epoxy before setting the tang again?
This guy is like the american AVE
I have an antler that's been sun bleached. Will this work?
Doesn't the pith inside rot over time?
Antler will only rot if exposed to constant wet. Even when left out in the weather for years, the antler will still be solid, if discolored. I've worked with antler for thirty years, and it does not rot easily. I find bits of scrap that were left outside in buckets or on the ground for many, many years and they are still workable. Usually the only degradation of antler is cracking from repeated soaking and drying, and natural bleaching.
So, you've effectively cooked the pith? Would'nt that start to rot eventually?
I have some cow horns that I had from fresh & dried out naturally. They've been sitting in the barn for a couple of years waiting for me to do something with them & haven't rotted at all. Perhaps if the knife were soaked on a regular basis you'd have problems, but then again you'd have lots of rust issues by that point anyway.
It looks like it might have been a skinner knife and it was modified at some point in its life. I mean it could of been worm away from use and ended up like that but there’s plenty of steel left to make it worn away due to sharpening use so that makes me think it’s a modified skinning knife due to its blade curve and spine. Of cause I could be wrong but that’s my thoughts anyway…
I use electrolysis to remove rust.
If you are going to cut up an Antler to make a knife why not go ahead and get your blade finished not just half done . Now for the left over Antler making rings doesn`t sound bad and when you get closer to the point make a key ring holder by adding a hole for a split ring . Does look good
I agree, all very good and well thought out points. I appreciate your feedback and agree there are countless ways (and hours) one can spend making the best of all the parts of antlers and should definitely do so. My goal with this video was simply to show one method.
Did you know you can make rings out of white chalky antlers as well? They make great rings as long as they're thick enough and if you can sand past the chalk decay with enough ring left.
I've also seen some cool whistles which sound similar to your keyring idea except with a whistle attached. Been thinking of making a video about that.
Make the best of everything you've got and don't hesitate trying different ways to do so. Thanks again for the comment, hope you stay tuned for more.
Learn something new every day, thanks.
I love positive feedback, thank you! Sure am grateful when my dorkery proves beneficial to someone.
with a good writer and a little practice he could imitate Geo HW Bush
Are you saying I could impersonate Bush Sr.? Haha, that'd be awesome! I've got the Beavis voice down so probably not far off. :)
I could do a whole segment, call it "Ramblings of an Old Man", first episode would be "Why do diapers stink?"
I like it and may have to try some recordings. Thanks for the comment.
@ProspectorPhil yep do did sound like 42. BTW. great video.. I never would have guessed how to get a knife to stay in an antler.
C
Who the hell would want to?
One more thing , After the water cools , drink it and you,ll be a mountain man in your own mind !! But keep the crocks on !
Dont u dril a small hole where the tang needs to go?
That is such a cool idea! I love making things from deer antler but have not made a knife handle yet. When you're pushing the antler on the tang would it be okay to use a rubber mallet to tap it in place or would that be a bad move? Just found your channel and subscribed. Thanks for sharing this idea.