FINISHING ANTLER

I REMEMBER READING SOMETHING ABOUT FINISHING ANTLER
HANDLES WITH SUPER GLUE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT . I`VE
TRIED TO FIND THE POST BUT HAVE HAD NO LUCK IN
FINDING IT. ANYONE REMEMBER TO POST OR KNOW HOW TO
DO IT .
THANKS , LARRY

Larry,
I've tried super glue on wood handles. Pour a small amount on waxed paper, it won't dry on it. using one finger at a time of a vinyl glove, wipe the glue on the handle evenly, 4-5 coats, letting dry in between coats. (Slit the glove and put your index finger in a different glove finger each coat). Do not use latex gloves! The super glue will heat it up, dissolve it and stick to your finger, also put out some nasty fumes. Do not sand at all. Let sit overnight and do this again the following day.
At first it soaks into the wood then builds up to a shiny protective coat. Repeat as many times as it takes to please you. I forgot where I read it, but I've tried it and it works. I just went out to the shop and tried it on some scrap antler-shiny after just two coats.
Caution, use in a ventilated area, the fumes can cause extreme dizziness. SuperGlue is cyanoacrylate and can produce very small amounts of cyanide gas.

I personally like stag/antler to be finely finished, say a 600-800 grit hand finish, then buffed, and waxed with a good coat of auto type wax containing caranuba. Stag/antler is sometimes difficult to get all the scratches out of, hence the fine paper by hand. Nothing looks worse than stag that has scratches left in it (other than some of the natural ones in the bark). One thing to stay away from with waxes are the brands that contain silicone. Turtle wax comes to mind. The silicone in the wax will actually start to break down the surface of most woods and natural handle materials.

What about kiwi shoe polish, I use it on my sheaths to water profe?

First I dye it if it needs it. Brown leather dye (dip).Next I stabilize it. Thompson's brick sealer with a pint of rotted wood hardner mixed in. Draw a vaccum and suck it up inside, then dry completely. It fills all gaps and brings the luster out.
Like Ed, I hand sand each piece before I buff.
This process gives me what I want on the inside as well as the outside of the antler. Never had a problem doing it this way.Even old sun bleached antler can be rejuvenated.
(someone will tell me how to spell that) BE BLESSED!!!

BTW. DO NOT use water based hardeners.EVER!

I guess ignorance sometimes is bliss. I have several racks from whitetails and used one small branch on one blade for a handle. Posed with the same problems that you fellows discussed, I tried Simichrome Polish. This took all of the scratches out of the horn, appears to have somewhat stabilized same (no shrinking in over a year) and it polished the antler to a beautiful gloss while still preserving the uniqueness of the bone. Try simichrome polish or even Flitz.--See ya--Dan

I sand mine to 800 grit, buff, and polish with carnuba wax. I haven't had any problems yet.
Tom