Antler Project

[Smokin' Joe]

I'm starting an antler darkening project. I found this buck skeleton in the Big Horn mountains in Wyoming quite a few years ago.  They were sun dried and bleached out.  I decided to put some color back into the antlers.  I'm using Marty's secret "Acorn" formula..... aged 4 years.  I applied the first coat to one side using a cotton ball and a small children's water color brush:

 

[Muley Hunter]

Looks good.

 

[patocazador]

If you let it puddle for awhile on the base area with all the ridges before wiping it off, will it give those dark brown streaks that antlers have?

 

[Smokin' Joe]

Yes, I wasn't sure how I was going to do that.  Here is an attempt an another set of antlers.  These were never bleached out.  I used one coat of Marty's secret formula over the entire antler and then rubbed some Meltonian Boot and Shoe Cream Polish on them to achieve detail:

</a>

<a href="https://s1049.photobucket.com/user/trkytracks/media/Proj%20whitetail%20-1_zpsscnw9rf7.jpg.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">

 

[patocazador]

Those look 'Mahvelous'! as Fernando Lamas used to say.

 

[Smokin' Joe]

Well....I think I'm as far as want to go.  Here are some before and after shots on the mule deer rack.  Thanks to Marty for his help providing me a bottle of his Acorn formula.  With some Boot  & shoe cream polish I don't think they turned out too bad for my first attempt at bringing antlers back to life.

</a>
[url=https://s1049.photobucket.com/user/trkytracks/media/Proj%20Day%203b_zpszzzffemm.jpg.html] https://s1049.photobucket.com/user/trkytracks/media/Project - 1_zpska0klpr1.jpg.html
<a href="https://s1049.photobucket.com/user/trkytracks/media/Proj%20day%203_zpsh47jdmbk.jpg.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">

[/url]

 

[Dead-Eye-Jim]

they look great. I did a European mount for a friend and the whole base fell apart. So I had to redo all the small nubs and then try to match it. I used regular old wood stain and it turned out fine too.

 

[exMember]

They do look great!

 

[Whokalouie]

Lookin' good, nice job Joe.

John

 

[Sharpsman]

I like these horns...the way they are!

Untitled by Rick Mulhern, on Flickr

 

[Smokin' Joe]

No fixin' needed there!