Skull cleaning, chemistry and fire starting

[RGK]

So your cleaning that deer skull for a Euro mount and you get sloppy and get the oxi clean or bleach or peroxide or whatever you use on the antlers by mistake and bleach the antler as well. Now what? I have found that stains and dyes just don't cut it with antlers and the color match is never quite right. A long time ago I had heard about a common hardware store item working well to re-color antlers. I had some of this on hand for Boy Scout uses as an antiseptic, water purifier and fire starter (when mixed with anti-freeze or soap or sugar water, etc).  Way back in the day it was part of a boy scout first aid kit until it was discovered that if accidentally mixed with the glycerin soap in the first aid kit that it would start on fire (just like mixing it with anti freeze) The product is called Potassium Permanganate.  Its used today by those with a green sand water filters as an oxidizer.  

 

I decided to try an experiment. I took a section of antler left over from a project and boiled it in a mixture of water, oxi clean and bleach.

** Important safety note****

Don't boil water and oxi clean and add bleach unless you want a huge mess with lots of foaming. After cleaning that up, I mixed a smaller batch. Anyway. Here is the antler section.


 

Then I left it in the cleaner for a few hours to bleach it.

 

The bleached antler.

 

Potassium Permanganate looks like gun powder. It looks like a fine black powder but its actually a fine purple powder.

 

***Warning***

This is a strong oxidizer. Wear safety glasses and rubber gloves and cover your work space.

When mixed with water, you will see the true color revealed.

 

I used a Q-tip to apply.

 

 

[RGK]

As soon as I had it coated, I rinsed the antler under water to remove and neutralize. I dried the antler with paper towel and a blow drier then took fine sand paper to mimic the polished or rubbed areas that looked whiter. Then I gave the antler a light coat of neatsfoot oil to return the slight gloss that antlers seem to have.

 

 

Your best bet is not to get whitners on your antlers but if you do, you can fix them.

for the pyros in the audience.

 

First aid.

 

[katie]

Wild!  Thanks for the info.  I am getting ready to start a euro mount this weekend.  Hope I don't need it, but if I do- thanks.

[Doc Nock]

Looks like that would be the ticket for knife handles of antler and limb bolt burls to make it even where sawn!

Kewl... fire starter... who'da thunk it!?  

[RGK]

The uses are limitless when dealing with antler.

[jiane]

PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL.

As a chemist and someone who works with these types of materials regularly. PLEASE BE CAREFUL.  There is potential here to end up with more than just a mess.  From chemical burns to starting your garage or house on fire.  Use with caution and in a VERY well ventilated area.  (i.e. not your basement and not in the garage next to the oil and gas cans).  Whatever you do, do not use any type of organic solvent like acetone, ehtanol, methanol, mineral spirits, kerosene, gasoline in combination with KMnO4.   Water based solutions only!!


Be safe,
Jerry

[swp]

Sweet Ron! Thanks

[RGK]

Originally posted by jiane:
PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL.

As a chemist and someone who works with these types of materials regularly. PLEASE BE CAREFUL.  There is potential here to end up with more than just a mess.  From chemical burns to starting your garage or house on fire.  Use with caution and in a VERY well ventilated area.  (i.e. not your basement and not in the garage next to the oil and gas cans).  Whatever you do, do not use any type of organic solvent like acetone, ehtanol, methanol, mineral spirits, kerosene, gasoline in combination with KMnO4.   Water based solutions only!!


Be safe,
Jerry

Having worked with this stuff for years I can say your comments may be a bit over the top. Using it as a fire starter for boy scouts, It takes a bit of effort to get it to combust. I describe mixing it with water which is very safe. I even splashed a bit on my skin with no ill effects except a brown stain. There is no smell or fumes but if you get to throwing it around the room I suppose you could raise some dust that could be inhaled.

A word to the wise, While your staining your antlers, dont eat of drink this stuff and you will be ok.

If working gasoline for my chain saw and adding lighter fluid to charcoal briquettes or even working with a propane tank are a 10 on the danger scale, using this with water to stain antlers rates about a 3 (only because you could spill it). Remember, this was part of a boy scout first aid kit until it was discovered that when mixed with glycerin soap, that it would combust. If you want to stain antlers as described, use water. It could combust if you instead mix it with sugar, anti freeze, glycerin soap, break fluid, etc but I am not suggesting such a thing. IN FACT

Mixed with water can make unsafe water, safe to drink. Mixed in a slightly higher concentration, it serves as an antiseptic (which is why is was part of the Boy Scout first aid kit.)

See this link to better understand.

 

[RGK]

More info.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_permanganate


Remember, saliva will kill you but only if swallowed in small amount over a long period of time. Every person that ever ate a carrot will die. This stuff is as safe as working with Dihydrogen Monoxide. (which if misused can also kill you.)

[Stumpkiller]

To age my muzzleloading antler and bone powder measures I soak them in a strong cup of tea.  Does not end up as dark as yours but has a more mellow "aged" look than freshly dead or worked on.

Doesn't eat my skin or kitchen, either.

[jiane]

Not going to argue the benefits, uses, etc.  It can be worked with relatively easily.  

Just want to give the heads up of mixing oxidizers with organics and/or combustible materials.  I've seen a few fires start a couple of hours later after the process was long forgot about.

Be knowledgeable about it, use it, but respect it.  Thats all.

[Huntschool]

We used it to fumigate incubators and eggs.  Mixed it with formaldehyde to generate a rather dangerous gas.

Be carful.  What jiane said.....

[highpoint forge]

Can you use it on aged bleached antlers? I need to try it on a nice set I have outdoors......

[Mojo Rising]

Mix Potassium Permanganate and glycol (antifreeze) and you will have a fire. I am a wildland firefighter and we use this when implementing prescribed burns.

[RGK]

Again, mix this with water only to use as a stain for deer antlers. Dont mix with other things to stain antlers.

Highpoint, I plan to try it on a bleached antler once I get my hands on one.

[stickbowhntr]

Very inyeresting post, Thanks

[J-dog]

Now that is cool info right there. You shoul dpost around the taxidermy web sites.

J

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Very helpful tip, thanks for the info and taking the time to post pics and all of that with it.
You always have to post the safety precautions because some idiot out there will invariably burn his house down and try to sue you for telling him to do it. Cover your own A**

I use Kn03 Potassium Nitrate and powdered sugar for solid fuel rockets, so I kinda know about these things myself.
Potassium, Sodium, and Water are what they use for the heater bags in MRE's for soldiers.

Didn't know about the Potassium Permanganate to color antlers though? Nice tip.
Also didn't even think about it reacting with glycerin.......that's a good survival tip. Wonder if it works when it's real wet out?