Antler Staining

[Zackary11keeme]

Had to make room in a freezer so I boiled this Javelina and coues I shot last September. I had read that some people had luck with leaving velvet in a freezer for 6-12 months and that essentially would freeze dry the velvet. Didn’t work for me so I had to strip it and of course it was just bone white. I had tried staining antlers before with just wood stain but I wasn’t satisfied with the results. Tried to do something a little different with this to get a more natural look and am pretty happy with it. I first put on some mud then used motor oil then some darker stain. 

[Flatlander]

Looks really good

[briant_az]

Did the motor oil dry, or is it a little sticky to the touch?

 

[triton]

Looks great.  Take some fine steel wool and gently rub it over the high points and ridges, Make sure you go very light, and do it lightly til you get desired look.   That will lighten the high spots and make them more natural.  Use your other antlers as a reference.  Then a quick, very fine mist from a distance of Krylon Clear matte spray paint.  That will lock in the color of the minwax stain which is oil based.

[Sobrbiker]

That looks pretty danged good!

I’ve got a set being euro’d in velvet right now, and hopefully won’t have to do this but if the outcome is less than optimal I’m exploring my options-thanks for sharing!

[Zackary11keeme]

On 9/11/2020 at 8:49 AM, briant_az said:

Did the motor oil dry, or is it a little sticky to the touch?

 

It was a little sticky. I’m gonna let it sit for a few days more then wipe off and put a clear coat over.

[cpugsie]

Nice Job!

I've used Minwax Jacobean Stain and put some Johnson’s paste wax on the tips of the antlers so the stain wouldn't stick to the tips. This has worked nicely for me in the past. Sometimes you need a couple coats of the stain.

[tarshavela]

On 9/11/2020 at 8:29 AM, Zackary11keeme said:

Had to make room in a freezer so I boiled this Javelina and coues I shot last September. I had read that some people had luck with leaving velvet in a freezer for 6-12 months and that essentially would freeze dry the velvet. Didn’t work for me so I had to strip it and of course it was just bone white. I had tried staining antlers before with just wood stain but I wasn’t satisfied with the results. Tried to do something a little different with this to get a more natural look and am pretty happy with it. I first put on some mud then used motor oil then some darker stain.  8 ball pool

Looks good to me!

[FirstBlood]

………………………..Here are the ones I did this year ,never stained antlers but did get into my inner Bob Ross..

[Explorer]

My sons deer had just shed its velvet and the horns were pretty much white with a bit of blood.  I used thick thick paste out of coffee and soaked them for about 2 hours. Then buried them in the garden for a day. Steel wooled some spots might work on it more. I was not happy about the discoloration from  where the tag was on the horns but over all happy. I have ruined some nice antlers trying to stain them in the past.