bleaching antler

[lurker]

can i bleach antler as its very weathered or will it sand down to white as im a newbie any tips much appreciated ta

[eddie308]

you could try and bleach it the same way skulls are treated for trophy prep. wrap in cotton wool and bind with tissue paper pour on hydrogen peroxide, check after 24 hrs, repeat if needed.
i dont know if it will work, but everything ive read about trophy prep tells you to not get HP on the antlers.
a picture of the antler and a brief on what you wanna use it for might help with sugestions.
all the best

[MeetTheGeeks]

If its green its gone past it. If its fairly fresh and you want it pure white you can try the normal household bleach in warm water. Normally skulls are bleached in boiling water with a few drops of fairy liquid to remove grease and residual tissue and a good shot of bleach to whiten. The heat makes it workbetter. On antler you cant heat it so it needs a warm or cold bleach.

[jerbal]

I had some Red deer antler pieces given to me to make stick handles and they were really grotty but they cleaned up just with a wash in soapy water and rubbed down to look really nice.

[lurker]

thanks will try that first

I had some Red deer antler pieces given to me to make stick handles and they were really grotty but they cleaned up just with a wash in soapy water and rubbed down to look really nice.

[mikey2906]

when prepping a trohpy you would avoid getting bleach(peroxide) on the antler as the colouring is wanted.
i have some here which i will be using for knife handles/stick tops but i would prefer tp have a "patina" left on it so i will give it a nail brushing and dry it out.

[EPM]

I only boil skull if I want the teeth to fall out...