Thanks for the comment! I work for the power company in our area, so safety has been drilled into my mind for about 30+ years. I'm glad it spills over into my woodworking pursuits.
Good idea! I've got a ring chuck for my lathe and have made a couple of wooden rings on it. I need to make a video of that sometime. Thanks for the comment!
If you soak the antler in water for a few hours it makes it softer and easier to drill and cut. Don't work it too much until it dries because the shape can change when it's wet, not much but it could come out a bit oval if you're not careful.
Thanks! I've heard of others doing this so that they could bend an antler to a certain shape, but haven't tried it. I will occasionally spray water on it while drilling to keep down the dust.
Thanks for the comment! I'm glad you liked the video. Be sure to check out my other antler tutorials. There are so many things you can make with deer antler.
Nice video. A word of CAUTION on working with bone, antler & shell: A lot of people think a dust mask is all you need - to avoid breathing in the dust. Wrong!! You need a Really Good Respirator &/or a vent exhaust system for the fumes. These materials give off a gas while being worked with power tools that is DEADLY. It binds to your hemoglobin and blocks oxygen - you are literally dying with each breath. I'm Native American and was trained to do traditional shell & bone carving. A friend had a really nice studio, with an exhaust system, but his daughter didn't use that system when she decided to do some bone carvings. Dust mask saved her from particles, but the gas from the bones caused her to be rushed to the hospital and Life Flighted to the nearest hyperbaric chamber to spend four days in order to save her life. She was literally just short of suffocating to death. Good luck on your creative adventures.
Great point! I will normally use a respirator and dust collector when working on antler. I may not be showing all those details in the video. Non-visible wood dust can also be very dangerous for long-term (or short-term) health. Some may also have more sensitivities unique to their genetics or health history. Thanks for the comment!
@@fouroakscrafts7240 You are correct about the wood dust. I have a friend whose father was an award winning wood carver/turner in New Zealand. The fumes off of some of the exotic woods he uses are so deadly, that he locks the doors of his studio and wears a hazmat suit with respirator because one breath will kill you. Art can be a deadly endeavor if you don't know and understand that many materials can have a lasting impact on your health and the health of those around you. Fumes from stains, paints, varnishes and sealers can really mess you up. A respirator with good cartridges is worth the money in the long run.
That is something else I'd like to try with antler. I have made one set of wooden handles for a knife kit I got from Woodcraft. Thanks for the comment!
I saw a video a guy submerged a piece of antler in a bowl of resin and put that in a metal pot with a air tight lid hooked to a vacuum pump for 24 hours or so, then wrap it up in aluminum foil, put in the oven at 105 degrees for an hour 1/2..it stabilizes the bone and insures durability
Thanks for the comment! That sound like a good way to stabilize antler. I've always had good luck with using thin and medium CA glue. Either turning a pen or making rings this has worked well since the antler is generally pretty small or thin. The thin CA will wick into the pores like a sponge. I'll continue using the CA glue until I get to the sanding / polishing step. Then for rings I'll put on a coat of CA to finish. I may need to look at this other method you mention, too. Thanks!
Hello.. Thank you for this wonderful work.. I would like to ask you how I protect the quality of the ring from yellowing or changing color.. Greetings to you from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Thanks for the question! It's been my experience that since rings tend to get exposed to water, you should probably use CA (aka superglue) glue to seal the antler ring. Start with thin CA and finish with Medium CA glue. Once you give the glue time to cure, then go back through the sanding process. I don't know if this will guarantee future color change, but it should help.
@@fouroakscrafts7240 Yes made several out of pvc pipe,got the shape i want down but does not last all that long.Knew they had bone and horn archery rings in the "olden days" but did not know anything about working horn etc.Thanks to seeing you i now have confidence to give it a shot.Thx again from Cape town South Africa
Just moved from an apartment to a woodland house. It'd be nice to find a guide that doesn't require $1000 in power tools as I'm very poor for the foreseeable future.
I recently took a walk through a local flea market. Deer antlers everywhere I looked. It seems there is nothing special about deer antlers unless you are the one that dragged them out of the woods.
Good luck with getting your first deer. If you live in a northern climate with snow look for concentrations of deer tracks. When the snow is almost all melted go to these areas. The game trails are still very visible and if you follow them you should stumble across sheds.
I thought I had responded to your comment, but must have missed it. Shed hunting can be a challenge, but it's always fun trying to find them. I like to look along fences or deer trails that have must-jump-over or crawl-under funnel points. These are locations where an antler might jostle loose or get snagged. Pen turner supplier stores and knife kit suppliers may also carry antler, but shop around for the best price. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Any reason you couldn't drill through the antler adjacent to the root of the antler, and use the flat portion to burn a design into, rather like a signet ring? Maybe even leaving the crenulated texture just above the base of the root intact?
