Ken’s weathered elk stags

[SS336]

Got this set of weathered stags from Ken (bigmtnman) today and to say I am pleased would be an understatement. Hope you don't mind me showing them off.
They just look right on any old blued S&W.





On my small collection of aftermarket grips these are easily my two favorites. Ken's stags and the presentation stocks I got from Fleabus101 and had Curt Harlow checker for me.




Thanks for letting me show them off. We are lucky to have such talented people on the forum.

 

[swagmeister]

Great look to them.

 

[RKmesa]

Beautiful!!!

Thanks for sharing,

 

[Truckman]

There is no known substitute for quality......Ben

 

[SS336]

Beautiful!!!

Thanks for sharing,

Thanks. But they would look better on that old blue worn Model 28 of yours.

 

[C Islander]

Stag grips are my weakness.

 

[yugolovr]

Those look great! I hope you enjoy using them.

 

[StrawHat]

…Thanks for letting me show them off. We are lucky to have such talented people on the forum...

Good looking grips,

Yes, this forum has many talented members. Now, you need one of our talented members to make a holster for that piece.

Kevin

 

[Hawg Rider]

I totally agree...Ken (bigmtnman) and Pat Grashorn are two of the best craftsmen when it comes to antler stocks. Here is a set of elk antler stocks that Pat made for my .44HE Model of 1926 (W&K). Even with some bark, the stocks were a little too white for my taste. I wanted the stocks to look more period (early 1900s), so I "aged" them by adding some patina. I did the same thing with a modern damascus bowie's scales. They now match the scales on my family heirloom 100+ year old Cattaraugus hunting knife. Enjoy!

 

[Baxter6551]

I have both Ken's and Pat's stocks - they are addicting. Pat's are on the model 19 - the 36 and 64 are Ken's.

 

[StrawHat]

Here are two of mine. Both on ACP revolvers. The yellower ones are Pat's. When I got them they were pure white. Aged them by using every day.

The rb's are from Ben. Working on aging them.

Kevin

 

[lkabug]

Lookin Good!
Ken does some beautiful work.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Ken care to share the secret of "aging" those stocks?
Or is it a trade secret!!!!

 

[StrawHat]

An easy way to age them is to handle them everyday. Don't wash your hands, just grab the stocks and rub on them a bit.

I find staining with tea, coffee, Minwax, etc to produce an artificial appearance.

Kevin

 

[StrawHat]

Here are some elk stocks in various stages of aging.

Kevin

 

[Hawg Rider]

Ken care to share the secret of "aging" those stocks?
Or is it a trade secret!!!!

I'm sure that Pat and Ken would like to keep their aging processes proprietary. I actually use inexpensive RIT dyes (yellow and brown, and sometimes orange) to age my knife scales and handgun stocks. Don't soak the stocks because that can swell and/or damage the antler material. I apply multiple light coats of the yellow dye (mixed with just a little water), dabbing with cotton balls or microfiber cloth, until I get a nice aged base patina color that I'm looking for. I then use the same procedure with the brown dye, being careful not to apply too much and make the stocks too dark. Leather dyes also work well on natural materials like antler. I finish up with a good buffing and application of Ren Wax. Hope this helps.