cleaning antlers

[Matt85]

whats the best way to clean up a fresh pair of antlers for craft use?

im trying to get the stuck on crud, skin, and fur off em. would boiling them in water work or would that be a bad idea?

thanks

 

[Rick Son]

A bucket of water with some clorox in it,but it might bleach out the horns,might try just brushing clorox on the area you want to remove,it gets hot and slippery,but just hot water from the tap may work also,been awhile but i try all kinds of stuff.I bleached a part on one once and used that dark scratch erase furnuture polish to reapair it.I have a real nice set on my wall with Sitting Bull painted on the skull and i use the dark polish to clean now and then.

 

[Birdman]

if ya got a container big enough to set em in squirt in some dish soap put em in the container n cover with water n let soak over night. Then use a soft scrub brush n maybe an old tooth brush to scrub em down. Go easy cause all ya want to get off is the dirt, the color actually is a bit of staining from plant saps n such n if ya scrub to hard ya may take that off too. If ya don't have a container big enough, wrap the antler in some old rags, dipped in soapy water, slide the rack in a big plastic garbage bag n let soak until everything softens up, then scrub gently like before.

 

[Rifleman1776]

It's hard to argue with the Chief who has so much plunder... :grin:
But, I would never use bleach. Just wash gently with soap and water. The color is what gives antler it's.....uh.....color that makes them look right.
Deer antler is not usually big enough to work into an object that looks like ivory. I make items from antler fairly often and leave as much of the 'bark' on as possible to give the item character. That's my preference.

 

[BrownBear]

whats the best way to clean up a fresh pair of antlers for craft use?

im trying to get the stuck on crud, skin, and fur off em. would boiling them in water work or would that be a bad idea?

thanks

I doubt it this late, but if the "fur" your talking about is velvet remnants, they're gonna be white underneath and there's not much you can do about other than start talking stains and coloring.

Other than that, yeah, bleach is bad business for the colors on horns. It's mostly veggie stains and dirt and such from the deer "brooming" the horns to help shed the velvet at the end of growing season. I don't even like to use soap when I'm cleaning mine, because even a mild soap is going to lighten some of the colors more than I want. I just soak them overnight in plain water to soften things. If you don't have a container big enough, wrap them fairly tight in old rags and spray them down with water, then remove the rags and clean them the next day.

 

[gmww]

I was surprised to see a taxidermist use a buffer with the wire wheel attachment flesh a thick hide. I'm wondering if a dremil tool with a wire wheel attachment might work.

Just thinking out loud. :hmm:

 

[BrownBear]

I'm wondering if a dremil tool with a wire wheel attachment might work.

Just thinking out loud. :hmm:

I think if you were REALLY careful not to go too deep, you could make it work. The danger would be in producing a bunch of white spots you'd have to figure out how to stain.

Notice I said "you." I ain't nearly that coordinated! :rotf:

 

[LaBonte]

Clamp them down and use a powerwasher - works slicker than snot - I've got a friend who braintans and uses a powerwasher to de-hair and clean all the meat and such of the inside...saves her a whole lotta work..

 

[BrownBear]

Now you're cooking with gas! That's excellent. :thumbsup:

 

[Matt85]

i like the soaking in plain water or power washing idea. im not fond of using chemicals as i really dont wanna remove the natural colors.

the fur i was reffering too is a little bit stuck at the base from when i used a hack saw to remove the antlers from the deers head (got a little scalp with em). the antlers also have blood, dirt, and bits of fecal matter stuck on them. i managed to clean them a little with tap water and an old sponge.

thanks all
-Matt

 

[BrownBear]

the fur i was reffering too is a little bit stuck at the base from when i used a hack saw to remove the antlers from the deers head (got a little scalp with em)

Back in my youth when I worked for a taxidermist he taught me to do it with a flat-bit screwdriver. Just push it under the edge of the hide and twist. Push it forward a little and do it again. Kinda like using an old style can opener. Quick and easy. Never tried anything else cuzz this works so well.

 

[hoochiepapa]

I always cleaned that hair off with my pocket knife. Seemed to work good.

 

[Matt85]

got most of it off with a knife but still some flesh/fur in the small spaces i can really get too. i will soak it in water over night and take another crack at it.

 

[Goldhunter]

Clamp them down and use a powerwasher - works slicker than snot - I've got a friend who braintans and uses a powerwasher to de-hair and clean all the meat and such of the inside...saves her a whole lotta work..

+1 on the power washer.