heat bending antler

[Pat B]

Can I bend deer antler with heat and clamp pressure?  I need to get some antler tips to bend enough to conform to the bow tips. They only need to bend about 1/8".

[Auggie]

Hmmm,ive flattened, bent and shaped cow horn with just the heat gun,but im not sure if antler will. Maybe if its not too thick and use a little oil

[koan]

Pat, auggie and i gots a bunch of antler. We might have some that would suit your needs better... Brian

[Blaflair2]

I always just flatten it at an angle and glue er on

[Pat B]

I've got plenty of antler but thanks anyway Brian.  I generally just sand the tips flat and the overlays to match it but the tips on this bow have a curvature to them I want to match.  I'll just do a test run and see. 

[Blaflair2]

I do t blame ya. Neo has had luck with putting sandpaper on the tips and sanding the antler to match. Like using the tip as a sanding block for the antler.

[Pat B]

I'll try that first, Bruce. We don't want your bow to be too undressed when she gets to you! 

[Blaflair2]

I'm sure anything u make, makes what I make, look like a turd  O:)lol. Thanks again pat.

[osage outlaw]

Pat, if you don't mind, keep us updated with what you try and the results.

[Pat B]

To a dung beetle turds are good. I guess it's all in how you look at things.       Heck, without turds, Clint would be out of a job. 
  Will do, Clint.

[Pat B]

Well it didn't work too good. Maybe if I boiled them for a while they would bend easier but I'm going to just shape the mating surfaces with sand paper, get them matched up good and glue them down 

[nclonghunter]

I have heard of boiling them for a long,long time and they can be bent....

[james parker]

take the antler you intend to use ,lay it on its side on a table-top or work bench, any way lay it on its side , then take your bow tip-end lay on top of the antler and use a pencil to scribe the top surface of the bow tip for how ever long you want the tip overlays to be..then cut the excess off the bottom of the antler to the line and final sand to fit,, it should fit perfectly if you show the line after sanding..did any of this make sense? don't know how else to put it without showing you.. jp

[Pat B]

Yeah, basically tracing the bow tip on the side of the antler overlay then cut or sand to the line. Thanks James.

[Blaflair2]

Did u try the sand paper method I mentioned?