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266250 RH <rhhutchins@h...> 2018‑07‑30 Drilling Antler the Galoot Way
I have some antler shed.  I want to insert some magnesium rods into 
pieces cut off to make fire starters.   Is this material too hard to 
drill with, say, and eggbeater and a good bit?  I'm thinking a masonry 
bit.  I haven't tried it yet because I don't have a huge supply of 
antler and don't want to spoil any if I can help it.

If anyone else has done this, I'd be much obliged for the benefit of 
your experience and advice.

Bob Hutchins
Temple, TX, USA


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266252 Phil Schempf <philschempf@g...> 2018‑07‑30 Re: Drilling Antler the Galoot Way
Bob -

Antler drills easily with a regular twist bit. No need for a masonry bit. The
exterior is the hardest while the interior is more porous and softer. You might
want to start the hole with a birdcage awl to keep the bit from skittering
across the surface. I haven’t had any trouble with the bit chipping the edge of
the hole with a sharp bit.

Phil

Sent from my iPhone
266253 Anthony Seo 2018‑07‑30 Re: Drilling Antler the Galoot Way
On 7/30/2018 3:36 PM, RH wrote:
> I have some antler shed.  I want to insert some magnesium rods into 
> pieces cut off to make fire starters.   Is this material too hard to 
> drill with, say, and eggbeater and a good bit?  I'm thinking a masonry 
> bit.  I haven't tried it yet because I don't have a huge supply of 
> antler and don't want to spoil any if I can help it.

A regular twist bit drill will work.  BUT, wear a face mask or do it 
outside, antler dust is just like bone dust and should not be inhaled..

Tony (where the rain is a coming yet again...)

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266255 scott grandstaff <scottg@s...> 2018‑07‑30 Re: Drilling Antler the Galoot Way
antler dust is just like bone dust and should not be inhaled..

The good part is, nobody needs to tell you that the second time.
Bone, same as seashell, is so noxious when worked, well you will just 
naturally take your own precautions the second time..........

   Don't believe me? Walk up to a spinning grinder and press a piece of 
seashell to it.
You'll --run-- from the room in 20 seconds flat!
EEEEEyowza that stinks!  haahahaha

   When I work either, I work directly in front of an exhaust fan, with 
the door open on the far side of the room to let in a steady supply of 
fresh air.
    yours Scott

-- 
*******************************
    Scott Grandstaff
    Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca  96039
    scottg@s...
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html
266256 Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> 2018‑07‑30 Re: Drilling Antler the Galoot Way
A trick I recently learned(you probably all know it and never told me) is to
make a dimple with an appropriate tool,then run the twist drill backwards a few
revolution to enlarge the pilot centered on the dimple, then proceed.

Ed Minch
266259 Brent A Kinsey <brentpmed@c...> 2018‑07‑30 Re: Drilling Antler the Galoot Way
Thanks for that Ed, I had not yet learned to run a bit backwards to help
starting.  Good to know, another skill in my kit!

Brent A Kinsey
266260 CheekyGeek <cheekygeek@g...> 2018‑07‑30 Re: Drilling Antler the Galoot Way
There are galoots and then there are the protogaloots.
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/photograph-of-an-inupiat-
man-using-a-bow-drill-to-drill-a-news-photo/640482885#photograph-of-an-inupiat-
man-using-a-bowdrill-to-drill-a-hole-in-a-picture-
id640482885">https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/photograph-of-an-
inupiat-man-using-a-bow-drill-to-drill-a-news-photo/640482885#photograph-of-an-
inupiat-man-using-a-bowdrill-to-drill-a-hole-in-a-picture-id640482885

Darren Addy
Kearney, NE

On Mon, Jul 30, 2018 at 2:36 PM, RH  wrote:

