# whats the best way to get bleached antlers back to looking natural



## jrmsoccer32 (Feb 22, 2007)

I'm very interested in this it almost seems like it would be very tough to do


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## Greg Krause (Feb 22, 2006)

You can use wood stain on a rag. Just use a little bit and rub it in, you can add coats if you want to go darker


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## mdmountainman (Sep 8, 2008)

I have heard of using pine tar. Baseball players use it on their bats. I haven't tried it but it makes sense and looks "right" on the baseball bats.


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## Cwilder (Jun 4, 2006)

Potassium permanagnate (KMn04) We actually use it in water treatment for the removal of Manganese..... you can get a real good natural color stain from this chemicial I know when I get it on my hands it turns it nice and brown


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## WHITETAIL1000 (Apr 15, 2008)

how about brown shoe polish.


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## Alandale Archer (Apr 8, 2008)

Taken from the book "Taxidermy Step by Step"

Formula #10: antler stain Use to restore a natural color to bleached, or faded antlers.

Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of potassium permanganate crystals in 1/2 cup of warm water. Apply this to the antlers with a brush or wad of cloth until the desired color is attained. This liquid is a deep purple color but dries to a rich brown, closely simulating the natural color of antlers.

Formula #11: antler brighter Use to brighten and improve the appearance of antlers that are dull and lifeless-looking.

Mix 3 parts of turpentine and 1 part of linseed oil. Apply this to the antlers with a brush or cloth and rub off with a dry cloth.


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## moosetrack (Aug 13, 2005)

Alandale Archer said:


> Taken from the book "Taxidermy Step by Step"
> 
> Formula #10: antler stain Use to restore a natural color to bleached, or faded antlers.
> 
> ...


thank you all,now where can i get the potassium permanganate crystals?


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## Alandale Archer (Apr 8, 2008)

I just looked on the web, www.sciencecompany.com


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## crambone34 (Dec 27, 2008)

believe it or not taking a torch,,like a hand held propane torch and lightly going over the rack will darken it up some and give it charicter back


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## IChim2 (Aug 20, 2006)

Kiwi brand..can shoe polish...Brown.I've used this many time's to bring back the color of antlers.Put it on and let it dry for an hour than wipe off and buff.Repeat till desired color is achieved.


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## dman95 (Feb 15, 2007)

u can use old english wood stain to put the coler back in them light coats till u get the disired coler it will come out dull but the right coler then use a fish sealer (i get mine from the local taxidermist) and go over it to put the shine back into it


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## hunter41606 (Jan 13, 2008)

my neighbor does stuff like this, he tans hides and stuff. And if i remember right he uses shoe polish


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## trebor69 (Jul 31, 2005)

moosetrack said:


> thank you all,now where can i get the potassium permanganate crystals?


Potassium Permanganate is a common remedy/med in fish keeping and you can find it at many aquarium/fish stores

try any local stores theyre likely to have it

online you can visit
thatfishplace
drsfostersmith
JEHMCO <------nice peeps


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## WiseGuy (Dec 15, 2004)

'Old English' dark. It's the ticket. Darker at the bases and fade to the tips. Wipe off the tops of little bumps at the base quickly to highlight them and make them look well worn.


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## Greg (Nov 17, 2002)

skipmaster1 said:


> You can use wood stain on a rag. Just use a little bit and rub it in, you can add coats if you want to go darker


+1 (minwax)


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## pabuckslayer08 (Nov 19, 2008)

Different shades of wood stain work for me. Depending on how dark you want them to be you can use a differnent shade or put different amounts of coats on.


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## 5MilesBack (Feb 28, 2007)

How long does it take for antlers to lose their color? I have sets from almost 30 years ago that still look the same as when I killed them.


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## Buckblood (Jun 12, 2006)

Go to taxidermy.net, and ask a professional. Or do a search there. You'll get a good answer that will work.


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## twisted1600 (Feb 23, 2007)

I did a drop last year and it turned out way too dark.
It is a nice four point drop of my grandfathers that he had in the shed for 30 years, it had very little cracking.
I used a medium walnut stain,the stain was too dark for how dry it was.
It needed a sealer of some sort first.
View attachment 503556


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## elkkat (Jan 4, 2007)

moosetrack said:


> how have you got your bleached antlers looking new again?any pics would be great too....


Spend a month rubbing them on trees!


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## DEERGUNNER (Mar 16, 2008)

*I've used plain ole Minwax wood stain*

on weathered antlers to bring back natural color. Depending on how porous the antlers are will determine how dark of a stain you need. I always start with a really light stain. If the antlers are really weather-checked, I use Johnson's paste wax to bring back natural sheen. Here is a pic of a set of antlers that were outside on a barn for a year before I got them. They had cracking and were very pale. A little wood stain and several coats of paste wax and here they are.


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## coilguy (Oct 3, 2012)

Ffr
cg


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## Patchus (Jun 16, 2021)

Cwilder said:


> Potassium permanagnate (KMn04) We actually use it in water treatment for the removal of Manganese..... you can get a real good natural color stain from this chemicial I know when I get it on my hands it turns it nice and brown


How do u apply it to the antlers?


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## 25ft-up (Mar 14, 2010)

twisted1600 said:


> I did a drop last year and it turned out way too dark.
> It is a nice four point drop of my grandfathers that he had in the shed for 30 years, it had very little cracking.
> I used a medium walnut stain,the stain was too dark for how dry it was.
> It needed a sealer of some sort first.
> View attachment 503556


Walnut is as about as dark a brown stain as you can get next to dark walnut. Applying a sealer first will just stop the stain from soaking in, not lighten the color. American chestnut stain would be a better choice of color. If you want to remove what you did, try using nail polish remover. That's about the same as using an epoxy solvent. Using a power washer may also work. It took smoke stains off the antlers after I boiled the head over a fire.


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## Kip Ekker (5 mo ago)

Buckblood said:


> Go to taxidermy.net, and ask a professional. Or do a search there. You'll get a good answer that will work.


Thank you makes perfect sense


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## grander (Mar 19, 2009)

I've got some on the side of a pole barn that I stained over 8 years ago and they still look good.


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