Putting on an Antler Handle to a Knife With Tang

I am going to show you how to make a genuine outdoorsman's masterpiece.

Step 1: Finding the Right Knife

The first step to this process is finding a knife that has a tang, a tang is a piece of the blade that goes past the hilt into the handle to make the blade more sturdy. What I had to do was find a crappy old knife with a plastic handle, i then hit the handle with a hammer until all of the plastic handle was gone and only the tang was left

Step 2: Cutting the Antler Handle to Specific Length

You want to make sure that you can comfortably hold the antler in your hand

Step 3: Measuring and Drilling

After you have the antler cut into the specifics that you desire, you will first want to measure the length of the tang, then how wide it is, then the thickness. When you find the length, set a drill press to about a little less than a cm above that number, then you find a drill bit that is closed to the thickness of your knife's tang. Then you drill across the top of the antler until you reach the same number as your width.

Step 4: Using Epoxy

When you have the antler all drilled and everything, you are going to want to put a little epoxy into the slot you cut with the drill press, also a little on the knife, now be safe here not only because the knofe is sharp but also because you can break the tang of the knof like I have a few times. When you have the epoxy in the slot and on the knife you should cover the knife'a blade with its sheath or a thick towel so you can grip it and press it into the slot, make sure you have the knife parrellel with the handle so it doesn't look all screwed up when it dries.

Step 5: Letting It Dry

I know it might be tempting to touch the knife, but don't! You could mess up the alignment.

Step 6: Touch Ups

After it has dried, you should then begin the little touch ups of sanding the antler to make it a bit smoother, but you don't have to. You could also put a nice finish on it although I have never tried that but I've seen it.

Step 7: Optional Stand

You can also make a stand with the rest of your antler. Find a position where it lays flat and doesn't rock, but if you can't find balance, use an electric sander and sand it down until you can place it on a flat surface and it doesn't rock. Then you can use a band saw or any other saw to cut slits where the knife can rest in, and if the knife's balde is really thick don't worry, you can just use some sand paper to make the slits a bit bigger,

Step 8: Sit Back and Enjoy Your Masterpiece

Once everything is finished, you should sit back, crack a cold one, and look at the glorious price of handy work you finished. Take pride in it, and learn from mistakes and when you make th next one use your experience to make it better. Thank you for reading my instructables, now go out complete this great project yourself, remember always be safe around electric tools and sharp things.