Buck Hollow Sporting Goods - click or touch to visit their website Midwest Habitat Company

HELP - I screwed up

cjc77z4

Member
I have already posted this on another outddor site, but I thought that i would post here as well, so I apologize if you are reading this again.

So I decided to try to make a European mount myself with the buck that I killed last Novemeber with my bow. It was my first nice buck with a bow. Well.....I printed out directions from about.com and followed them. I wrapped plastic wrap around the antler bases up to about the middle of the curve on the main beam. I then soaked the skull in peroxide to whiten the skull. Well last night I pulled the thing out and unwrapped the antlers and the damn peroxide bleached the antlers. It turned them yellow and there is a definite line where the bleaching stops.

Does anyone know what I could do to try to fix this problem. I have thought about using stain, paint, coffee, a tree, mud. Hell, I am lost. My taxidermist, who has won national awards, doesn't fix antlers, nor does he paint them, but he said over the phone last night that I am probably screwed. He sends his off to what he called, "the best in the world" and he said it would cost me several hundres dollars. I can't spend that.
Does anyone have any ideas or have had this happen to them?
Here is what they look like now.


25161_1250727951478_1327867656_30625573_2467295_n.jpg



25161_1250727991479_1327867656_30625574_5291819_n.jpg


25161_1250728031480_1327867656_30625575_4041809_n.jpg
 
Last edited:
There are products sold in Taxidermist suppliers that are called antler stains. Contact a taxi supplier and ask for advice.
 
That sucks. I think that in your case, some min wax water based walnut will do the trick. No paint required. "Feather" the color line with 000 steel wool to help in blending to color over it. Re-color past where the color line was and blend in. do a light coat at a time and have a damp rag handy to wipe off any the you don't want. Wipe on. wipe off. Hit high areas after dry with steel wool to accent.
 
Last edited:
bleached

Yes you can stain them! GO to Michael's and get yourself some Folk Art Acrylic paint in the following colors;

White
Med Gray
Camel
Burnt Umber
Yellow Orchre

Then get a can of Krylon 1311

The paint is fairly cheap and with these colors you can mix to match just about every antler color in Iowa.

Corey
Trophies and Treasures Taxidermy
 
I know this isnt the answer on how to fix your skull...but next time you do a skull, just wrap the head with paper towels, or an old rag. Dump peroxide on that, and let it soak like that for about a week, and just make sure you always keep dumping some on there to keep it good and moist to get the best whitening
 
Next time look up Van Dykes taxidermy supply and get the whiteing powder you mix with peroxide to make a paste. You then paint the paste on with a paint brush and let set 24hrs and rinse off. I have done lots and lots with this method and never had an issue. Soaking in peroxide just sounds like bad news to me. No matter how you try its hard to keep plastic wrap or any thing water tight on antlers.
You should be able to fix it with no problems though it will just run you back a few bucks, but a learning experiance.
 
I know this isnt the answer on how to fix your skull...but next time you do a skull, just wrap the head with paper towels, or an old rag. Dump peroxide on that, and let it soak like that for about a week, and just make sure you always keep dumping some on there to keep it good and moist to get the best whitening
X2 to what flugge said. This is what I have done and it works great.
 
Where are you located? I know a guy who does antler repair and painting and is surprisingly reasonable for price. He repaired a G4 and painted it in to match for about $40 on my '08 buck and I can't tell where he did it unless I get a magnifying glass out.
 
Well most taxidermist's stain the antlers after the do a euro mount, it just makes it look better. You should just be fine just have it stained, I always get mine stained for an extra touch up.
 
Where are you located? I know a guy who does antler repair and painting and is surprisingly reasonable for price. He repaired a G4 and painted it in to match for about $40 on my '08 buck and I can't tell where he did it unless I get a magnifying glass out.


Fort Madison (southeast Iowa)
 
Top Bottom