That's a creative idea. Sometimes the base of the antler will be more porous, so you might have to reinforce it with some CA glue. I like the idea of leaving some texture. I may have to give this a try next time.
I don't know the answer to that, but great question. Fortunately, we have not had any recorded cases of CWD here in Georgia. But I believe it may be getting closer to our state.
I have done okay with a regular band saw blade that I can get at my local home improvement store. But, I use a blade with fine teeth. So get one that has more teeth per inch (TPI) Maybe look for a TPI in the 14 to 24 range. And maybe use a 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch blade width. I don't know what is the ideal blade, but i think these will work okay.
Thanks for the comment and that might be a better option so you can better buff the inside of the ring. I pretty much just polished mine with the micro mesh cloths. As you know, antler will start to gloss up around 1000 grit or so. But I like the idea of using the Dremel buffing attachments.
I've look at buying some there, but they can be a little pricey. Still, it's another source to get it if you can't find it anywhere else. Thanks for the comment!
Great point. I'm a hunter but not as active with it as I used to be. I love deer meat and it's so good for you. It's interesting that a lot of people don't know that deer shed their antlers, which is good to know if you're not a hunter. Thanks for the comment!
Why don't you leave some of the natural coloration on the outside of the ring. It's a lot more unique than putting some decorations on with a wood burnning tool.
I agree with you on leaving some "bark." But for this project I just wanted to experiment with the wood burner and see what it can do on antler. I also like the look of antler when it's polished to a shine. I have made miniature Christmas trees out of antler and for those I did leave the "bark" for the base of the trees. You can see a photo of those in my Miniature Christmas tree video.
Thanks for the kind comments! CA glue is Cyanoacrylate glue, also known by trade names like Super Glue or Krazy Glue. You can buy it from woodworking stores like Woodcraft and you can find it in local craft stores. Thanks for watching!
Antler is like bone and some pieces can be more porous than others. If the piece you're working with isn't that porous, you may not even need the glue. The glue simply fills up the pores and helps improve the strength of the antler material.
I am starting to make some wooden rings on my lathe and you're probably right about it being easier. I just wanted to show the non-turners how they could do it with a few basic tools. I will try to do another video on making one with the lathe in the future. Thanks so much for the comment!
I really appreciate that you talk about safety. Many people skip over that part and people get hurt.
Thanks for the comment! I work for the power company in our area, so safety has been drilled into my mind for about 30+ years. I'm glad it spills over into my woodworking pursuits.
You can also make a wooden jam chuck and then put that on your drill press. You can spin the ring on the press for shaping and sanding.
Good idea! I've got a ring chuck for my lathe and have made a couple of wooden rings on it. I need to make a video of that sometime. Thanks for the comment!
If you soak the antler in water for a few hours it makes it softer and easier to drill and cut. Don't work it too much until it dries because the shape can change when it's wet, not much but it could come out a bit oval if you're not careful.
Thanks! I've heard of others doing this so that they could bend an antler to a certain shape, but haven't tried it. I will occasionally spray water on it while drilling to keep down the dust.
Great video I’m a hunter and always looking for cool stuff to build with antlers. Definitely doing this thank you for the motivation.🙏
Thanks for the comment! I'm glad you liked the video. Be sure to check out my other antler tutorials. There are so many things you can make with deer antler.
Enjoyed your presentation. I look forward to giving this a try to create several different things. Thanks again for posting this.
Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching! Good luck on your antler creations.
It’s cool to have ideas pop up like this during the corona lock down!!!
Thanks
Nice video.
A word of CAUTION on working with bone, antler & shell:
A lot of people think a dust mask is all you need - to avoid breathing in the dust.
Wrong!!
You need a Really Good Respirator &/or a vent exhaust system for the fumes. These materials give off a gas while being worked with power tools that is DEADLY. It binds to your hemoglobin and blocks oxygen - you are literally dying with each breath.
I'm Native American and was trained to do traditional shell & bone carving. A friend had a really nice studio, with an exhaust system, but his daughter didn't use that system when she decided to do some bone carvings. Dust mask saved her from particles, but the gas from the bones caused her to be rushed to the hospital and Life Flighted to the nearest hyperbaric chamber to spend four days in order to save her life. She was literally just short of suffocating to death.
Good luck on your creative adventures.
Great point! I will normally use a respirator and dust collector when working on antler. I may not be showing all those details in the video. Non-visible wood dust can also be very dangerous for long-term (or short-term) health. Some may also have more sensitivities unique to their genetics or health history. Thanks for the comment!
