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Deer Antler

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after you finish work, still them in a container of tea leaves or coffee grounds and water. or black walnut hulls.
 
juicejaws hit the nail on the head. I have a set of antlers from a buck my dad killed that I hung in a tree to dry out. When I finally remembered them, they were bleached pretty bad. Some cordovan shoe polish, and you wouldn't know.
 
Mike Brines said:
juicejaws hit the nail on the head. I have a set of antlers from a buck my dad killed that I hung in a tree to dry out. When I finally remembered them, they were bleached pretty bad. Some cordovan shoe polish, and you wouldn't know.

I try to avoid the bleached ones. But, Neatsfoot oil will usually restore them to a more natural color. Beyond that, just use the item and they will age naturally. I have never tried artificial colorants.
 
Whitetail around here have a natural ivory color, however I had some caribou that looked more a dark mottled brown, sort of like a light tortoise shell. I had some blacktail antlers and they were a more gray shade than the Whitetail. However I suppose minerals available to the animal probably affect the color.
 
The natural color of antler's is White. They quickly take on stains from the earth and the organic matter that they rub on.

Maybe restoring the color just requires exposure to more of the same?
 
Potassium Pamangranate works well, leather dye also works but I have had the dye leave it a green color. No problems at all with the pp.
 
marmotslayer said:
The natural color of antler's is White. They quickly take on stains from the earth and the organic matter that they rub on.

Maybe restoring the color just requires exposure to more of the same?

You are correct. Antler, as we see it, has an outer patina that we associate with natural color. I have a set from a road kill during rut season that is rubbed white on the bottoms but with brownish patina on top. I personally prefer the tannis color. But, I have turned items using the white and they look fine.
 
If a person has a compost pile, you could probably color them up real natural by burying in it for a few days.
 
lonehunter said:
Potassium Pamangranate works well,

+1 :thumbsup: On some surfaces I find it wants to "bead up" but a little rubbing and it "sticks" and colors nicely. For those unfamiliar, it starts out purple, but browns as it dries.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_permanganate

"Potassium permanganate is one of the principal chemicals used in the film and television industries to "age" props and set dressings. Its ready conversion to brown MnO2 create "hundred-year-old" or "ancient" looks on Hessian cloth, ropes, timber, and glass."
 
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Antler around here hasn't been white unless bleached that way. Naturally when worked, it is an ivory color under neath. And there is no way anyone would call caribou white under the surface. It has a distinct mottled tan and amber color.
 
I had an old set of antlers I just used minwax walnut stain and brought them back to life real nice and natural looking....
 
Stophel said:
what color are existing 150-250 year old antler items anyway?

It depends - where and what type of critter is it from i.e. Euro Stag, American Whitetail, etc.
These types of antler will generally be naturally aged to an amber - light to dark. How the finished item was used will also effect the color.
Sambar Stag, which was imported to Europe from India starting in the 1600's was colored due to it being soaked in Potassium Permanganate in order to kill and prevent bug infestations. It was prized as a knife and sword handle due to it's almost total lack of center pith unlike most other antler tips. The English in particular used a large quantity of Sambar during the 18th and 19th Centuries.
 
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