# Restoring bleached antler



## firie000 (Feb 17, 2014)

Hi All,

I have been given some badly bleached antler. After some experimenting to bring them back to life I finally got

what I thought were some good results.

I first bleached them to remove some green mouldy stuff and other stains, applied a light walnut stain and then

coated the lot with clear rust guard.

You can see a restored antler next to the bleached sample in the first pic. On the third pic I left the crown polished. It came up a treat

Please see the results below.

Cheers

PS the fallow dear rack cost me a carton of beer (about A$40). Dead cheap!!!


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## MJC4 (Mar 6, 2014)

Looks great Mick. I am partial to the stick in the center pic.

I have given permission to a young man to hunt deer. I know we have at least two bucks running around our woods they are destroying the ornamental pines we planted by their rubbing. I'm hoping to get some antler for stick making and some venison summer sausage if he is successful!


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

nice job . is that polished buffalo horn on the antler as well.

Like the contrasting colour of it


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## firie000 (Feb 17, 2014)

Yes polished horn. From web research best results are finer and finer sandpaper then steel wool. I then spray with clear rust guard. It gets a mirror finish.

MJC4: the middle stick has been labelled Thoth's Stick! We think it looks like an ibis.

Attached are some (I hope) better quality pics.


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## firie000 (Feb 17, 2014)

Forgot to mention:

Shanks are She Oak from my little plantation out Mudgee way.

The comparison picture in my last post shows the antler restored with diluted ink - not as good a result as the final pic which

is the bleached antler in the comparison photo done with light walnut stain and still to be sprayed with clear rust guard.


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## yaxley (Sep 4, 2014)

Very nice rack! I have taken desert dried antler, sanded it, then applied a finish of tung oil to get it "popped" back into life. I know a fellow who uses walnut stain on the antlers...never tried that.

Regardless, very nice job and finishing.

By the way, I also inlay hand knapped stone arrow heads (not Native American artifacts) on some of my antler topped sticks. Big hit with the western aficionados.


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## firie000 (Feb 17, 2014)

Yaxley,

I was at a Saturday market recently and a bloke was selling arrowheads for $A8. He said they are napped in India as a cottage industry!

I will experiment with the sanding and tongue oil. I assume it gives a smooth, brilliant white result??? Or does the tongue oil alter the colour?

During a recent trip to the UK I purchased a beautiful thumbstick stick in Stornoway (from a butchers's shop no less - one of the butchers makes them) which had an almost pure white antler topper. As I recall the chap said it was from a young dear but I'm not sure if I've remembered the story right. I will post a pic when I get home from work. perhaps someone can enlighten me.

cheers

mick


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## CV3 (Jan 30, 2014)

Well done Mick! You are doing some nice prodjects.


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## firie000 (Feb 17, 2014)

This is the stick I picked up in Stornoway. It is a most beautiful piece of work. I think the shank is hazel. Can anyone tell me

the breed of deer???

Aplogies for the sideways view It is portrait on my computer.

Cheers

Mick


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## yaxley (Sep 4, 2014)

> I will experiment with the sanding and tongue oil. I assume it gives a smooth, brilliant white result??? Or does the tongue oil alter the colour?


Tung oil will impart some yellowish color to the piece...slightly. The better hand knapped stone arrow heads around here are from Mexico and run about 11 cents a piece...., or .11 dollars a piece.


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

That is a very nice looking thumb stick ,some good art work on it .

Good to see some traditionla thumb sticks.


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