I was very luck to come across a pile of "dead heads" and antlers at a garage sale. They came from Pennsylvania where the owner had lived. "Dead Heads" refers to weathered skulls and also portions of the skull.
After cleaning the skulls, I tried the whitening technique recommended by Mounts Unlimited Taxidermy LLC. The technique did remove some of the weathering patterns on the skulls, but now I wanted to darken the antlers on two sculptural pieces.
The first test to darken the antlers was to heat up instant coffee and mix as a thick, soupy consistence.
I brushed the coffee onto the antlers and then toweled it off. After reading more information, the antlers on a buck may be darker at the base and lighter towards the tips, so I left the coffee on longer at the base.
I decided to see what would happen if I stained the skull and sacrum on this project piece. I really love the brown patina. Yes for instant coffee!
The second experiment to try was staining the antlers. I had some old, natural floor stain in the garage, so I brushed that on a second dead head project piece.
The reason I was a hesitant to use stain was the sanding to remove the thicker layers. I was not sure how it would look or if it would work. Again, I brushed on the stain, wiped it off, and then used some sand paper to try to create some texture as if the buck was rubbing on a tree. This is another example where I stained all the bones in the art piece to match.
Because these two skull and antler "dead heads" are part of my sculptural art pieces, it was worth experimenting and testing different products that I had on hand. It created alternative colors for variety, and it has challenged me to design them with complimentary colors (forest finds, crystals, dried flowers, etc.)
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Antler Colors
Information & Photos shared by Kerwin Schetter, Mounts Unlimited Taxidermy, LLC
"Deer in velvet have blood running throughout the antler feeding growth. When the blood stops flowing at the end of the growth cycle, the velvet dries up and the buck rubs his head/antlers on trees and brush to remove the dried velvet. During the rubbing, removing of the velvet by the deer, the antlers get stained/colored from the dirt, sap, bark, vegetation, etc. that's how the antlers get their brown coloration.
While the velvet is still attached to the antler, the antler is white. It has not yet been rubbed against trees and vegetation to get stained."
Photo: Buck with Velvet
Photo: Velvet Removed with White Antlers
Photo: Buck with Natural Brown Color
Photo: Euro Mount with Antler Color Enhanced and Sealed by Mounts Unlimited Taxidermy, LLC.