> I have some antler shed.  I want to insert some magnesium rods into pieces
> cut off to make fire starters.   Is this material too hard to drill with,
> say, and eggbeater and a good bit?  I'm thinking a masonry bit.  I haven't
> tried it yet because I don't have a huge supply of antler and don't want to
> spoil any if I can help it.
>
> If anyone else has done this, I'd be much obliged for the benefit of your
> experience and advice.
>
> Bob Hutchins
> Temple, TX, USA
>
>
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“*The Earth is Art, The Photographer is only a Witness*”
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266262 "yorkshireman@y..." <yorkshireman@y...> 2018‑07‑31 Re: Drilling Antler the Galoot Way
Ed’s epiphany…

and the appropriate tool would be - a centre punch.   What you use to punch a
mark at the point where a hole needs to be drilled.  I have aa automatic one I
bought when I was in school - back in the days when schools had workshops.
Place the point on the mark, press down, and whack - a wee dimple that guides in
a jacobs twist bit, or the point of a screw, or owt else…


Richard Wilson
Yorkshireman galoot, where Northumbria has turned hot and sunny again.
266263 Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> 2018‑07‑31 Re: Drilling Antler the Galoot Way
Richard

I have a couple of those, both Starrett, and they seem to do a more useful job
on metal than an wood.  Even though the pressure is adjustable, it seems all it
does is make a deeper small hole
Ed Minch
266264 <gtgrouch@r...> 2018‑07‑31 Re: Drilling Antler the Galoot Way
I've worked with shell using a wet grinder/sander meant for lapidary work.

It can be done!

YMMV, void where prohibited by law, Gary Katsanis
Albion New York, USA

---- scott grandstaff  wrote: 

=============
antler dust is just like bone dust and should not be inhaled..

The good part is, nobody needs to tell you that the second time.
Bone, same as seashell, is so noxious when worked, well you will just 
naturally take your own precautions the second time..........

   Don't believe me? Walk up to a spinning grinder and press a piece of 
seashell to it.
You'll --run-- from the room in 20 seconds flat!
EEEEEyowza that stinks!  haahahaha

   When I work either, I work directly in front of an exhaust fan, with 
the door open on the far side of the room to let in a steady supply of 
fresh air.
    yours Scott

-- 
*******************************
    Scott Grandstaff
    Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca  96039
    scottg@s...
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html

------------------------------------------------------------------------
OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool
aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage,
value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of
traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools.

To change your subscription options:
https://oldtools.swingleydev.com/mailman/listinfo/oldtools

To read the FAQ:
https://swingleydev.com/archive/faq.html

OldTools archive: https://swingleydev.com/ot/

OldTools@s...
266265 "yorkshireman@y..." <yorkshireman@y...> 2018‑07‑31 Re: Drilling Antler the Galoot Way
I agree - have to be turned right down for use on wood, and on soft woods an
auto punch can be aggressive.  But for antler?  or horn?  or bone?    And for
aligning screws in hinges I find it a useful tool, quicker than a bradawl, and
good at locating a centre.  Not that I’m advocating the abandonment of bradawls.
They have their part to play in severing wood fibres and producing a pilot hole,
which a centre punch will never do.

Just one more instance of tools finding alternative employment if you don’t give
them enough interesting work to do.


Richard WIlson
Yorkshireman Galoot
266266 Don Schwartz <dks@t...> 2018‑07‑31 Re: Drilling Antler the Galoot Way
On 2018-07-31 9:29 AM, Ed Minch wrote:
> I have a couple of those, both Starrett, and they seem to do a more useful job
on metal than an wood.  Even though the pressure is adjustable, it seems all it
does is make a deeper small hole
> Ed Minch

The same is true of my No.280 Moore & Wright Automatic Centre Punch. It 
leaves an excellent dimple on metal, making it easy to center a twist 
bit. But on many woods the dimple's too small  to be helpful, except for 
creating a registration mark for a beefier, hammered centre punch with a 
wider tip. The narrow tip of the automatic punch makes it easy to make a 
spot-on mark, but the hammered variety creates a larger dimple which 
makes for easier registration of a drill bit, particularly on softer woods.

