How do I finish a antler handle?

I like to seal mine. I'm a newbie and it may be wrong, but I just like to seal all the pores up to keep the dirt and grime out. I use tru oil or teak oil
 
I give it a light buff with a dry muslin wheel. I have never put a finish over stag. I use mostly Sambar. When using other stag, get it fresh and process it, then let it cure out of the elements for a year. Culpepper & Co. has very nice stag that needs no further treatment.

However, if you are using old weathered stag, I could see doing something.
 
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Belt finish to 320 grit, hand sand at 220, and I use a 600 grit polishing paper on the tang. I then buff with fast cut on sisal wheels, then with medium cut on a sewn muslin wheel, then pink scratchless on another sewn wheel and finally pink scratchless on a loose wheel. Clean up with a coat of carnuba car wax. Buff that off with a clean buff and on the same buffer I have a thin sisal wheel thats great for getting any gunk/wax out of the topography. Home processed elk:

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Did this WIP a while back on how I process elk. This will work for any type of antler. Should be noted that since I've wrote that I've switched from my large woodcutting bandsaw to my portaband on a swag table. Simpler, easier and way safer.

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/processing-elk-sheds-a-wip.1467821/

Store bought (Culpepper), amber sambar stag:

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I pretty much always use reindeer horn. Sanding to about 400 then switch to scotchbrite wheels then cotton buff.
Initially, that finishes too slippery for my tastes. But with use, soon wears to a nice looking but better gripped surface.
If there is wood or birchbark in the mix, linseed oil and buff, but otherwise I wont apply coating on horn.
 
For those without a buffer; what belts would yall use to finish antler or how would you do it by hand? I've never used it, but I see the possibility of some antler coming into my possession soon.
 
J. Keeton said:
For those without a buffer; what belts would yall use to finish antler or how would you do it by hand? I've never used it, but I see the possibility of some antler coming into my possession soon.
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Depending on the specific texture you're looking for can just use a wire brush or brass brush or maybe even something softer depending on how dirty the antler is to start with. After it's all cleaned up there's times that I have taken it to the belt sander and knocked off some high spots or knobs to make it more comfortable. That's usually not a lot of material so a finer grit belt would be in order.
 
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