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Just got my euro mounts back from Namibia trip in June. Gemsbok, Kudu, and Springbok. I've never been a fan of the jet black oiled horns that seem the most common product. I had mine done untreated and am happy. I've talked to some who suggest that an oil is still a good idea to protect and preserve. I'd also be OK with something that gave them a little bit of a shine. Suggestion I have is Danish Oil in the natural color. Might darken them up some but would provide a little lustre. Any experienced suggestions? | ||
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G'Day ckr. I oil the horns/antlers of my trophies once a year using a mixture of linseed oil and mineral turps at a ration of one part oil two parts turps. It protects the horns and doesn't chance the colour as far as I can tell but it will give them a little bit of a gloss look for w few weeks. Hope this helps with your request  | |||
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Thanks zhaba. Can you clarify "mineral turps". I'm sure we have whatever it is but called something different. That or I'm just not familiar with it. | |||
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Dinsdale, Thanks for that link. I like them in the natural state, just didn't want to not protect them some if that was what needed done. Guess I'll just clean them up real good and hang 'em up. Actually saves me a fair amount of work not going through the oiling process. Glad I requested them that way. Kinda sad that the majority of them all get the oil treatment and thus a uniform black color. I've always been a fan of 'au natural, to the extent of trying to talk my wife out of dying her hair to let the grey show through but that's a whole other topic. Thanks again. | |||
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I have used beeswax lightly applied with a stiff nylon brush, seems to work nicely. It will gather dust, but it looks great when you brush them back up again. | |||
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ckr, If you ever want a euro mount Bronzed let me know. | |||
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We use Liquid Gold and it works really well to shine them up and it lasts quite awhile and smells good. "Conservation through Hunting" | |||
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Sorry ckr,mineral turpentine, the stuff you clean paint brushes in | |||
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Check out this closeup of Impala....I will try to find more closeups of horns I took, you will see all kinds of colors upclose. Some people like to get them painted all black.  | |||
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Unless I have missed it, I am still unclear about something. Accepting that oiling horns makes them look too dark, but what about the pure preservation of the horns? What, besides oil, should be used? I live in a dry climate and don't like the idea of using water and no moisturising preservative. | |||
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This is a product that I have used with success. http://www.rmi-online.com/prod...d78ca70724116bab9922 I am not a fan of the black horns. I do what I can to restore the natural colors when the horns have been blackened by grease. The above product produces a good luster as a final finish to the horns after the colors have been restored. I do not know that you really need to put anything on the horns to preserve them. If you must,I would choose the product above or a light coat of paste wax. | |||
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before I started using the linseed oil and mineral turpintine mixture i had a head come off the wall and it broke in three place as it was so dry. I have had the same thing happen since i started oiling and it didn't break the horn at all. From my experence there is only a slight change in colour of the horn/antler it seems to highlight the colours more than anything | |||
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Try this...  I't didn't change the color of my stuff at all. | |||
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Thanks for the info. If oiling only affects the look of horns but acts as a preservative, I can live with that. Mine get dusty pretty quickly anyway! | |||
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Try some Balistol oil it also keeps all insects away and you can use it for the wood mounting plates as well! Don’t use it on the bone! | |||
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I use a product called Murphy's Oil Soap. It is designed for cleaning hardwood floors and such. Cleans horn and antlers and puts a nice shine to them. Knute | |||
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If you want clean looking, shiny, dark horns there are any number of products, cleaners, oils etc.. that will get you that look. Collector posted an excellent photo above of impala horns. Pull out your photos from your hunt and get a close look at the horns. They are dull and dirty looking most of the time. To me, that is how they should look on the mount as well but everyone has there own taste. A cape buffalo is an extreme example because they are never very clean looking. I could get these horns as shiny as a powder horn and the body as black as an angus cow but it would not look like a realistic buffalo to me.  | |||
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Amen to that and that Buff looks fantastic! If we want painted up polished critters we could just buy a nice replica and be done. That was my issue from the start. I'd like them to look as much as possible like they did "then". I've hung my euro mounts and left them as is with no oil etc. and anticipate leaving them that way after recieving the advice and suggestions here. Thanks to all for the replies. | |||
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I just use linseed oil, but do not saturate, dab on with a cloth and do not let it run. In our part of the world, oiling is essential, otherwise that damn moth gets in and drills the crap out of your horns.  SUSTAINABLY HUNTING THE BLUE PLANET! "Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful, murder respectable and to give an appearence of solidity to pure wind." Dr J A du Plessis | |||
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Ballistol all the way! Its the only oil I use on my horn(s)! Buy the aeorosol can. | |||
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Grafton is one of only a few Taxidermists I know that mount Cape Buffalo with realism. collector usually posts some awesome pics and I hope you continue to post more African horn pics. Please note for example....Kudu horns ARE NOT BLACK!  After the cleaning and boiling process, they lose all their natural pigment. Underlying that layer, the horn is "black" if you will. Under the dark layer, they are transparent blond or "ivory" as some refer to. True artists are beginning to take note of this. Go back and look at your trophy pics of your Kudu. You'll see what I mean. And, as stated by many professional opinions: oil is not good on horns! It will darken light horns (sheep, waterbuck, lechwe, etc) but it does and will build up a film over repeated oilings. This will dry and over time can (I say can or might) create undesirable problems. It will not stop insect infestation. For that you must treat all horned trophies. The product Grafton posted will do the job quite well.Regards, David Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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Good info here in this thread. Since we've got some quite knowledgeable folks on here, would you or would you not use baby oil on warthog/boar tusks? Or maybe the question is, what would you use, if anything, to keep them from some point in time cracking. Maybe they don't crack, but European Boar tusks will dry out and start to split, even after filled, thanks and Waidmannsheil, Dom. -------- There are those who only reload so they can shoot, and then there are those who only shoot so they can reload. I belong to the first group. Dom --------- | |||
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You can use a little baby oil on your tusks. I do not think it would hurt them. They are a natural material and they sometimes crack with changes in humidity. The best you can do is to fill them with fiberglass resin and oil them every now and then. Most seem to do ok with the above treatment. | |||
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Grafton, That is a beautiful Buff....very nicely done. I remember taking a closeup of this Waterbuck within minutes it was downed...just could not find the pic in my archive so I apologize for the delay. Everytime I see jetblack horns on a Waterbuck mount I cringe and my toes curl  Please note the color variation on this beauty !!!  | |||
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A 50/50 mix of linseed oil and turpentine works well for antlers.... but like mentioned above can darken horns. A north American Pronghorn has dark horns and this works well for them. I tried the antler and horn conditioner mentioned above on my kudu, wildebeest, impala, bushbuck, blesbock, nyala and several others and liked the results. The natural colors actually were enhanced. You can always rub dirk into the horns to get the color and realism you desire. | |||
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