I have an old set of horns, that have been in the garage for 4-5 years. The boy now wants to mount them up on a skull cap for himself,they are in good shape but they look like the color has washed out a little bit. I just wanted to know if there is anything I can do to restore the color and maybe seal them, before mounting them up. Thanx in advance for any helpful hints.
I have used Varathane (or Minwax) wood stain in a Dark Walnut to put color back in. After they are dry put on a light coat of Linseed Oil or WD-40 with a cloth.
I have used Varathane (or Minwax) wood stain in a Dark Walnut to put color back in. After they are dry put on a light coat of Linseed Oil or WD-40 with a cloth.
Good luck.
X2..works very well...I didn't oil or WD though and they are just fine
I use very light washes of oil based paints (primarily dark brown tones but can use some reddy browns around the bases to give the impression of some willow rubbing...just go easy on the reddy brown colors.) greatly diluted with paint thinner. This allows the oil paint to dry very fast and it also allows you to add many coats to get the colors the way that you want. I did up a set of elk antlers this way and will be mounting them shortly. The end product looked like he had just finished polishing up his antlers in the pitch of a pine forest. The second step is to take some steel wool to "polish" the antler tips and then rub gently on some of the ridges on the antlers that would naturally have very little color which will really give your antlers the character that you are looking for. Typically the colors at the base of the antlers are darker and gradually lighten as you move closer to the tips of the antler tines. The last step is using a product called "Fish Sealer" that seals the paint without giving the antlers an unnatural shine. This process will really make a set of bleached out sheds come to life...it does take some time but you can add and delete colors as you go to get the desired effect......Hope this helps........Marco
Try wood oils, as already mentioned. Many colors to choose, light oak for the prairie look, dark for a deep woods buck. You can sand the tips with 400 grit paper to bring out the ivory look. For my own personal taste, no finishing coat of linseed oil or clearcoats. I don't like the look when you can tell they are coated with something, keep it natural.
You will be replicating how antlers get their color in the first place, from the oils of the the wood they rub their antlers on.
Thanks guys. A friend of mine found the rack a couple of years ago, so last summer I liberated them from his yard and refinished them for his birthday.
Restoring old deer horns
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