How Do I Clean Deer Antlers I Found

We mentioned final calendar week we'd finally figured out what we wanted to do with the deer skull and antlers we plant and brought home from Thanksgiving at Mary's mother's subcontract terminal yr.

Nosotros decided we'd like to keep them in their natural form and wanted to wall mount them in a modest space in our living room that needed a little updating. In society to complete this project nosotros needed to first clean and whiten the skull, affix wiring to the dorsum of it, and then place and hang it on the wall.

Get-go nosotros cleaned and essentially bleached the skull to a stark white color. When we get-go establish information technology, it had debris, dirt, moss, and natural wear from sitting in a ravine for probably shut to a year and it had the beginnings of champ marks from mice and rabbits seeking minerals (which interestingly is why you do not often stumble across antlers just laying around in the woods).

The stop result was pretty crawly in that the skull itself is completely make clean and white while the antlers still deport their wear, age, and rustic nature:

Here'due south how nosotros went well-nigh cleaning and bleaching the skull - note this is but a process that works well for us and doesn't leave any odors throughout the firm:

1. Wrap base of operations of antlers or any surface area of the skull you do not want bleached with foil. We went with the base to get a clean bleached stop on the unabridged skull yet a natural age and rustic patina throughout the total antlers for a nice contrast.

2. Place base of skull in big pot over stove-acme and comprehend with equal parts hydrogen peroxide & water up to point where your foil begins. The peroxide acts as the bleaching component (notice the dark-green tint on the skull).

3. At this point, bring liquid to a full eddy and allow to boil for an hour and a half (yes, you heard me correct - this is a process just it's worth it). Add together more equal parts water & peroxide every bit the liquid mixture evaporates to make sure skull is ever covered.

4. Leave skull in humid liquid until you lot accomplish your desired bleached look. At this point, it's prophylactic to plow off oestrus and remove the skull (be careful - it'southward hot). Remove foil, rinse with cold water and wipe down to dry.

5. Allow sit down to dry completely and yous're finished! Repeat the boiling/bleaching process as necessary to reach your desired look.

After cleaning and drying, I threaded simple hanging wire through two perfect holes in the back base of operations of the skull where I wanted to have it hanging from on the wall and so the skull would exist flush confronting the wall with the antlers protruding outwards. I merely wire snipped the hanging wire, passed information technology through the holes, and twisted it several times to form a loop. Tip: brand sure to keep your wire loop curt plenty that information technology reaches just about halfway to the top of whatever your projection might be - this will ensure hiding the wire and wall bracket once hung (otherwise your project will hang as well low and you lot will see all of the hardware in a higher place).

To hang the skull on the wall, I tested where exactly I wanted it to hang and marked the space earlier hammering in a pocket-size but sturdy contumely hanging wall subclass. Once the bracket was securely in identify, I carefully hung the skull from the wire loop, adapted information technology to hang straight, and fabricated sure I was confident it wouldn't autumn or budge.

Mary and I are thrilled with the outcome. We love the white on white tones of the antlers on the wall and how such a simple addition could create such an instant update to this little slice of our living space.

Our only battle now volition be convincing Basil to stop barking and trying to spring up at the new wall decor. He'll stare up at it with a stalking gaze in his eye and I tin only call up he's got it in his head that one twenty-four hours he volition conquer this mounted deer skull. Thank goodness it's just out of his reach and he listens when we tell him to sit.

On a related note, shed antlers of all varieties really brand an incredible domestic dog chew toy. While shopping on Etsy for handmade domestic dog treats and toys afterwards we first brought Basil home, Mary came beyond the store, WSPuppyeyes, out of Illinois which specializes in selling antlers equally dog toys and the store owner has fostered over 100 dogs. She'd never heard of such a thing and was intrigued since we're e'er looking for durable, natural, and healthy dog toys for Basil. We learned deer antlers are substantially nature's chew toys - 100% natural and renewable with a good source of calcium and minerals, not toxic and they don't splinter like hollow weight bearing basic.

She ordered a couple and when they came I kind of laughed at her since I really had some antlers in the basement from hunting trips in my by. Once we gave Basil the antler, he took to it like no other toy we've given him - we literally swear by these now. I ended up finding one of those other antlers in the basement and he loves this one too - information technology's actually been one of the simply chew toys that has survived the full 9 months we've had him. In that location is no mess when Basil plays with his antlers and I think he is fatigued to the "wild" sense of taste and smell - which deep down makes me happy since I dream of taking him hunting one mean solar day.

Long side note short, we remember he is obsessed with our newly wall mounted deer skull since he already has a natural analogousness for wild deer antlers and was actually the one that commencement "hunted" downwardly this skull of ours.

So what are your thoughts on hanging animals on your wall? Does the skull and antlers versus a true deer head make a difference or do yous just at present want to go there at all?