Have done a few deer european mounts the past couple of years using the boiling method (leaving antlers outside the water) but have always had some discoloration/darkening of the antlers due to the rising heat/steam.

This year, based upon something I read I tried wrapping the bases with aluminum foil.

Once finished, still had darker bases that lightened a little as the antler goes up.

Is there anything I can do to get the antlers to lighten up back to a more natural appearance?

Thanks!

Dally1up,

I just did a european mount two nights ago for my son's eight pointer... I used a plastic wal-mart bag and duck taped it tightly around the base of the antlers and then up around the rest of the antlers.The antlers look to be just as they were prior to the boiling...