Using first my grinder and then various sanding attachments on the dremel I have cleaned up and smoothed out the handle. The next step is to drill a hole for the tang.
After cutting the tang to the right length with a hack saw I dry fitted the pieces
A perfect fitting bolster of a different material was out of my league so I just notched the end of the handle (with a dremel small cutting wheel) so a very small part of the blade itself is embedded into the handle end. I mixed the two part epoxy and poured it into the hole and attached the blade. I found that I had cleaned up the horn a little too much. It was far too pale. I was able to lightly burn some of the ridges to add color and interest while polishing the handle with the dremel felt polishing tip. A final polishing with a cloth wheel and a little carnauba wax gave the handle a bit of shine.
Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours. The next step will be to fashion a sheath and have the blade professionally sharpened. After that I have decided to make a matching dirk with the other antler.
So what do you think?
Cheers
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