Im sure antlers shouldnt be that colour!
- Thread starter Tengu
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The bad thing is that sometimes they crack at the bottom on the crowns when there old or have been exposed to the elements. I like to scrubbed some old antlers from Petworth park down with a nail brush and soap in the sink, then oiled them a bit. They came up nicely and the cracks hadnt gone all the way down.
Antlers naturally bleach out to gray/white as the age and are exposed to the sun/weather. That tan/brown only stays with them if you keep them out of the elements (mostly sun). And the natural "oils" in the antler also dry out. Neatsfoot oil helps restore some of that. (also other animal fats/oils)
Scrub and wash them. That will get any surface gunk off. If you then want some of that "natural" tan/brown color, brush them down with a solution of potassium permangnate. It will turn organic matter to different shades of tan/brown. It looks like purple when you put it on, but dries tan/brown. But it will also stain your hands or wood tables/counters if you get some on them.
Yes, interesting things show up at those flea markets, garage sales, and "tailgate" sales.
Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands
Scrub and wash them. That will get any surface gunk off. If you then want some of that "natural" tan/brown color, brush them down with a solution of potassium permangnate. It will turn organic matter to different shades of tan/brown. It looks like purple when you put it on, but dries tan/brown. But it will also stain your hands or wood tables/counters if you get some on them.
Yes, interesting things show up at those flea markets, garage sales, and "tailgate" sales.
Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands
nice find Tengu , I am after a nice pair myself want to make a hat hanger
And you don't need large antlers for that hat rack - altho a big set is kind of showy.
I picked up two "hat racks" at an old farm auction. They cronicle one of the kid's deer hunting sucess somewhere back in the 1940's and 1950's. One antler from each deer was screwed onto a 2 foot long board. Just one antler from each "kill". A long wood-screw passed through the board from the back, and into the end of each antler. There are 4 on each board, and those boards are just long enough to fit over a door or window frame.
Nobody at the farm auction wanted them because most are from spike or small bucks, and not matched pairs. But I have them up above two doors in my kitchen, and with hats hanging on them as intended.
I've also made a few similar ones using old wainscoating boards. One does have a small matched pair of antlers in the middle with single tines on both sides, but most were made with single un-matched tines. The friends who I gave them to really like them. It's a simple "hunting" item from those early days of the 1900's.
Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands
i have an old antler hanging in my garden it is over 15years old and green now, no real plans for it just like the look of it.
Sorry to take this off tack slightly Tengu, but I just want to go back on what Mike said a while back. Potassium permanganate to darken bone? How long does it take to go brown? How strong a solution? How long a soak? I've got some bone buttons coming to me, from the photos they look as if they will be pristine white and I'd rather they were aged. Obviously, I'm gonna have to fake that ageing process and was thinking of strong tea or coffee, but I'll always take good advice over a good idea!
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