How to blacken Antelope horns?

[CJ1962]

Working on a DIY Antelope Euro mount.  It's going well, but before permanently attaching the horns I would like to darken/blacken them more.  Any tips on what to use for this would be great.

TIA

[KP-Skagit]

I would think black boot polish would do the trick.

Out of curiosity how did you handle the sheaths? I am doing the same right now, but the sheaths did not pull off. Initially I didn't worry about it but I have since heard they can smell for a while before they set up naturally.

[CJ1962]

I was able to get the inner sheath off by slicing it lengthwise with a knife and pulling/pealing it off.  I did this right after pulling the outer horn off while everything was still hot.

[buglebuster]

This stuff is what I use

[Pathfinder101]

I would think black boot polish would do the trick.

Out of curiosity how did you handle the sheaths? I am doing the same right now, but the sheaths did not pull off. Initially I didn't worry about it but I have since heard they can smell for a while before they set up naturally.

We popped ours off about 30 minutes into the boil.  Wasn't easy though.  Took my 21 year old and I some real pulling to do it.  One skull we got one horn off, then had to put it back in the boil for another 10 minutes before we could get the other one off.
 When you get that horn off, you'll see why they tell you to pull them off.  There's a lot of gooey organic material in there that you want to get rid of. 

[Pathfinder101]

I was able to get the inner sheath off by slicing it lengthwise with a knife and pulling/pealing it off.  I did this right after pulling the outer horn off while everything was still hot.

That's what we did.  One peeled off in the boil.  The other 3 we had to slice off with a knife.

[buglebuster]

If you macerate them the horns fall off in their own

[Pathfinder101]

If you macerate them the horns fall off in their own

I have macerated a deer skull and a bear skull.  I can confirm that macerating causes everything to fall off.

Flesh. 
Fat. 
Cartilage.

Nasal tissue (yours)
Your sex life
your relationship with your neighbors
old friendships...
 

[Ballance1]

 Boiled linseed oil and Turpentine mixed 50/50 wiped on with a rag

[Geoduck Duck Goose]

That Old English trick is something I've heard of others using as well. Maybe next time, I'll give it a shot.

[MADMAX]

Kiwi black shoe polish

[Caseknife]

Skidmore Liquid Beeswax does wonders, nourishes the horns as well as darkens them. They won't dry out as easily.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

If you macerate them the horns fall off in their own

I have macerated a deer skull and a bear skull.  I can confirm that macerating causes everything to fall off.

Flesh. 
Fat. 
Cartilage.

Nasal tissue (yours)
Your sex life
your relationship with your neighbors
old friendships...
 

It ain't all that bad.

[Pathfinder101]

If you macerate them the horns fall off in their own

I have macerated a deer skull and a bear skull.  I can confirm that macerating causes everything to fall off.

Flesh. 
Fat. 
Cartilage.

Nasal tissue (yours)
Your sex life
your relationship with your neighbors
old friendships...
 

It ain't all that bad.

My wife, co-workers and dog all beg to differ...

[Skyvalhunter]

For some reason that black on the horns looks unnatural. I just left mine alone.

[bustedoldman]

For some reason that black on the horns looks unnatural. I just left mine alone.

I thought so too and left mine natural, but I did throw them in the smoker to kill off that funky smell.....

[Fletch]

That goo under the horns is some of the nastiest smelling stuff... few years back my buddy killed a nice buck and the horn popped off when it hit the ground...not knowing, he grabbed that base and began dragging...  his hand stunk in the pickup for the rest of the trip regardless of how much he washed it... that smell is hard to get out of your head..  .... I left mine natural as well

[JTSmith3]

I put my skinned head in a black trash bag and left it in the yard for a week. The horns popped right off. I then boiled the skull. I filled the sheaths with borax and let them dry. Once dry I shook out all of the borax and used a bottle brush to get whatever else I could out. Then I sprayed clear spray paint inside. For the outside of the horns, to keep the dark color I just use WD-40.