I have been kicking around this idea since last year . Sorta forgot about it till I read the opening of the 10th contest . Had I remembered, I would have ordered stuff to get started . But I didn’t…
My idea , which I have no idea if possible, is to take this stag antler and make a flashlight of it .
I don’t know if it’s possible to bore antler out to accept the parts . I have made several knife handles from this same antler without any problems.
A Cub Scout knife I made for brother-in-law.
Anyway , once I get parts I’ll start carving a see what happens .
I cut the anter to size …
Then decided as was brought to my attention the potential brittleness of antler , I should attempt to stabilize it .
Came out shiny !
The plan here is to make a mule . Get it ? Like mule deer …mule light ! Ok , the antler is white tail but… I thought it funny . Anyway , I think I hit my first snag . I really wanted to make this after the PL09 cause I really like the light and simplified UI . I thought the antler diameter was large enough to accommodate, but now see it’s going to be pretty tight to the edge of two sides . Still trying to figure out a way to make it work , but I may have to go with something of smaller diameter.
Hopin by stabilizing the antler , the thin walls won’t crack , but I think I may be fooling myself .
There are two things I would worry about when using the stag antler.
Antler is brittle. When you are boring it out, make sure not to go too quickly. Antler is also more brittle at the base so you might also want to keep that in mind.
Antler is porous. I recommend stabilizing it (i.e. resin and antler in a vacuum chamber). This should provide support and make it less likely to crack when you are boring it out. Also, the resin stabilization would minimize changes resulting from environmental factors, like changing shape based upon humidity.
Thanks Asian8640 . I have been pondering the need to stabilize the antler . I honestly did not know it was more brittle at the base . I have a small vacuum setup I’ve used to dye the bone and it works well for that . Never tried to stabilize any though .
I’m not sure if it would be of any interest but Olight makes a 16340, an 18650, and a 21700 cell which feature both the positive and negative contacts on the same side. They are not inexpensive though, with the exception of the 16340. I think another brand offers this as well but I don’t remember which.
