Protecting antler base when whitening?

[RD Martin]

IF you are going to be doing antlered you need to learn how to touch up antlers. Early season bucks just out of velvet do not have color set in their antlers always need touch up. Degreasing can take out the color also. It is easy to do and once you have done a few you will never look back.

[QBD]

And there is no one magic color that works in every case.  Some time is takes several colors on the same set of antlers.  An advanced search on staining antlers should turn up quite a few threads with various methods and colors. 

[Bugs N Bones]

Practice make perfect...

[Kurt"PA"]

DAP Seal & Peal silicone from Home Depot is the only way to go, protects the antlers as long as you let it dry and it peals off without leaving any silicone to bother with.  I have been using it for 2 seasons and i rarely restain antlers. 

[mark c]

clear sulaphane wrap very tight around the base the wrap sticks to its self so no tape needed , then pt heat lamp om the skull for 20 min and done ,,,,as for stain i use min wax bombay mahogoney for the base and 3-4 in up the horns then i switch to golden oak and wipe down the rest as the other is still wet the two colors blend into a nice transition   mark c

[nyskullmaster]

DAP seal n peal is a sealent/caulk, is that what I should use?

[Kurt"PA"]

Yes, Seal N Peal is a silicone sold with the rest of the silicone products at Home Depot, i have also found it at a few other privately owed hardware stores as well.

[nyskullmaster]

Ok thanks ill give iit a shot today

[shouldimountit.com]

I experimented for a couple years on protecting antlers in liquid peroxide and then giving up and learning to stain them.  The best thing i have found is like Toxic uses, plain old cheap silicone.  Goop it on thick and comes right off.  I mean, one tube in caulk gun will do 3 or 4 skulls and then it's empty.  but you can get it for a buck at some dollar stores.  i still have a little seep where the silicone meets the skull under the burr and it discolors some.  In this case, i use potassium permanganate (see threads) and then touch that up with some dark brown shoe polish and lightly blot it with a rag.  works well.