Deer or moose antler

Ron Padilla

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I did not search this before posting (sorry) but has anyone of the builders here tried this as a substitute to Ivory for feral and joint material and if so how did it hold up? I did a search for that info but couldn't find anything that was in plain English that I could or wanted to read through. So if anyone has any info please share, I have some deer antler and can get more if it is the type of substitute that work for a cue.
Thanks
 

Jon Manning

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
One of my favorite cues has an Elk joint and butt cap, it has held up just fine. It plays a little softer than Ivory (IMO). Any antler would be a decent choice for joint material, as the are designed by nature to absorb impact. I have seen a few cues with Moose antler in them and I really like the look, reminds me of marble. One of my cues is Elk, I have another (that just sold) that is Cape Buffalo, haven’t had any issues out of either.
I do know Black has been using Antler and Horn joint/ferrule for years. His new Silver Crown is now Moose instead of Ivory. http://www.blackcues.com/traditional_cues.shtml#bottom

Brunswick has used Antler/Horn on cues since, well, forever. It has been a pretty commonly used material for quite some time.
I am not a cue maker, just giving you my opinion, but I think it’s a pretty good substitute for Ivory.
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HQueen

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have used deer antler extensively for years and I think the hit is very similar to ivory. I have used it for ferrules, joints and butt caps. Cheap renewable resource. Beautiful too.
 

cueman

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Moose plays a little softer than Ivory but even better to me. Moose is better than Elk or Deer in that the middle is not so pithy.
 

Ron Padilla

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have deer on hand I would need to contact a few guys I'm the area to find out if they have any Elk or Moose they are willing to let go of for a shaft I want to have made, Thanks for the info
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
Nothing tops sambar stag for joint collar imo.
For ferrules, white tail is pretty darn good if you like old school hit.
 

cueman

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
For ferrules the points of Deer, Moose and Elk all work. But the trunk is very pithy on USA Deer and Elk. So I do not like either for joints or butt plates.
Someone mentioned Stag Horn. Stag is great for all three locations on the cue if you can find large enough pieces of legally imported material. A lot of the Stag is protected similar to the Elephant.
 

Ron Padilla

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have and can get more TN what tail antler and was thinking of having a shaft made with some for the feral, I don't have a large enough size for the joint but am going to contact a few people to see what I can come up with thanks for all the input.
 

JoeyInCali

Maker of Joey Bautista Cues
Silver Member
For ferrules the points of Deer, Moose and Elk all work. But the trunk is very pithy on USA Deer and Elk. So I do not like either for joints or butt plates.
Someone mentioned Stag Horn. Stag is great for all three locations on the cue if you can find large enough pieces of legally imported material. A lot of the Stag is protected similar to the Elephant.

Stag is openly sold on Ebay. Not quite like ivory.
My late mentor and I bought a great amount when the importation of stag became legal again back in 2002 or so.
The price have gone up quite a bit since then though.
 

desi2960

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I believe

Sambar stag has been removed from endangered list.
I use a lot of moose, I think it hits as good as anything on the market today.
Also it moose is not as brittle as ivory, I have cracked ivory before, but never cracked moose. Hard part about moose is it's is very scarce in pure white, most has color.
 

qbilder

slower than snails
Silver Member
Mule deer antler is nearly as dense as moose but is grey in color. Whitetail is white and makes great joint collars & ferrules if you begin with a section of antler that's slightly over size to begin with. Trying to get a .850 joint collar from a 1.25" round piece will be too pithy. Caribou is my favorite because it gets lots of greys, purples, even some yellows.

Again, the key to using any antler material is beginning with appropriate size pieces rather than starting big & cutting to size. Unlike ivory, antler is designed by nature for high impact. It's got the perfect mix of resilience, weight, and hardness. When my melamine runs out, it's probably going to be my new standard ferrule.
 

cueman

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Mule deer antler is nearly as dense as moose but is grey in color. Whitetail is white and makes great joint collars & ferrules if you begin with a section of antler that's slightly over size to begin with. Trying to get a .850 joint collar from a 1.25" round piece will be too pithy. Caribou is my favorite because it gets lots of greys, purples, even some yellows.

Again, the key to using any antler material is beginning with appropriate size pieces rather than starting big & cutting to size. Unlike ivory, antler is designed by nature for high impact. It's got the perfect mix of resilience, weight, and hardness. When my melamine runs out, it's probably going to be my new standard ferrule.

I have not tried caribou. Do you have any pictures of it on a cue?
 

cueman

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Stag is openly sold on Ebay. Not quite like ivory.
My late mentor and I bought a great amount when the importation of stag became legal again back in 2002 or so.
The price have gone up quite a bit since then though.

Is Sambar stag the same as Indian stag?
 

desi2960

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Moose antler

Photos show different shades of moose, i havs a lot of ferrule material, but good quality joint and butt cap material is getting more expensive.
 

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