godogs57
Senior Member
I felt like sharing this during the offseason. Found a nice deadhead this past year while mule deer hunting. It was "in the white" from, I suppose, two or more years out in the timber. However, it was not "chalky" at this point and surprisingly, no critters ate on it; I had a good set of antlers. When found, It had a good bit of hair and mummified tissue on it, as you would expect. I've Euro'd a few animals here and there and was familiar with the process. I boiled the skull with laundry detergent for a few hours and then loaded it up in the pickup, heading to the local car wash. Once there, I pressure washed all the crud off (pressure washing is the way to go....makes a crappy task easy) and later treated the skull with peroxide to whiten it.
Then came the task of darkening the sun bleached white antlers. I use a product called Briwax from England. Just buy it on Ebay or Amazon. Some hardware stores carry it too. Its a beeswax based wood stain used in the antique industry. Many shades are available but "light brown" gives the most natural look. I daub it on with a bristle paint brush and wipe off with a towel after a minute or so, leaving the tips in the white of course. The Briwax dries/cures to a dull finish that looks entirely natural. I found out early on that the antler chandelier folks use this stuff religiously. I can see why!
I was pleased with the results and felt like sharing. For what it's worth, he scored 338 5/8". I suppose I'll keep him in my shop. I wouldn't want to display him in the house with my bulls.
Then came the task of darkening the sun bleached white antlers. I use a product called Briwax from England. Just buy it on Ebay or Amazon. Some hardware stores carry it too. Its a beeswax based wood stain used in the antique industry. Many shades are available but "light brown" gives the most natural look. I daub it on with a bristle paint brush and wipe off with a towel after a minute or so, leaving the tips in the white of course. The Briwax dries/cures to a dull finish that looks entirely natural. I found out early on that the antler chandelier folks use this stuff religiously. I can see why!
I was pleased with the results and felt like sharing. For what it's worth, he scored 338 5/8". I suppose I'll keep him in my shop. I wouldn't want to display him in the house with my bulls.
