Source for quality antler

[David Fischer]

I hate posting things like this but I'm getting frustrated. My passion lies in making 18th century knives, specifically what people commonly refer to as 'Rifleman's Knives'. One of the defining characteristics of these blades is typically an antler handle with a nice crown at the bottom. I have found it more and more difficult in recent months to come by quality pieces of antler which 1.) have a crown, 2.) are more than 3.5" long, and 3.) don't have a brow tine towards the base which makes it unusable or results in an ugly flat spot once you cut it off.

Maybe I'm asking for too much, but I'm constantly seeing other people's knives with gorgeous pieces of antler that meet these criteria. I've tried Etsy, eBay, etc, I've had people promise me that what they had pictured is what I need, and I always end up receiving mostly unusable junk in the mail. Does anyone know of a secret source for these coveted pieces of antler? I'd be willing to pay out my rear as long as I got what I was looking for!

Thanks!

/end rant...

[S. Cruse]

honestly, it sounds dumb, but craigslist in the rocky mountain states, like Colorado, Utah, and Idaho. you dont have to be in the area, and it can be kind of hit and miss for quality or reliability, but i saw so much antler when i lived back west it was stupefying

[Jim Kelso]

http://www.hideandfur.com/inventory/Antlers.html

[Chris Roberts]

Jim beat me to it, Moscow Hide and Fur is only 8 miles away from where I work and I have been in there many times. They have a lot of stock all the time and have a good reputation for helping Phone or mail order customers get what they are looking for. I'd call and explain what you want and see if they wouldn't send you pictures for you to preview, so many people have smart phones and texting plans I wonder if you couldn't get real time views.

Chris

[Robert D.]

as suggested above about checking local, also look at KSL.Com, its one of our local news channel sites, and they do have a reasonable Classified section. Some sellers are pretty serious about locals only, but others are more then happy to deal with out of state customers

[Jeroen Zuiderwijk]

http://highlandhorn.com/

 

Prices are very good, and they are very helpful in selecting the right pieces that you need. They are closed until january 11th though.

[Timothy Artymko]

Unfortunately you can't buy/sell harvested antlers in Alberta, but I find about half a dozen good antler sheds a year during hunting season (in which I spend a lot of time walking through hills an fields) that would work for what you are asking. Maybe some hiking in free time might give some results one day. At least it has for me

 

Timothy

[S. Cruse]

I used to live in that area, David. try up around the Pittsburgh area, lots of wooded goodness up there

[Austin_Lyles]

http://www.knifehandles.com/

 

Cullpepper have quality stag and other antler material. Prices aren't too bad either.

Edited December 29, 2015 by Austin_Lyles

[jacob beer]

You could go "Shed-Hunting", my family goes out for a father/son weekend usually in March and for two or three days we camp and find box turtle shells and more importantly antlers galore- we go to conservation areas and we usually find a bunch of un-eaten or broken antlers-

-we've only had one year where pickings were slim, so if you've got the time I'd say there are worse ways to spend a weekend

[Robert D.]

Check with your local wildlife people first, I know here in Utah they have an online Cert class you have to take ( free, takes like 2-4 hours ) that you have to complete and print the certificate up for before you can legally harvest any drops. So i would check before you head out to make sure you dont find yourself in some trouble over it.

[Wild Rose]

Since you're doing Rifleman's type knives you need to look at white tail deer antlers and not mule deer or other types to get a good match. The type of deer dictates the antlers with or without brow tines, etc. I know the well known modern makers of that style (aka the Woodbury School), like the House Brothers, Ian Pratt, Joe Seabolt, etc. all use white tail and Joe, a real master of the style, says he goes to shows to hand pick his pieces.

If you haven't seen it yet check out the Contemporary Makers Blog, http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/ where all types of early American frontier gear including knives are featured.

 

BTW - Ian Pratt just posted the following regarding a knife making class in Lodi, Ohio featuring three of the best makers in that style.

Joe Seabolt, Joe McGee and I will be teaching another knife making class at the Log Cabin Shop up in Lodi, Ohio on May 14 and 15 2016. Here is a link to photos and information that we had posted for the last class . Please note that the dates shown on the flyer pictured in this link are not correct For the current class -

americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=33831.0

Students will make a half tang antler handled knife starting by forging a blade. We will show you how to properly temper this blade and haft it to make a fine knife that will provide you with years of service. Cost of coal, gas, steel and some small parts are included in the class fee. Tool list is minimal. We currently have two spots left available . If you have any questions, ask away here or send me a pm. To register, contact Liza Kindig at the Log Cabin at. 330 - 948 - 1082

Edited January 4, 2016 by Wild Rose

[Doug Lester]

I would check with Illinois Fish and Wildlife before I'd go picking up any whitetail antlers here in this state. A maker I met at one of the shows down in Effingham told me that it wasn't legal to sell anything with whitetail antlers on them.

 

Doug

[Joshua States]

David,

I think for your purposes, you want to specify Spike Sheds when you order from an online dealer.

The spike is a single tapered antler with no eyebrow tine or branches. They are typically pretty straight for 4-6 inches from the crown, or only a slight curve.

[David Fischer]

Thanks again for the advice gentlemen, all of it was very helpful. Part of my problem is that I didn't really know the correct terminology so knowing what to ask for will help. Here is a knife I recently finished for myself as part of my reenacting gear, but as you can see I had to grind off a brow tine. I'd like to make some larger blades in this style and it looks like several of the places you all recommended will be able to help me out.