I have a complete set of Elk antlers sitting in my attic collecting dust. Harvested a 4X5 bull back in 2016 and haven't done anything with them. I am considering getting some knives made and using the Elk antler as the handle.
Anyone know of someone who would be (or could possibly) do this?

Ram Rod,

See your post has been up for a couple of weeks with no response. I started to reply a while back but was totally stumped trying to post photos of some knives I've made with elk antler. I don't post often, but in the past I've always been able to deal with photo bucket, and later the igmar hurdles. Not so this time...

Anyway, I consider myself strictly a hobbyist but have made knives for many years. Most I give to friends and kids who like hunting. I've also donated a few dozen to various charity events.

I consider elk to be a good antler material but nowhere in the league of sandbar or axis antler. Those are more dense and that is especially noticeable comparing the cores. Elk's more porous cores seem to vary within an individual antler as well as from elk to elk.

With elk, knife scales are easiest to figure out, hidden tangs a bit more challenging, and thru-tangs the toughest. On the handle material subject, I think moose is also a better material than elk. A friend and I sawed points off a 65" mouse he shot in Alaska 51 years ago (he had a bigger one at #39 in the book and just wanted the meat, and I didn't know better). I used the last point I kept for handle material a couple years ago.

Your profile doesn't indicate, but If you're in the Houston area, I'll be glad to have you come by and see if you like the kind of knifes I make. I have made my own Damascus, but those experiments confirmed purchasing billets is a better way to go for me! I do heat treat the Damascus I purchase myself. For stainless, I usually use ATS34 or 440c and have those commercially treated. Both the Damascus and stainless consistently test in the 58-60 RC range.

If you'll PM me contact info I'll be glad to send a few pictures...

Good hunting,