Priest Making.

No idea where to put this, could do with a DIY section but ha! ho!


I have a couple of ladies on the local shoot that saw a priest i made a few years ago. Made from Red antler with buffalo end caps. leather lace out of my old shoes and a bit of time.

This is one of a pair i did a few years ago. the unfinished one it a little to heavy but i want it onto of a peice of hazel as a staff walking stick. job for another day.





They asked if i could make them one so me being me, said i will see what i can do. I had no Antler left so i put a shout out on here in the wanted section. Deerstalker.308 had a few bits laying around so he sorted out and popped them in the post. Out of the 5 pieces i bought there was 3 that would back fair priest, 2 others i will find a use for so thank you for the help Andy.

One condition was i let him know how i got on and as a few people have shown interest and asked to see how i made the other ones so i thought i would put on here for all to see.

Im only a tinker type, not very good at it but i do try.

well a few days ago i had a chance to start playing about and make a start.

photos speak better so this might be a tad photo heavy.



2 of the 3 bits i will turn to priest. the forked one is a little short so had to work with it.

IMG_20131211_122017_zps3z5laimf.jpg



Im putting threaded brass rod inside as i have run out of lead. i cut to 3" and add a step for the glue to lock into. there is probably a better way, but it works for me.




12mm hole drilled down one end




ruff cut of buffalo with an 8mm blind hole for the end of the brass to glue into.




other end has a stainless m6 bolt with the head taken off. i like to use the thread as i think it gives a glue area to lock into the antler and horn.




2 glued up and drying. epoxy two pack.




top one is at the start. middle has been ruff sanded and the bottom one has had a basic polish



i use an angle grinder with a sanding disc to get it down and then just sand paper and elbow grease. the basic polishing shows and flat spots in the buffalo so i can smooth them out with 600 wet'n'dry paper.


I do like Buffalo horn as it polishes up real nice.




That is it for the moment. sorry if its photo heavy. I need to find some leather lace in black. last time i used my brown leather laces and soaked in boot polish over night.

also a toggle to go on the ends

as im doing these for free i dont want to spend to much on making them

thanks for looking in

all the best


Phil
 
Use the antler tips as toggles and a 223 case as the liner for the handle hole.
Any sadler should be able to provide you with some lengths of leather to use as 'laces'.

A little bit of buffolo on the end of the toggles would be a nice touch :)

Nice work that.
 
Nice work phil, glad they were ok, or at least most of them......really smart job though, I'm sure the ladies will be very happy!
 
Use the antler tips as toggles and a 223 case as the liner for the handle hole.
Any sadler should be able to provide you with some lengths of leather to use as 'laces'.

A little bit of buffolo on the end of the toggles would be a nice touch :)

the toggle i did on the origanal was a pain in the but so im drilling the middle this time, still with the buffalo ends on.

this is the first i made. this one i lost in the middle of a fields 3 years ago. a little gutted as it was a matching pair that i made, other one want to a very good friend and the breeder of my cocker. i made another but its not the same.


Nice work that.

I havent a 223 but i do have a lathe :D i was going to do like you said but with a thicker wall.

Nice work phil, glad they were ok, or at least most of them......really smart job though, I'm sure the ladies will be very happy!
Andy I have a plan for the other bits so thank you very much for your help. very good of you.
 
You have a lathe.....lucky man....turn a buffolo insert with an internal rounded edge for the hole liner.

now theres a plan in the making.

buffalo with brass liner just to give a contrast. i liking that idea. thank you.

I was lucky in that my father-in-law gave me his new 1959 derbyshire watchmakers lathe. only used to make the points of compasses. it was all down hill from there as i wanted bigger, 15 years ago i bought a boxford aud from a school. dont know how these things work but i can turn it on and pretend i know.
 
Great work, and they look very nice, should make the new owners very happy.
(now of to google "derbyshire watchmakers lathe"

Neil. :)
 
Pardon the ignorance (beautiful work by the way) - but how the heck do you use one of these to dispatch fish ?
 
