The past few years I have started skull mounting all my archery kills (unless of course their real big) ! I have one that was bleached out by the sun badly .....so I decided to try staining it. I did a good job and it is close to a natural look......except it has a little shine to the stain. My taxidermist said he puts something into the stain to eliminate this shine.....but won't tell me what it is !!![&o]

Do any of you guys know what I could use to cut the shine ?? And do any of you guys know any other tips for staining deer antlers .....stain colors ...etc. ?? Any help would be appreciated !!

Wipe it down with a little lacquer thinner. That should reduce the shine. I like walnut stain, but it really depends on the color you want.

Taxidermy supply companys make a special antler stain. I've used it on bleached out antlers. A little goes a long ways. It sometimes goes on in a pinkish color, but as you rub it, it changes to that nice antler brown. It really works well. You can check out Research Mannikins or McKenzie Taxidermy supply to name a few companys.

Motor oil will work also. It will darken the antlers and not leave a shine on them. A taxadermist told me about this and it works well.

kinda off the subject does anyone know a good method to get the skull ultra white for a mount

I soak them in bleach.........then when they're dry and I'm ready to put them on a plaque.......I wrap the horns in plastic wrap and I paint the skull white with flat spray paint ! If I can.... I'll try to post a picture later in the week !!

And thanks for the tips guys !!!!!!

No bleach! In time, it will eat the bone away. If left too long, it will eat the bone away before you even pull the skull out. 40% peroxide works the fastest, but it's dangerous and a bit expensive. 3% will work, but it just takes a bit longer. Let it set for 4-5 days, and wrap soaked rags below the bases to prevent whitening them.

I probably should have elaborated more..........

I boil my heads down and scrape the meat off , as best I can ..........then I soak the skull in bleach for a hour or two and usually they are just about free of any meat and very clean/&white . I let them dry out for several days or more and then paint them and screw them to a plaque. I have some that are a few years old and look just like when I finished them. I had this one though ..........that I tried to leave out in the elements ...........man.....did it stink and was hard to clean..........and the horns got bleached out with sunlight very badly !! But I have it looking right..... now.....except for the little bit of shine !!

This was the deer in question.......I killed back in 2000 with a bow ! I used the Laquer thinner and it did help a good bit !! Thanks !!

T ROY here is another one I did last year !