My C$0.02

Don

-- 
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ages.” Voltaire

“A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely re-arranging
their prejudices.” William James
266311 Thomas Conroy 2018‑08‑07 Re: Drilling Antler the Galoot Way
Scott hit the mark as usual: 
"The good part is, nobody needs to tell you that the second time.
Bone, same as seashell, is so noxious when worked, well you will just 
naturally take your own precautions the second time..........

 "? Don't believe me? Walk up to a spinning grinder and press a piece of 
seashell to it.
You'll --run-- from the room in 20 seconds flat!
EEEEEyowza that stinks!? haahahaha"


Ohyeah. Stinks like a dentist's office when he's getting down to serious work on
you. Lots of nasty memories, in addition to the simple stench.

But the good thing is, you don't need to use power for bone or for antler. I've
used lots of both materials, especially for making "bone" folders. And I've
handled small knives and walking sticks with antler. A 6" or 8" half-round
bastard file will cut bone comparably fast with a grinding wheel or a 100 grit
sanding wheel--- a bit slower, maybe, but comparable in speed, and the file is a
lot less nasty. The dust taken off by the file is coarser, so it lingers in the
air for less time (after years of white dust all over my house and clothing I
finally came down to doing all bone and antler work outdoors. Its easier. Trust
me.) The wheel or the sander heats up the fine dust, intensifying the smell---
working with a file (or an eggbeater drill) isn't so nose-gaggingly reminiscent
of the dentist's. An eggbeater drill does fine for drilling; or if you are
clearing out the spongy area at the core of antler, an auger bit should do fine,
though finding the right size may take a bit of experiment (you want to just
touch the hard outer layers of the antler, mostly removing the spongy area with
the auger bit).

Hard enough to need a masonry drill? Just the opposite. Bone is easily worked
with hand woodworking tools. Antler is, usually, even softer than bone. And the
deeper you get into antler, the softer it is.
and when you get to the porous area at the core of the antler, well, you can
crush it in with your fingers, most of the time. If  you drill a hole in the end
of a piece of antler expecting to set a knife blade in it, the steel will crush
the porous area and loosen before you get the knife into use. I've done this,
drilled a larger hole, done it again, had it loosen again, until finally I had
all the spongy bit removed. Then I was able to set the blade in putty or
something. Now, with a knife blade I would clear out the sponge right away and
plan from the start for filling. For a walking stick handle, I make the wood
tenon on the end of the shaft big enough to touch solid antler all the way
around.

Some antler has very thin hard walls and a lot of sponge. Other pieces have
almost no sponge and are solid most of the way through. For your magnesium rods,
Bob, I suppoose you will want to insert them in the end of the piece of antler.
Drill the right size hole and if you are lucky you may be in the solid area. If
any spponge is showing, though, you might want to drill a larger hole, put in a
wood plug, and then drill the pluug for the magnesium rod. Either that, or maybe
clear out the spong and set the rod in epoxxy.

Bone/antler is brittle, so it doesn't respond to tools in just the way wood
does. Maybe it takes off an edge a bit faster, and needs a more obtuse edge, say
35 degrees instead of 20 degrees. But hand tools are plenty. And it is really
pretty, as well as a naturally good grip, when you are done.
Tom Conroy, late to the game as usual
266314 RH <rhhutchins@h...> 2018‑08‑08 Re: Drilling Antler the Galoot Way
Thanks, Tom!

I just couldn't see letting the antler go unused when it would be so 
cool to have a magnesium rod with and antler handle.  Maybe I'll plan on 
putting the magnesium rods in wood and making antler scales.

Thanks to all who responded on this.  Still working on that Yamaha 
guitar action, bought a fiddle, and waiting for the antler fire-starter 
roundtuit to show up.

Best to all
Bob Hutchins
Temple, TX, USA

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