Restoring Bleached Antlers

[pronghorn]

Was messing around this morning practicing making antler powder measures with a bleached mule deer antler. It tuned out realy nice, but don't care for the lack of color. Any ideas on how to restore the color?

Thanks!

 

[Short Arm]

I have use leather dye

 

[pronghorn]

That was my first thought, using leather dye. I had some Russet color, which I use often on crafts made of wood. I tried it on another part of the same antler, came out very dark. Maybe a lighter color will work.

 

[necchi]

Did onnna them "mount your rack" kits from cabelas one time, and the directions said to use "Oak" wood stain to match the proper colors. :idunno:

 

[Swampman]

Try steel wooling it back to get the color you want.

 

[buford87]

You could soak it in coffee

 

[scobrien]

I have had luck with potassium permanganate on antlers. Another option is cocoa brown rit dye. As Mark Lewis suggests, both these methods can also be buffed back with steel wool.

Steve

 

[Twice boom]

Use the dye color of your choice then when dry wet sand it . You will be amazed at what you'll end up with. I make antler whistles that go for 70+ and that is the method I use...
Twice.

 

[Birdman]

most of the color on antlers isn't anything but dirt n rubbed in tree sap. Try useing several plain ol kids crayons n then hit it with a heat sorce( heat gun or hair dryer). rub it in good n then use one of those green scrubbie things to work it back to the color ya want n blend the colors some. Antlers all one color look sort of odd to me so useing several colors seems to work better. Have an old set of antlers handy to look at while yer working on the bleached out set, that way ya got a good reference to work from. YMHS Birdman

 

[Rogue River]

Brown Shoe polish, the wax NOT liquid !

 

[JamesG]

You can take a blow tourch toast the antler gently,Then take waco walnut stain.Rub it on the warm antler let it dry then cool then sand and polish with fine steel wool. Then seal the antler. I tried most of what everyone has said to do. Good luck .

 

[BillinOregon]

Pronghorn: I find antler color varies considerably, from a light oak (eastern Oregon mule deer) to a dark, dark mahogany (southern Oregon blacktail). So be sure to match your "local color."

 

[Bubba45]

Coffee grounds from a pot of coffee rubbed in good and minwax jojoba oil looks fair.

 

[mikemeteor]

soaked mine in strong (1 cup water, 4 tea bags) black tea (hot) for about 10 minutes, then daubed on some diluted Feibings leather dye (med brown), and buffed it all back with steel wool.
Finsihed exterior by lightly rubbing in some Ballistol - no idea if that helped or not.

 

[BrownBear]

So help me, I can't remember what he used for color (this was back in the 60's), but the taxidermist I worked for had a neat trick for giving a finished look once he got the color right. He rubbed the antlers down with a stick of beeswax, just a light coat. Then he took a beef bone and "boned" the antlers thoroughly to smooth and polish them. Until he boned them, they always looked kinda dull and the color always stood out. But afterwards they looked just like antlers that had been polished in brush, like the original owner did it. Color mattered a lot less at that point.

BTW- I doubt the fact that it was beef bone mattered at all. He just stole an old soup bone from his dog, and kept on using that over the years. I bet another antler would work just as well.

 

[hoochiepapa]

THis rack hung in a tree for a long time, and was bleached pretty bad. I used some Watco walnut stain and a little black acrylic paint down around the bases. I would paint on the acrylic, and wipe it off quickly so that it just got in the small areas.
Critters chewed off the tips a little.
Then to polish the tips I just used a piece of wood and acted like a buck rubbing.

 

[pronghorn]

I took Buford's advise and soaked it in coffee the past 24 hours. Turned out awesome!! I recommend Starbucks French Roast.

There has been a lot of other good tips here as well, that I plan on trying later.

Thanks guys, for all the help!

 

[omarick1948]

MB, Now take some #0000steel wool and buff the heck out of that rack and it would look fresh off the deer!

Rick

 

[hoochiepapa]

I'll give it a try! It's time to take down all my trophies and dust them anyway.. at least according to the BOSS. :shocked2:

 

[john krebs]

:thumbsup: Pronghorn,your lucky day.I have a clipping i saved for years from an outdoor magazine on exactly the problem your having.The response came fromTom Hardesty at Atcheson Taxidermy in Butte,Mont.Buy a tube of 'burnt umber" Grumbacher oil paint from an art supply store.Squeeze out a three-inch length of paint and mix it with six ounces of oil based thinner.Use rag to lightly wipe the thinned paint onto the antlers.Then wipe off.Repeat this process,allowing the paint to dry overnight between applications,until you have the color you want.Allow the antlers to dry overnight a final time and then spray with clear acrylic.For a natural look remember to leave the tips of the tines stark white on deer or elk racks.Hope this helps you