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Ken Perrotte's outdoor column Date published: 2/24/2005 By Steve DeShazo PAT NOLAN ADJUSTS the clear protective goggles over his eyes and flips the switch on his lathe. Shavings fly as he lightly guides the steel gouge against the rapidly spinning raw material before him. A distinct smell, one usually associated with the work of orthopedic surgeons, permeates the work area. Need to bone up on your penmanship? If so, one of Nolan's deer antler creations may be just the ticket. Antlers are remarkable, considering they grow within just a few months, evolving from soft, velvet-covered shapes brimming with blood and nerves into hardened, exposed bone. Nolan transforms small sections of deer antlers into writing pens and pencils. His spacious Hartwood garage is also a woodworking shop, employing a variety of large tools used to craft everything from Adirondack chairs to wooden bowls to writing implements. "I started making wooden pens for myself and friends and just giving them away. Then friends showed friends and I just started selling them," Nolan said. "I thought if I could drill a hole in it, I could make a pen out of it," he continued. "So I started making pens out of deer antler. I like antler because each one is different; no two look the same." The coloring and patterns left by the trimmed, polished antler vary considerably, with some having a polished white look and feel. Others may have patches of brown or a slight piece of the exterior of the antler still showing. Nolan doesn't need a huge set of antlers to make a pen and has encouraged customers to keep their nice deer racks intact. Any antler (or piece of antler) that's about an inch in diameter and can generate two straight sections of a couple inches each usually will suffice. "The problem with antler is it has to be straight enough for me to drill a hole through it. Sometimes that's a problem. I might only get one pen out of an antler from a four-point buck," he explained.
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
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