What happens sometimes is that someone may shoot a fish and it falls out of the sky but it isn't dead and runs off. Then someone sends a Cod Retriever to get the fish. It brings it back, but it's still alive so the person with the priest gets the priest to give it the last rites. :D

lovely looking work there activeviii.
 
Great work, and they look very nice, should make the new owners very happy.
(now of to google "derbyshire watchmakers lathe"

Neil. :)

Cheers Neil.
Its a Derbyshire model 750. from Waltham, Mass. USA.
I was offered very good money for it a few years ago on lathe.co.uk but as it was my FiL's and he is a good chap really i thought i might keep is and pass it down to my kids when my fingers stop working. the motor is a bit jerry rigged as its single pulley so i made up a speed controller and atoll the motor out the FiL's grass scarifier. lol.

What happens sometimes is that someone may shoot a fish and it falls out of the sky but it isn't dead and runs off. Then someone sends a Cod Retriever to get the fish. It brings it back, but it's still alive so the person with the priest gets the priest to give it the last rites. :D

lovely looking work there activeviii.

LOL very good, made me chuckle.

Pardon the ignorance (beautiful work by the way) - but how the heck do you use one of these to dispatch fish ?

Its for birds that are not clean killed. like Pheasants or in your neck of the woods, Roosters.
Dog picks up the bird and retrieves to the handler. handler takes the bird by its shoulders, holding the wings together, this makes the bird 'Stick its neck out' giving a nice target area for the handler to administer the last rights to the injured.

very much the same as one would do to the old trout when she gives lip..
 
Nice work. Thanks for sharing. I agree we could do with a DIY section - highseats, sticks, biltong driers, torch conversions
 
It for birds that are not clean killed. like Pheasants or in your neck of the woods, Roosters.
Dog picks up the bird and retrieves to the handler. handler takes the bird by its shoulders, holding the wings together, this makes the bird 'Stick its neck out' giving a nice target area for the handler to administer the last rights to the injured.

very much the same as one would do to the old trout when she gives lip..

Thanks for the clarification. When I first saw it I "googled" for an answer and all the pertinent hits were turning up on fly fishing sites. Of course, using it for birds makes more sense. You all are so civilized in this, I simply give the bird a wring of the neck for dispatch.
 
Nice work. Thanks for sharing. I agree we could do with a DIY section - highseats, sticks, biltong driers, torch conversions

oh dont get me started on torch conversations, lol. i have made to many of these. thinking about it, the same goes on quad sticks.


Thanks for the clarification. When I first saw it I "googled" for an answer and all the pertinent hits were turning up on fly fishing sites. Of course, using it for birds makes more sense. You all are so civilized in this, I simply give the bird a wring of the neck for dispatch.

Civilized, ha! that is one thing i most defiantly am not. lol. i twirl the pigeon if its winged. takes to long with a priest when your shooting a bit bag of birds.
 
I tend to use the coronet, here's one I made for a friend, solid enough to render the last rights to a lowland red! Used burr elm for this one and sizeable amount of lead.
.image.jpg
 
nice but a little to heavy for the ladies to use. i could have put brass caps but it would have been to much weight for them. yours still looks very nice.
 
Very nice work.
I need to make/buy one as Im picking-up now and breaking necks by twirling isn't the quickest method going. Ive seen a few headless birds using this method, but that's heavy handed Beaters for you!!
 
headless birds don't hang very well.lol. easy answer is cut a 12" of hazel. about 1" diameter works just fine.
if you wish for it to look a little better then drill a hole though the thinner end and then sand all over just to get rid of rough bits. then cut a small piece and drill hole though that and sand. thread a bit of string though hole in long stick and then both ends though the smaller bit, tie a knot to hold. the toggle, small bit, will slip though your belt loop so you always have with you.

very easy and 10 mounts of work. nothing fancy so it will not get pinched.
 
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