@@fouroakscrafts7240 You are correct about the wood dust.
I have a friend whose father was an award winning wood carver/turner in New Zealand. The fumes off of some of the exotic woods he uses are so deadly, that he locks the doors of his studio and wears a hazmat suit with respirator because one breath will kill you.
Art can be a deadly endeavor if you don't know and understand that many materials can have a lasting impact on your health and the health of those around you.
Fumes from stains, paints, varnishes and sealers can really mess you up. A respirator with good cartridges is worth the money in the long run.
I've made a few knife handles from antler before with beautiful results. I may give this a try 😉
That is something else I'd like to try with antler. I have made one set of wooden handles for a knife kit I got from Woodcraft. Thanks for the comment!
I saw a video a guy submerged a piece of antler in a bowl of resin and put that in a metal pot with a air tight lid hooked to a vacuum pump for 24 hours or so, then wrap it up in aluminum foil, put in the oven at 105 degrees for an hour 1/2..it stabilizes the bone and insures durability
Thanks for the comment! That sound like a good way to stabilize antler. I've always had good luck with using thin and medium CA glue. Either turning a pen or making rings this has worked well since the antler is generally pretty small or thin. The thin CA will wick into the pores like a sponge. I'll continue using the CA glue until I get to the sanding / polishing step. Then for rings I'll put on a coat of CA to finish. I may need to look at this other method you mention, too. Thanks!
@@fouroakscrafts7240 you're welcome 👍..when you do try that method, I can't wait for the video 😁
I get sheds up in Cloudcroft. Lots of them.😊
Buffing wheels are available to fit on a Dremel tool they work very well
Thanks for the tip! I will give that a try.
I have several antlers and will make a pair of grips for a 38 snubnose revolver.
Great video and idea thank you for sharing your Amazing talent
Thanks for watching! Glad you liked it.
A great video, one that shows exactly what to do, if you want to make these rings. Thanks for the information.
Thanks so much for the comment! I'm glad you liked the video!
Nice tutorial!
So much by the roadside. Um with metal rings too.
Hello.. Thank you for this wonderful work.. I would like to ask you how I protect the quality of the ring from yellowing or changing color.. Greetings to you from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Thanks for the question! It's been my experience that since rings tend to get exposed to water, you should probably use CA (aka superglue) glue to seal the antler ring. Start with thin CA and finish with Medium CA glue. Once you give the glue time to cure, then go back through the sanding process. I don't know if this will guarantee future color change, but it should help.
@@fouroakscrafts7240 Thank you very much
Great vidio
You could put a buffing wheel attachment on your dremel and pet stores sell antler dog chews. thx
The Dremel is a great tool for shaping and polishing antler. Thanks for the comment!
Want to make a bone thumb ring for archery.Got good tips.Thank you for your time
I had never heard of these before, so I looked it up. Looks like a cool idea! Have you made a thumb ring before?
@@fouroakscrafts7240 Yes made several out of pvc pipe,got the shape i want down but does not last all that long.Knew they had bone and horn archery rings in the "olden days" but did not know anything about working horn etc.Thanks to seeing you i now have confidence to give it a shot.Thx again from Cape town South Africa
Just moved from an apartment to a woodland house. It'd be nice to find a guide that doesn't require $1000 in power tools as I'm very poor for the foreseeable future.
thanks for the comment! Yes, there are a lot of ways to pluck this buzzard - LOL Hope you make some awesome rings.
Thanks ! Great ideas and beautiful work you have done !
Thanks so much for the comment and compliment!
cool, got a friend sending me some antlers to play with, see what we can do.
Awesome! Good luck with your project!
Looks great. Nice video.
Thanks for the comment!
Loved the video and gave me some wonderful ideas, subbed.
Thanks so much for the comment! Thanks for subscribing!
@@fouroakscrafts7240 how much is the ring
I just wish I could put my hands on some antlers. I've never seen any sheds,, and for all my attempts I've never harvested a deer. Nice work!
I recently took a walk through a local flea market. Deer antlers everywhere I looked. It seems there is nothing special about deer antlers unless you are the one that dragged them out of the woods.
Good luck with getting your first deer. If you live in a northern climate with snow look for concentrations of deer tracks. When the snow is almost all melted go to these areas. The game trails are still very visible and if you follow them you should stumble across sheds.
Flea markets, antique stores, eBay, Petsmart all usually have antler.
I thought I had responded to your comment, but must have missed it. Shed hunting can be a challenge, but it's always fun trying to find them. I like to look along fences or deer trails that have must-jump-over or crawl-under funnel points. These are locations where an antler might jostle loose or get snagged. Pen turner supplier stores and knife kit suppliers may also carry antler, but shop around for the best price. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Any reason you couldn't drill through the antler adjacent to the root of the antler, and use the flat portion to burn a design into, rather like a signet ring? Maybe even leaving the crenulated texture just above the base of the root intact?
