How to seal a 'porous tootsie roll' antler?

[berto]

all,

i just recieved last season's bull from the local beetle-guy.

as you can see, the bull is a freak. For lack of a better term, his freak-side ends in a club that has the consistency of a "porous tootsie roll".

does anyone know of a chemical i can put on the porous end of the freak antler to seal it and keep it from decomposing and stinking? right now it smells like a mix of pine and rotting flesh and i'm pretty certain it's only going to get worse come the dog days of summer!

keep in mind i'm an antler lover, so anything destructive is out of the question.

i am thinking low-shine polyurethane...

Anyone?

 

[bowhuntnnut]

You may try some preservative used for velvet antlers. I use Preserve-It by Rittels or Velvet tan by Knoblochs. Both work extemely well on velvet.

 

[RACKMASTER]

Make sure what ever you put on it it will kill bug larve!
rm

 

[shadowstalker]

I agree with the last post.Usually the skull is put in bleach after the bugs are done that should of done it. Might try more bleach or a dawn soap ,salt and borax brine to really dry it up and preserve it.another possibility is formeldahyde . You have to get at what is inside the porous area.

 

[2_Point]

I would drill a hole up thru the core of the antler from the bottom, at least 6-8 inches into the center of the antler. If the bit is covered with a sticky residue, then the best thing to do would be get some kind of "aldehyde", lots out there which arn't as dangerous or expensive as formaldehyde. I would soak the end of the antler in the aldehyde for up to 2 weeks. Then pull it out of the solution and let it dry completely. IF it discolors then simply recolor it. Plug the hole if it is visible.

If the bit isn't covered with sticky residue then I would just let it sit in the garage, maybe thru summer to allow the smell to disipate. You could try boiling the portion of the antler which has the problem, but check it every so often as the antler may be fragile.

Your taxidermist should have known that the antler could have residue left over from the blood which pools in deformaties like that one.

Neat elk, by the way.