Velvet - non permanganate options?

[wildfowler.250]

Hi folks, think the dry spring has really dried the velvet on some of the bucks this year. Has anyone tried using any kind of branches to touch up the antlers? Any type of branch/tree if so? Not a full stain required but just to get one or two of those areas that weren’t removed.


Thought it might give a more natural look than the dyes.


Cheers!

 

[HonestJohn]

As far as I know, once the antler tissue is dead, it will not absorb tree/branch juices

 

[Sol]

I'm assuming the velvet has cracked right so there's bright white showing? I've always thought the easiest quickest method would be just a brown sharpie honestly.

Coffee grounds work well too

Not used it but I've seen black walnut stain used for various things, Its very tannin based what Is the same thing staining most antlers It might work well?

 

[lochty]

As @triggertrix said. However, I've heard shoe polish works but never tried it, always used permanganate.

 

[wildfowler.250]

As far as I know, once the antler tissue is dead, it will not absorb tree/branch juices

I'm assuming the velvet has cracked right so there's bright white showing? I've always thought the easiest quickest method would be just a brown sharpie honestly.

Coffee grounds work well too

Not used it but I've seen black walnut stain used for various things, Its very tannin based what Is the same thing staining most antlers It might work well?

As @triggertrix said. However, I've heard shoe polish works but never tried it, always used permanganate.

Cheers folks! It’s not that bad. I think if it was to get judged for example, it would still score a 2/4 for colour . It’s not a medal head I was just curious if these areas here or there could easily be touched up with something natural

 

[Mungo]

As far as I know, once the antler tissue is dead, it will not absorb tree/branch juices

Surely it’s dead as soon as the velvet comes off?

 

[VSS]

Surely it’s dead as soon as the velvet comes off?

Yes.
Once ossification is complete and the velvet comes off, antlers are simply dead bone.

 

[HonestJohn]

Surely it’s dead as soon as the velvet comes off?

Yes but they only really ‘colour’ as
The velvet is coming off and they fray. I’m fairly certain when it’s dead/yes, velvet fully off, they cannot colour with any real depth from branches. I’ve tried it, never worked

 

[Mungo]

Yes but they only really ‘colour’ as
The velvet is coming off and they fray. I’m fairly certain when it’s dead/yes, velvet fully off, they cannot colour with any real depth from branches. I’ve tried it, never worked

But you often see a freshly clean buck with white antlers, and then see the same animal later in the season with brown antlers.

 

[ofbiro]

The colour does not depend on the buck organism, but on the bark of the tres where the buck rubs his antlers against.

 

[wildfowler.250]

Yes.
Once ossification is complete and the velvet comes off, antlers are simply dead bone.

Yes but they only really ‘colour’ as
The velvet is coming off and they fray. I’m fairly certain when it’s dead/yes, velvet fully off, they cannot colour with any real depth from branches. I’ve tried it, never worked

But you often see a freshly clean buck with white antlers, and then see the same animal later in the season with brown antlers.

The colour does not depend on the buck organism, but on the bark of the tres where the buck rubs his antlers against.

Cheers folks. What I was basically trying to ask was has anyone used any various type of branch to mimic fraying and add colour? Rather than paint/polish/permaganate .

I assume more labour intensive but maybe a more natural result?

 

[Mungo]

Cheers folks. What I was basically trying to ask was has anyone used any various type of branch to mimic fraying and add colour? Rather than paint/polish/permaganate .

I assume more labour intensive but maybe a more natural result?

I once stained some ash stalking sticks with mashed up dock leaves. It worked quite well.