Thread: removing velvet off antlers?

Cool, will try the waterblaster. Do you soak the antlers in water overnight first to soften it up, or just get stuck into it?

kj

Originally Posted by kimjon

Cool, will try the waterblaster. Do you soak the antlers in water overnight first to soften it up, or just get stuck into it?

kj

You could try it. But otherwise get stuck in.

Originally Posted by kimjon

Its no record beater...but its the first time I've ever been hunting for them, so I consider myself lucky.



Huge thanks to DP who gave me the ''Rusa hunting 101'' lesson on how to find them.

kj

Great result KJ, nice rack mate......

Cheers R93 for the water blaster tip.

I boiled off the meat on the BBQ as per normal, then soaked the antlers in water overnight to re-hydrate the velvet as I'd left it a bit too long and it had become like leather. It took a lot of work with the water blaster to remove the velvet, but I got there in the end and can only imagine just how hard the job would have been if attempted any other way. Final touch was to use napisan to whiten the skull.


Result

kj

No worries KJ. We now both know, not to soak them before blasting. Do you think it would have worked better soaking them for less time or not at all?

Originally Posted by R93

No worries KJ. We now both know, not to soak them before blasting. Do you think it would have worked better soaking them for less time or not at all?

Opps, that's my poor grammar. Yes, I recommend that you do soak the antlers, as I doubt that the velvet would have come this set of antlers when it was dry and leather like. The soaking really did soften it up and make it better.

Better still would be to do it straight away the same day as shot, and then you could skip this step - but that isn't always an option.

kj

If you want to stain them back to a darker colour, buy some pertassium permagnate off trademe and mix a teaspoon in a cup of water. Turn antlers upside down an apply a coat with a paint brush. It will start out purple but dry brown when dry. Keep adding coats untill colour is achieved. Sand the tips white. Keep mixture off the skull and wear gloves. Goodluck.
Add some boiled linseed mixed with turps to add shine
Great trophy

Originally Posted by Larrakin

If you want to stain them back to a darker colour, buy some pertassium permagnate off trademe and mix a teaspoon in a cup of water. Turn antlers upside down an apply a coat with a paint brush. It will start out purple but dry brown when dry. Keep adding coats untill colour is achieved. Sand the tips white. Keep mixture off the skull and wear gloves. Goodluck.
Add some boiled linseed mixed with turps to add shine
Great trophy

Cool, thanks for that.

kj