Antler restoration

adamsoa · May 9, 2013

I have an elk rack from last fall that's sat in my trailer. I thought it was covered?no such luck. I want to euro mount it. The antlers have bleached out quite a bit and I want to restore them. Looking on the internet there are a ton of different ways to go about it. Does anyone have a favorite way that they're willing to share?

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cosmic_cowboy · May 10, 2013

Adamsoa There was a thread on this last year in the shed forum.I think the title was re furbished shed or something like that.One guy said to just use black mud from the backyard I tried this and it worked pretty well.You can do a search and find the thread.

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adamsoa · May 10, 2013

Thanks

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BrowningRage · May 10, 2013

Hey Adam... Here's some product I've used on a bunch of deer and moose antlers even... WAM (Wild Antler Magic)

http://www.muleymadness.com/store/wild-antler-magic-wam/

It's a nice concoction of different soils and barks and such. I imagine you could try using your own dirt and such, but that's up to you. Basically, get the dirt/bark/soil wet, smeer it on your antlers and let it soak in til its dry. the color from the dirt and such will set in a bit... You brush off all the dry stuff with like a wire brush or something, then spray on a coat of natural stain, or clear stain, or you can use other colors if you want to... In the end, it will look pretty freakin sweet... I'll see about postin pics of a dead head I used the WAM on a couple years ago... Ended up mountin the rack it looks so dang good...

"Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!" 2 Ne. 28: 24

randyh1221gj · May 10, 2013

About 10 years ago, my wife restored a bleached set I inherited from a family member that had been left outside for several years but were still solid and heavy. She talked to a local taxi for advice. He told us to paint the antlers with bone white paint to start with. Then applied the brown (burnt umber)paint with a rag. She also left the tips mostly white. We think it came out looking pretty good.

nontypical · May 11, 2013

Another endorsement for the WAM.I use this product regularly and it consistently yields great results.It also comes in 3 or 4 different colors.I used the reddish WAM on a set of elk sheds just the other day and they turned out awesome.

I prefer to use a different clear coat than the one they send with the kit,however.I use the Krylon Crystal Clear in the satin finish.

If you have other antlers lying around,do some experimenting until you figure out how to use the stuff(or any other method).I have used it both thick and runny.The runny makes it much easier to apply and rub off,and seems to work equally as well as making it thick does.It's a messy procedure,but works very well.