Restoring color to Antlers

[Point Creep]

Oh so when you say degreasing you don't mean the coloring you just did to the antlers but the skull.

I've been using oxyclean for that along with dawn and it seems to have worked really well. But I'll have to compare an old one to a recent one to see how much yellowing I'm getting

I’ve used oxyclean but like TSP and bleach - it causes the bone to crumble. Long and slow and mild in the best way if you’re looking for something permanently good.

 

[Irrelevant]

I’ve used oxyclean but like TSP and bleach - it causes the bone to crumble. Long and slow and mild in the best way if you’re looking for something permanently good.

So you just do water+dawn for a very long time to get the skull white?

 

[Point Creep]

So you just do water+dawn for a very long time to get the skull white?

Yep- lots of soap and extra warm - for months. Acetone for months also is great.

 

[Irrelevant]

A dash of this and a pinch of that, whatever makes it apply easy. Dead serious about the sticks - I cut a branch off my alder or lilac bushes that have good green bark - maybe 3/4” diameter. Just wipe them off or brush them afterwards. The degreasing is the magic trick and I haven’t found a way that’s fast. They always look great at first - but if you skip degreasing some animals turn yellow eventually. I don’t degrease elk. Almost all bears will turn yellow if not degreased, it’s a 3-6 month process. Most people don’t give a shit.

Ok so I tried your method but after letting the dirt paste stay on for almost 2 weeks my green fir sticks rubbed too much off. It doesn't appear to have stained them or adhered to the antlers much at all.

I'm grinding my dirt finer and trying again with more pitch and oil. Does it ever come out like there antlers do, where it's truly dry and adhered? Or do you always have to be careful not to touch it?

While the paste is on there it looks great