I stained a set of elk antlers with Antler Stain #1 and they look great...however...they are very water soluable still. I loaded them in my truck in the rain and the stain was coming off in my hands. Is there a clear coat or something I can put on them or is that the nature of the beast? I know mounts arent usually ion a position to be getting wet but in my case it did. Thank you very much for your help.
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You can use a good laquer that is matte finish or there are water base finishes that are also good. The reason for matte is low gloss and they look more natural.
I guess I don't understand the whole story. Are these antlers natural or painted? If they are natural, why the water based stain? Antlers are "cleaned" by rubbing trees that impart oil and the blood from the velvet into them making them brown. I stain bleached antlers with potassium permanganate and quickly wash it off with turpentine/linseed oil so there are no harsh "paint" lines. Never coat antlers with any kind of sealer as it will ultimately crack, yellow, or give an unnatural hue to the antler. I paint mine with 50/50 linseed/turpentine to restore a natural looking golden brown hue to them.
I'm no expert, but I have stained a few shed antlers and I checked them by trying to rub off the stain with a wet rag and they're fine.
I would suggest using a fine grit steelwool then a good cleaning with laq. thinner/turp. or whatever. This seems to give the stain something to "grab". Then make sure it dries completely. Mine took a couple of days to dry. Then coat wiyh a light wax. Thats what I did and they turned out great. Hopr it helps, Carl