That's a creative idea. Sometimes the base of the antler will be more porous, so you might have to reinforce it with some CA glue. I like the idea of leaving some texture. I may have to give this a try next time.
A coping saw works well. I used my jeweler's saw.
Are prions that cause chronic wasting disease present in bone? Just a consideration.
I don't know the answer to that, but great question. Fortunately, we have not had any recorded cases of CWD here in Georgia. But I believe it may be getting closer to our state.
Nice.
Goggles are best I knew a kanienkehaka Carver that had to have his eyes surgically scraped after working with antler because dust settled and hardened
Thanks for the tip! I haven't run into any eye irritation problems, but I could see that happening if you were exposed to too much dust.
I also work in handy craft ！this is amazing 👍
Thanks for the comment! What kind of handy craft do you make?
We Makes a lucket barslet by buffalo bones ！and we supply China america and japan 😊 if you need any bones goods please send a sample peace!👍
Would u make someone a weeding ring ? If so what would it cost
Thanks for considering me, but I'm not setup right now to make these to sell. Check on ETSY. You can probably find some makers there who sell them.
Is there a way to add stones and/or gems?
I've not tried this before, but I have seen people doing that in other TH-cam videos. So, yes, it can be done. Thanks for the question.
What kind of Band Saw Blade you used for cutting Antler
I have done okay with a regular band saw blade that I can get at my local home improvement store. But, I use a blade with fine teeth. So get one that has more teeth per inch (TPI) Maybe look for a TPI in the 14 to 24 range. And maybe use a 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch blade width. I don't know what is the ideal blade, but i think these will work okay.
Thanks for your answer , Please make a video about Napkin Ring with Bone
Yes, I've been thinking about making some antler (or bone) napkin rings.
I know this vid is old and you probably know this, but Dremel makes small buffing wheels that you could use rather than needing a dedicated buffer.
Thanks for the comment and that might be a better option so you can better buff the inside of the ring. I pretty much just polished mine with the micro mesh cloths. As you know, antler will start to gloss up around 1000 grit or so. But I like the idea of using the Dremel buffing attachments.
Petsmart has them for dog toys
I've look at buying some there, but they can be a little pricey. Still, it's another source to get it if you can't find it anywhere else. Thanks for the comment!
You can also go hunting and get your anlter
Great point. I'm a hunter but not as active with it as I used to be. I love deer meat and it's so good for you. It's interesting that a lot of people don't know that deer shed their antlers, which is good to know if you're not a hunter. Thanks for the comment!
@@fouroakscrafts7240 thank you for your video super cool idea
What did you polish with?
I simply used the Micro Mesh pads. However, if you have a buffing wheel you could use that with some polishing compound.
Why don't you leave some of the natural coloration on the outside of the ring. It's a lot more unique than putting some decorations on with a wood burnning tool.
I agree with you on leaving some "bark." But for this project I just wanted to experiment with the wood burner and see what it can do on antler. I also like the look of antler when it's polished to a shine. I have made miniature Christmas trees out of antler and for those I did leave the "bark" for the base of the trees. You can see a photo of those in my Miniature Christmas tree video.
Hay great video!!! Witch kind of glue i have ti use? In italian i dont understand the game of the glue in the video; thank you!
Thanks for the kind comments! CA glue is Cyanoacrylate glue, also known by trade names like Super Glue or Krazy Glue. You can buy it from woodworking stores like Woodcraft and you can find it in local craft stores. Thanks for watching!
Perfect, its avoid to avoid the dirty go inside pores?
Antler is like bone and some pieces can be more porous than others. If the piece you're working with isn't that porous, you may not even need the glue. The glue simply fills up the pores and helps improve the strength of the antler material.
Four Oaks Crafts in
Chip trick
Oi
Or shoot a deer and eat it then use the antler
Absolutely. Don't want to waste any part of the deer you harvest.
A lathe would be far easier.
I am starting to make some wooden rings on my lathe and you're probably right about it being easier. I just wanted to show the non-turners how they could do it with a few basic tools. I will try to do another video on making one with the lathe in the future. Thanks so much for the comment!
I will try turning them on my lathe as well.
I keep failing at this badly
What kind of problems are you having?
Four Oaks Crafts mostly inadequate tools but I hit one done just now my first ever it’s awesome wish u could see it
@@jasonnester9514 Would love to see a picture of it.
Four Oaks Crafts u have email or web site
@@jasonnester9514 stephenjohnson713@gmail.com