got a bunch of antlers that have bee on the roof of the wood shed for years. They are weathered and moldy, grayed out and cracked some. I realize they cant be made new but would like to breathe some new life in them to mount and display in the new deer camp. Any solution to soak them in?

I dont have an answer, but am tagging this post to see what a good answer is! Good luck with the project!

shoe polish will help.

Ed

I'm not sure what best fills in the cracks, but I've "browned" a few horns with whatever they rub on, around here it's usually cedar.

I spray the horn with aerosol contact cement, let it get tacky and rub the horn with short pieces.

I'm not sure what best fills in the cracks, but I've "browned" a few horns with whatever they rub on, around here it's usually cedar.

I spray the horn with aerosol contact cement, let it get tacky and rub the horn with short pieces.

Taxidermists have a paste for filling cracks.

Taxidermy supply houses have materials both for filling the cracks and for restoring color.

Tag this one as well. Have a dead buck on my property that was found in my pond and drug to shore to rot. Guessing the antlers are bleached out if the squirrels haven't gotten them

I read several years ago that potassium permanganate would darken antlers nicely. I never had the need to do it, but I kept the info fresh in my brain, just in case I needed it.

Anyway, you might give it a try.

By the way, potassium permanganate is incredibly useful in the bush. use it for infections, steriiizing water and (especially) starting a fire ... just a little added to a few drops glycerine (brake fluid or antifreeze works) and you have an incredible reaction that starts a fire when other methods are not possible.

Anyway, I always carry some potassium permanganate and fluid in my pack.

I bought my last supply from Lowes, but Amazon carries it as well.

kd

PS. Below is a video on using potassium permanganate for starting a fire. Be prepared to say "Well, I'll be damned!!!"

I Googled "darken deer antlers" and came up with a source on Taxidermy Net" and several other sources Indeed, potassium permanganate IS the preferred agent for darkening antlers.

kd

http://www.taxidermy.net/forums/BeginnersArticles/03/c/03BF3D31EF.html

They have moss and mold on them now, i guess bleach water and a brush, then let dry and try the PP?

I've rubbed some minwax pecan satin poly-stain on a set that i let get sun bleached. They looked pretty damn awesome to me. Still do.

I have restored color on a few bleached out racks by using a wood stain. Wipe on with a cloth until I get the darkness desired and when dry wipe on a coat of boiled linseed oil. Sometimes I do a second coat.

Here is an example. I tacked this Mule deer rack on an overhead pole of a gate entrance and after a few years I redid the fence and gate system without an overhead pole.

Walnut stain and boiled linseed oil.

I hear you wax off all the time

Wayne, that looks pretty-danged-nice!

Thanks. The cleanup and placement of the horns in the cabin is a show of respect for the old buck from which they came.

Put them in the dishwasher on the top rack and run a pots and pans cycle.
When done pretty them cool to room temp.
Use min wax brand wood putty to fill the cracks. A chopstick split long ways works best. Let the fill dry for a couple days then spray the horns with cheap furniture polish and tie them up tight in a black trash bag.
After a few days remove them and run down with a rag. Off you want them darker user a light coat of liquid darkening furniture polish.

This starts off a bit off topic, but it comes together. I have a new European mount with antlers that smell like crap. This may be due to the deer feeding regularly in a field that is used by cattle - I suspect he may have bedded with his antlers in manure. I already washed them down with oil soap, the odor is reduced, but still definitely there.

SO, what to do? Any ideas how to get rid of the smell? Maybe peroxide?

Anyhow, I suspect the "cure" may result in decolorized antlers, and need wood stain or such down the line.

Try the dishwasher.

I have used a combination of walnut stain and brown/black shoe polish and they came out very natural looking. In fact I had a local taxidermist ask me do some of his bleached out racks. Pretty quick and easy. Tom

Try Briwax....google it up. It's a waxy/paste like stain. Know a number of folks who use this that are in the restoration business w/antler products and it works like magic! Comes in several colors. I use dark oak and it matches perfectly.

Super easy to put on, and you rub off excess.....look like they just been shed.

You can thank me later

I was given a bleached antler chandelier and restored the color using spray can Minwax. Finished out nice.

+1 on the Briwax. Works like a charm.

I use Borax to clean and de-oder. Should work in the dishwasher too but haven't tried it. Kills mildew and algae too.

If stained or bloody washing soda will take it out but may make them whiter. Use both for European mounts to help keep the skull from yellowing.

Potasium Permangnate does a nice job and you control the tone by using several diluted applications then use a Scotch bright pad to take it off the points or areas you want lighter.

Iodine will work but is yellower, good for knife handles.

The wax stains should work well over the PP for more color. Or shoe polish. Wood stains are better for the putty or plastic wood filled areas.

Haven't found anything ideal to put over the antlers. Really thinned down Tung oil is the best so far. Do this before waxing.

I realize that this thread has been dead a long time but will share anyway. Used coffee grounds are available in most homes but if you're without ask a neighbor. Anyway, take
the damp used coffee grounds and rub the antlers starting at the bases and work your way out. Do not disturb until the other antler has had the grounds rubbed on. You can usually go back k to the first antler and wipe it off with a clean cotton cloth. It is not necessary to use a lot of pressure to wipe them off; you want the "stain" to be darker in the crevices anyhow. You will probably need an old toothbrush to get the grounds out from the roughest part near the bases. If they come out too darkly then some fine steel wool can be used to lighten things up. If you want darker then simply apply another coat. When the antlers are completely dry you can use a matte finish aerosol sealer and make the old bucks memory come to life again. Take them to the camp or the office of wherever people can see them.(My wife calls our great room the "Robinson Wildlife Museum" so another rack doesn't bother her.) When someone notices them, or if you have to point them out, you get to tell the story of how you took that buck again!

Cool way to make them nicer looking

I wrote at length about this very subject 5 years ago.

http://ronkulas.proboards.com/thread/207/oh-bleached-antlers

[img]https://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=69644&d=1491496484[/img][img]https://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=69647&d=1491499751[/img]

Done the natural way with pine tar and sticks to rub the antlers with.

This rack was nailed to a horizontal pole above a corral entrance and beached out. Wiped on some Ace Hardware walnut stain. Easy-Peasey.

I've used minwax golden oak to stain the antlers then used their red mahogany stain with a q-tip to color the bases. A little rubbing and blending later, those antlers look very similar to the ones that the taxidermist took care of.

I've never done it, but while reading the thread I was thinking exactly the same thing.