I have a nice antelope skull that has been bleached and looks great. Now what do I do with the horns? It would be great if I could get them nice and black. What about the cores? Do I pack 'em with Borax? And when they say Borax, that's not the soap, right? Is there any draw-back to not glueing them back on the bases?
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RC, that little orange icon over to the left would've answered all those questions. Try it.
And Borax is borax. 20 Mule team borax "soap" is borax. I don't recommend straight borax but prefer Bess Maid DP from Touchstone for treating horns and cores.
Better get some ref as antelope horns are not black. Look closely and you will see browns and yellows in different hues.
DaveT
Thanks for the feedback. Do I need to treat the horns with anything? Once I pack them with Borax (or Bess Maid DP) will they be "preserved"? Will I need to do anything else to them? Thanks again.
RC
Antelope "horns" are more like a rhinocerous. The sheaths are simply modified hair follicles. When I slip the cases off, I pour the DP down inside the case and let it set for a few second, then dump it out. I let the horn air dry for a few days and then I paint it with a 50/50 mixture of linseed oil/turpentine and then quickly wipe it off. This "wets" the horn down, dissolves into the horn, and gives it it's natural brown/yellow/gray appearance in a week or two.