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I was wondering if anyone has a preference in how they restore antlers to their former glory… I find shed antlers (or better yet, my brother finds them because he is a farm hand) that have been bleached by the sun. I also have a few sawed off skull plates of my dad’s and mine that have also faded over time that I would love to restore to their natural beauty. I feel like this is a common thing most hunters deal with. Is there any tried and proven methods out there that work and don’t damage the antlers?
UPDATE:
I seem to have found a method that works. I saw on Pinterest that I could make a mixture that consisted of one tablespoon of coffee grounds and a teabag and let it soak for about 15 minutes and use that. Tried it and it made the antlers look a light yellow-red color like they would if a buck had been scraping an oak tree maybe. So, to darken them further, I added a few drops of wood stain to the mix. I used some walnut stain I had from a previous project, but cedar or oak would probably look better. I also placed a few drops on a piece of paper beside the mixture so I could control how dark I wanted it to be before applying to the antlers. It worked surprisingly well. the 6 point I was trying to darken did not have very dark antlers to begin with, so I was very satisfied with the result. However, if you want to make your antlers darker, don’t use as much water as I did. Also, keep an eye on the effects of the stain. Diluted with water, it didn’t really darken as quick as it does on wood. However, if you’re going to use less water, then I would recommend treating it just like you would if you were staining wood.
Pictures of finished product below! The after picture doesn’t do it justice.
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