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A friend just have me a bunch of deer antler. I have no idea where to begin with the stuff other than a mask because I heard repeatedly that it stinks. Any advice is welcome.

Brandon.

Smell is not THAT bad, but I've heard that it is recommended with breathing mask anyway to reduce horn dust that can be harmful to lungs.
The antlers is quite hard and can be somewhat brittle, at least in my experience so be careful on a lathe. Also it tends to almost melt and get burnt if friction gets to high in the lathe, this makes it even more brittle afterwards.

Don't know if that's what you were looking for but that is some of my knowledge from deer, moose and elk antler

Than you. Are you drilling it on the lathe as well? What are you using as a tenon to join it to the shank?

The smell is very minim as long as you keep it cool. If you overheat or Burn it the smell is ten times worse. Turn a tenon on the briar shank and epoxy the horn or antler on. Same way for a stem inlay.

Thank you guys.

Brandon

fuchi_jeg wrote:The smell is very minim as long as you keep it cool. If you overheat or Burn it the smell is ten times worse. Turn a tenon on the briar shank and epoxy the horn or antler on. Same way for a stem inlay.

What he said!

What are your thoughts about an occasional wipe down or spray with cool water when turning on the lathe / drilling.

I'd prefer it as dry as possible, it tends to move a bit when drying..
Think you'll do fine by just taking it easy and watch out if it tend to get hot.

I agree. moisture or heat can change the dimensions, probably not a problem when gluing with epoxy, but I have had some changes in mortise and tenon fit.

It's best to let antler dry/age before turning. One way I use to determine if it's ready to use is by the color. If it has a yellow tint then it's too soon. If it is grayed then it's good to go. It stabilizes with age so you have less chance of splitting down the road. It also looks nicer the older it is.

Do you need to have a stainless tube inside it (for a longer extension) or can smoke travel through it without being toxic?


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BirdAndBear wrote:Do you need to have a stainless tube inside it (for a longer extension) or can smoke travel through it without being toxic?


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If you intend to use a long enough piece that the airway will go directly through the antler you might consider stainless steel tubing but it's not toxic so it's not an absolute must. I find that antler has an off taste that it could impart while smoking. That's the main reason I would consider lining it with SS tubing.

I've worked with ivory, bone and antler. I always wore a respirator when doing so. Ivory is the worst but didn't want to take a chance with any of them. They all smell when they get hot. I have a P100 (hepa) respirator when I work on pipes and such. Already had a severe case of Pneumonia in June. I don't care to repeat chest tubes and a hospital stay again at least for awhile.