I found a blacktail fork-horn shed last weekend, and decided since it was in
good shape, dry and bleached out by not eaten by critters, to do something with
it. I took pictures as I went along.
Step 1: soak for a couple days in a pail with water from my pool (for some
chlorine in it) to loosen up remaining brain/spinal cord and other stuff inside
that could only smell bad in the future. I found a piece of threaded 1/4-20 rod
worked great for dislodging and removing the stuff inside the brain cavity.
Pressure washed as much as I could get out, and also did the antler to remove
dirt- leaving them white.
Step 2: Using some plumbers epoxy stick (I love that stuff for a thousand
different projects and repairs) I pushed it inside the skull wherever 2 pieces
of the bone where loose and moving around. No picture, but when I was done it
was not visible from the outside, and the skull was much stronger mechanically.
Glued the teeth in using some fletching glue.
Step 3: Masking taped the horns at the bottom, wrapped the rest in aluminum
foil to keep paint off.
Step 4: Put on a heavy coat of BINS sealer/primer. Helps the paint stick and if
there is any meat left behind, seals it in so it does not ever smell.
Step 5: Painted the skull black. I really like this black paint, it goes on a
lot thicker than typical paint, dries to a satin finish, and gives the skull
almost an appearance that it was dipped in a plastic coating, smoother than it
was before.
Step 6: The antlers were white and I wanted darker/ natural. I tried some tung
oil, but it did not darken them, so I went to some wood stain. I used a light
maple stain, but they came out darker than I planned, but OK. When stained and
a solid color, they did not look natural. So I sprayed some of the black paint
on a paper towel, and then rubbed it into the antlers where I thought they'd
naturally have the black from rubbing against trees. No science to, I did a
little, looked at it, and did it again. Then I put a coat of tung oil, to give
them a little shine.
Here's the final product- it did not come out bad for an hour's work and using
up some cans of spray paint I had sitting on a shelf. I'm not sure what I'll do
it next- maybe make a plaque to display on a wall.
Hope it helps somebody else do it.
good shape, dry and bleached out by not eaten by critters, to do something with
it. I took pictures as I went along.
Step 1: soak for a couple days in a pail with water from my pool (for some
chlorine in it) to loosen up remaining brain/spinal cord and other stuff inside
that could only smell bad in the future. I found a piece of threaded 1/4-20 rod
worked great for dislodging and removing the stuff inside the brain cavity.
Pressure washed as much as I could get out, and also did the antler to remove
dirt- leaving them white.
Step 2: Using some plumbers epoxy stick (I love that stuff for a thousand
different projects and repairs) I pushed it inside the skull wherever 2 pieces
of the bone where loose and moving around. No picture, but when I was done it
was not visible from the outside, and the skull was much stronger mechanically.
Glued the teeth in using some fletching glue.
Step 3: Masking taped the horns at the bottom, wrapped the rest in aluminum
foil to keep paint off.
Step 4: Put on a heavy coat of BINS sealer/primer. Helps the paint stick and if
there is any meat left behind, seals it in so it does not ever smell.
Step 5: Painted the skull black. I really like this black paint, it goes on a
lot thicker than typical paint, dries to a satin finish, and gives the skull
almost an appearance that it was dipped in a plastic coating, smoother than it
was before.
Step 6: The antlers were white and I wanted darker/ natural. I tried some tung
oil, but it did not darken them, so I went to some wood stain. I used a light
maple stain, but they came out darker than I planned, but OK. When stained and
a solid color, they did not look natural. So I sprayed some of the black paint
on a paper towel, and then rubbed it into the antlers where I thought they'd
naturally have the black from rubbing against trees. No science to, I did a
little, looked at it, and did it again. Then I put a coat of tung oil, to give
them a little shine.
Here's the final product- it did not come out bad for an hour's work and using
up some cans of spray paint I had sitting on a shelf. I'm not sure what I'll do
it next- maybe make a plaque to display on a wall.
Hope it helps somebody else do it.
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