I have a question for you guys who have had African animals mounted in the past. How many of you have had mounts where the horns look nothing like their original condition due to the boiling process that they use over there? I received several mounts this past fall from my plains game safari in 2015. The horns of the Kudu and Nyala in particular looked like hell, the Kudu horns were dark and rough with no luster, and the Nyala horns looked like charcoal. I had anticipated this before the mounting process, and had asked the taxidermist to restore the horns to original appearance, but he apparently did not listen. I even supplied pictures to assure that this did not happen. My question is this; What can I do to restore these horns to the original appearance? I am pretty handy, and more than capable of doing what needs to be done, but haven't been able to find any information on the subject. Any ideas?

For a shield mount, I had to take a bronze brush and handheld drill to get the scorched part off my second set of kudu horns. Gun stock stain leftovers next, then Johnson Wax for luster. Bought my own shield, too.

No way would I attempt "fixing" a mount myself. (The taxi would have to do his magic before skin attached, etc.)

Thanks, I will put heavy duty garbage bags over the mount while I work on the horns to keep from messing up the cape. I need to fill in the minute cracks in the horns to recreate that smooth surface, then I need to match the former colors. I will experiment on wood until I get the color just right. The Nyala horns look so black and crumbly that I think that it will require a more skilled hand than mine to recreate, but at least that mount is transportable, the Kudu is just too damned big.

Keep them oil and wax free until you are done refinishing. I think a taxi would use some sort of slurried epoxy clay to fill in cracks and such. After it cured, he'd airbrush / paint the result. Kudu horns are actually blonde, not black. However, by the time they are boiled off the natural oils blacken the horn a bunch. Go slow!