Alternative Materials For Cantles

[Thomas H]

IMG_4572089686630.jpegIMG_4269792517426.jpegAluminum works well , welds well to .here are some I have.

[AKScott]

Antler will be hard to have come out well, most of it has a thin hard outer shell with a spongy interior, similar to mammal bone. I suppose the palm of a moose antler could work well, esp if you had a project in mind for all the points. Elk has a relatively think dense layer between the outer bark and inner spongy part, but they are pretty cylindrical in section and hardly ever over three inches in diameter.

Among North American species. I am not real familiar with critters outside the US and Canada.

Whale baleen would be a possible for a decorative cantle. Shipping is outrageous, but if you come here on holiday it shouldn't be too hard to find a big enough piece with traditional carvings on one side. Polishes up real nice. Grey zone on legality as cantles are not traditional Alaska native crafts, but i /u/me we are talking personal use here.

Mountain sheep would be spectacular if you got the $$$. To hunt mountain sheep you drive your ATV straight up to about 12,000 feet, get off, put your pack on and start climbing on foot. If you picked the wrong hill you start over. If you bring one out you know how hard you worked to get it and bring it home. Try googling " mountain sheep horn knife handle" or etc.

I recently posted up a picture of my workbench that happens to have a musk ox horn showing. I hope to have a cantle made from that on a dress sporran by Xmas eve 2014, but I am not holding my breath. Every time I spend an hour on it the polar vortex goes back to Chicago and I end up with a bunch of outside chores to do.

What critter is local to you? If you want a hinged functional sporran the metals are going to be hard to beat. If you want a decorative one, the sky is the limit.