Applying a finish to stabilized antler??

[groy87]

Is there any benefit in applying a finish like Truoil to stabilized antler? I've seen several cases where the antler is polished without any sort of oil, wax, or compound being applied and was curious if this was somewhat of a standard practice.

 

[John L]

First.....there is no need to stabilize stag unless the core is very pithy. After stabilizing, if done correctly, it is basically plastic and needs nothing else.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Stag does pretty well on the deer without Truoil, so the answer is no.

 

[Fish30114]

I have used a lot of whitetail deer antler, and a good bit of Mule deer antler---I often stabilize mine--in any case I am one that applies a high build friction polish (wax) and buff to a gleam--it works really well, and I have used several different kinds of wax, all with good results.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Wax won't hurt a thing, but it doesn't stabilize.

 

[TJ Smith]

Stag doesn't need much. Elk or deer benefit from a coat or 3 of very thin super glue. Cut a finger from a vinyl glove, put on yours, rub the glue around. very thin no rub marks.
super glue doesn't stick to vinyl. If it's to shiney use some white scotch brite pads to dull it up a bit.
Take care
TJ Smith

 

[Fish30114]

Wax won't hurt a thing, but it doesn't stabilize.

Wax is for the shine up phase after stabilization in my steps. I use Cactus Juice under a vacuum and then bake it at 250 degrees for an couple hours to stabilize.

 

[groy87]

Thanks everyone for the tips! I am using moose and deer antler that I had stabilized but some of the pieces have are rather pithy. Odds are there will be parts of the pith showing through at the end that will need to be filled to seal the antler and allow me to get a smooth surface that will polish up to a good shine.

I've played around with different compounds in the past that didn't react well with finish I selected so I am glad that not much post work needs to be done on the antler.