Euro Gone Wrong. Need advice

[MTbowhunter36]

I got my euro back from the guy who does this as a side hustle. He said he had several skulls cooking on two burners, and my antlers were outside the pot and must have been over one of the burners.

As you can see, the left antler has turned white and flaky. Is there any way a guy can fix this?

Any input is greatly appreciated!

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[mattferg84]

Theres some videos on youtube about antler restoration. Here is one that I saw a few years back that should work.

 

[4cMuley]

Done that a couple times myself. Ugh. I’ve used wiping stain in small amounts at a time wiping off very quickly. Repeating as necessary to achieve the level of darkness I wanted to match. It’s not a perfect science but it worked for me (possible I got lucky)

 

[EdP]

If nothing else you try gets the result you want, you could try doing this:

How To Make Antler Reproductions Using Reverse Molding

In this how-to, Tony Breedlove uses a cavity pour technique that yields perfect antler castings every time.

www.smooth-on.com

 

[butcherboy]

A bag of topsoil. You can buy a bag pretty cheap at any Home Depot, Lowes, etc. mix it with some water to the consistency of a paste. Use a cloth or leather glove to rub it on. Let it dry and use a dry towel to brush the rest of the dried mud off. I used this method for deer antlers for many years in my taxi shop. When it’s done you can lightly spray it with a clear Matt sealer. That should never have happened to those antlers though.

Just watched the video above using coffee grounds. Exactly how I did it but I used topsoil instead. I was always recoloring deer antlers so it was more cost effective to have a big bag of topsoil around.

 

[MTbowhunter36]

Thank you for all the responses. I brewed a pot of coffee just to get the grounds and rubbed them over it, but it still needs some coloration. The outer layer of the antler is totally gone, and what's left is a white chalk type of antler. It's kind of like a three year old shed antler.

Perhaps when the weather gets better, I'll try the topsoil trick in my yard.

Yes, this shouldn't have happened! Very frustrated as he also boiled the heck out of the bull I took to him too (picture below), and it disintegrated the whole nose. He did great last year, but I don't know what happened this year.

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[JMundy84]

Oh man I'd be mad hopefully he didn't charge you

 

[MTPipeliner]

I’ve used potassium permanganate and linseed oil to restore antlers before. Mix the PP with water and paint it on- it goes on purple but turns the antler brown. Then I rub on a 50/50 mix of boiled linseed oil and turpentine- several coats until it doesn’t absorb it quickly. Use steel wool to help polish areas and make them a little lighter color.

 

[Maverick1]

Light sandpaper. Stain. Or what he said above.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

Butcher boy is right on the money. Done quite a few that way.

Looks like you better find another skull guy. Is he using bleach in the water or just boiling too long? Wow…

 

[Fordguy]

Thank you for all the responses. I brewed a pot of coffee just to get the grounds and rubbed them over it, but it still needs some coloration. The outer layer of the antler is totally gone, and what's left is a white chalk type of antler. It's kind of like a three year old shed antler.

Perhaps when the weather gets better, I'll try the topsoil trick in my yard.

Yes, this shouldn't have happened! Very frustrated as he also boiled the heck out of the bull I took to him too (picture below), and it disintegrated the whole nose. He did great last year, but I don't know what happened this year.

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I've over-boiled a white tail skull, but why the heck didn't he epoxy the nasal bones back into place on the elk? That's just lousy work from a lazy individual.

For the antlers, there are stainable epoxies that may fix your problem. You can add texture and color to match the existing original antler.

 

[realunlucky]

I’ve used potassium permanganate and linseed oil to restore antlers before. Mix the PP with water and paint it on- it goes on purple but turns the antler brown. Then I rub on a 50/50 mix of boiled linseed oil and turpentine- several coats until it doesn’t absorb it quickly. Use steel wool to help polish areas and make them a little lighter color.

@MTbowhunter36 I have some permanganate left from a project if you have trouble finding any

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[Larry Bartlett]

My taxidermy skull guy taught me to use acrylic paints that match the "good side" (dark brown, light brown, tan, sometimes dark red or black). The smallest amount goes a long way as you spread it on bone. Start with the lighter shades and then build darker layers by wiping a dab on and smoothing it out. It'll surprise ya how easy this is to fix. That same skull guy admitted what happened to your antlers happens pretty often with raging boils that bubble, froth and steam, and he said he's touched up more antlers than he can count and hunters rarely notice.

Share a pic with whatever method you try?

 

[Larry Bartlett]

be careful with that Potassium permagenate on projects with glycol or glycerin. chemical fires from PP burn hotter than a bunghole after ghost peppers.

Experiment: 1 tbsp of PP and add a few drops of antifreeze . In the field I use a glycerin suppository sprinkled with a tbsp of PP and add three drops of sugary spit. Like a road flare once the chemical response takes off.

 

[WCB]

Thank you for all the responses. I brewed a pot of coffee just to get the grounds and rubbed them over it, but it still needs some coloration. The outer layer of the antler is totally gone, and what's left is a white chalk type of antler. It's kind of like a three year old shed antler.

Perhaps when the weather gets better, I'll try the topsoil trick in my yard.

Yes, this shouldn't have happened! Very frustrated as he also boiled the heck out of the bull I took to him too (picture below), and it disintegrated the whole nose. He did great last year, but I don't know what happened this year.

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He probably got too many skulls in or tried to do too many at once. Also, guessing he doesn't use a power washer which cuts need to "boil" time down.....As far as your chalky horn issue. More than likely going to have to use epoxy sculpt or similar to "rebuild the outer layer of antler and texture it" then recolor it.