Antlers, Wood and Epoxy

**db 183** · 11-08-2011, 08:10 PM

Last year, one of my hunting friends gave me a Browning BAR Long Trac Oil Finish .300 Win-Mag rifle.

A gift of a lifetime for sure.

I killed a deer with that rifle this year and I am going to make him a barnwood picture frame using the antlers to accent it.

I plan to put a picture of him and his dad in it; something from deer camp for him to cherish.

I want to keep drilling to a minimum and was wondering what epoxy or glue you would use to secure the antlers to the wood. I plan to put the glue or epoxy on the surface of the antlers that will touch the wood. I will then use a couple of small wood screws drilling from the back side of the frame into the antlers to further secure them.

I would appreciate any advice from some taxidermy folks if you could recommend an epoxy or a glue that would work well in this project.

**SpiritWalker** · 11-08-2011, 08:20 PM

2 ton epoxy.. and make sure you use a good size washer or backing plate with the screws so they dont pull through the wood. That will allow you to crank them down nice and tight.. Probably dont even need the epoxy.

I make custom knives and often times bond wood and antler when making my handles.. I like to use JB Weld because it is more paste-like and dosent run all over things..

Good luck with your project.. post up some pics when done.

**db 183** · 11-08-2011, 09:36 PM

Thanks SpiritWalker - Stupid question here...don't pull my man card for not knowing this...but is JB Weld a brand of 2 ton epoxy? Or are you saying that I should look for some other brand of 2 ton epoxy and that you prefer JB for your knife work...

I use JB Weld all the time. I have made deer handled bar-b-que utensils and I preferred JB in those situations. I didn't know that it would work to bond the antlers to wood. If that is what you are saying, I will give that a try.

**db 183** · 11-09-2011, 05:22 PM

OK. You can let me keep my man card. Went to the hardware store and found it. After looking at it, I think I will stick with my old reliable JB Weld. I love that stuff and like you said you can make it a paste which is easier to work with.

Thanks for the help!!! I will post up a pic when I am done.

**SpiritWalker** · 11-09-2011, 06:39 PM

Glad we didn't have to confiscate your card. Screws with proper backing plate are going to be the key. Also keep in mind that some antler has lots of porous pith in the center. It will not hold a screw well. If your antler has a pithy center make sure you grind it out and replace with some JB Weld so you have a solid surface to screw into.

**db 183** · 11-09-2011, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by SpiritWalker

Glad we didn't have to confiscate your card. Screws with proper backing plate are going to be the key. Also keep in mind that some antler has lots of porous pith in the center. It will not hold a screw well. If your antler has a pithy center make sure you grind it out and replace with some JB Weld so you have a solid surface to screw into.

Will do. Thanks for the advice.

**Fugaloo** · 01-06-2012, 09:47 AM

You can also machine antlers. If you haven't ever tapped out a hole it is stupid easy. Buy a kit from Irwin at your local hardware store. It will come with the drill bit and the tap. Drill the hole, then thread the tap through it and violla you have a threaded hole that you can insert screws from the back. Check to make sure your screws are the perfect length, I would try to penetrate up to 1/4" to the front side of the antler. Meaning the screw will leave only 1/4 of antler before it drives through the front. then you can put a good size washer on the back side of the frame with just the screw heads showing on the back, which would also allow for removal of antlers if you wanted to. when you do drillit, use some type of clamp or vise that holds the antlers tight to the frame. Drill the frame and the antler in one pass, this will assure that the holes line up correctly.

**db 183** · 02-27-2012, 11:19 AM

Here are the pics of the almost finished product. I drilled a little too far on the antler on the left and made a nice hole through the front. I hit a hard spot and had to push a little harder and when I did, the drill cut right through. Total rookie mistake. I patched it up and when I put the stain on the antlers it should be barely noticeable.

I am also going to repaint the frame so I can paint over the JB weld. You can't see any from the front or top but if you pick up the frame to take a closer look, you obviously see it if you look behind the antlers. Painting the frame and the epoxy will clean that up a bit.
Antler Frame2.jpg