How does antler age?

E

ErikMB

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Jul 27, 2017
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I recently received a gorgeous Hartshead Lambsfoot from A. Wright. the scales are stag horn, I believe. I was a little concerned that it was so bright white but it has started browning a bit. It looks really cool to me, now.

I am wondering what causes the coloring, if it can be forced, removed, modified, etc.

Also, can the dark areas be made darker?

I am just curious. This material got me curious. 😃
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Also, it seems to have developed a strange bruise looking spotted mark that wasn't there before. See bottom of the photo. Anyone know what that is?
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Though I'm not an expert, I'd say there are several factors to consider here. First, not only does antler have the natural "wrinkles" we all know and love, but it's also a highly porous material, meaning it has many little cavities inside of which stuff can accumulate, including dirt. I think this would explain the "bruise" you showed in the second post. Second, antler will naturally turn yellowish with exposure to sunlight and smoke, among other things.

These factors allow several "artificial" methods to be used to further darken the material. For example, some people use wood stain or dye, or stuff like tea or coffee. Check out this video, for instance. By the same token, you could also dye antler using less traditional colors, just like you can do with bone. In this connection, you can check out this thread. As for yellowing, I've achieved this outcome in the past by using a few coats of linseed oil, though I'm aware that's not what's recommended for antler.

As for how you can reverse such processes to some extent, one method I know of is using hydrogen peroxide.

Hope this helps!
 
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I one time buried a skull with a beautiful 8 point rack. In my mothers garden. A year later I was washing the remaining gunk out of the skull with her hose and the antlers started to bleed bright red blood and quite a bit of it.

Its an interesting material for sure. Beautiful knife by the way.
 
Never use mineral oil, or any other oil on antler. It softens it.
Antler is usually dyed with potassium permanganate.
 
I’ve seen David Lisch use a torch to darken stag. It’s a porous material and stuff can get into it and discolor it. I think mineral oil can get into the tiny spaces in stag and make it swell a bit and that might look good at first but damages it in the long term.
 
Thanks heaps for the posts, folks! I love learning this kind of stuff and I am thankful that y'all have chimed in. Much appreciated.

Alas, the asymmetry of this knife frustrates me so it went into the display case, for now, at least. Must be my OCD. Still, it's beautiful, just feels wonky in the hand.
 
eveled said:
I one time buried a skull with a beautiful 8 point rack. In my mothers garden. A year later I was washing the remaining gunk out of the skull with her hose and the antlers started to bleed bright red blood and quite a bit of it.

Its an interesting material for sure. Beautiful knife by the way.
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You buried the antlers too? :oops:

Bill DeShivs said:
Never use mineral oil, or any other oil on antler. It softens it.
Antler is usually dyed with potassium permanganate.
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A light coat of wax OK?
 
RayseM said:
eveled eveled - I buried a skull with attached antlers too but left the antlers out of the ground. The stones were set as preventative measures to keep out diggers.
The antlers were above ground from the pedicles. All came out great after a full spring through fall burial.


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I have been to the zoo many times but I have never seen an animal with a skull like that. It almost looks like a platypus. I did not realize they had antlers. I guess that's why Agent Perry wore a fedora. ;-)
 
RayseM said:
eveled eveled - I buried a skull with attached antlers too but left the antlers out of the ground. The stones were set as preventative measures to keep out diggers.
The antlers were above ground from the pedicles. All came out great after a full spring through fall burial.


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Click to expand...


I am surprised that mice. voles or other rodents didn't chew them. They usually get eaten for the calcium in nature.
 
sceva said:
I am surprised that mice. voles or other rodents didn't chew them. They usually get eaten for the calcium in nature.
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I sprayed them with some deer proofing plant spray and a solution of CAYENNE PEPPER :) I imagine they were pretty toxic.:thumbsup:
 
Stag is one of the lest problematic natural materials. Great dimensional stability, essentially doesn't shrink or warp (as opposed to bone). You see 200 year old stag handles that are sill gap-less. The oils of your hand are usally enough to keep it in good nick. Over time it will become more amber colored as natural oils soak into the material.
 
Regarding warping of stag, I'll throw this in...

I have a couple of Buck 501 folders I bought back in the early 1990s, when I was living in central Texas. Both tang-stamped for 1989 year of manufacture and handled in stag - elk, if I recall. The covers weren't pinned on - just glued. Never had any issues with them while I lived there. But after 20 years in Texas, I then moved back to my home state of New Mexico - with its much drier climate. I found out months later, after pulling them out of storage, both of the knives' stag handle covers had warped and lifted, exposing gaps both underneath and at the ends of the covers. One of the covers had pulled free of the glued bond, with the cover actually coming off while I examined it.

I attributed the warping to drying out of the stag, when I moved from the more humid central TX climate back to very, very dry NM. I'd ordinarily not expect many issues with stag - I've always viewed it as being pretty durable and stable. But I do have two specific exceptions to remind me it isn't fully bullet-proof from any issue at all.
 
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