Bleaching a White Cowhorn?????

canislatrans54

New member
I asked the following question, of my HOB brethren in the "Workshop", yet after 16 views, evidently no one has been able to give me an answer...Hahahaha...because no one of those 16 views produced a reply.
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So, since I know that some of you in this sub-forum have bleached skulls & such, I thought I would expand my asking of my question to the overall membership here.

..................

Last night I was sorting through my dwindling horn inventory.
And I came across a pair of thicker-walled horns, that once they get cleaned up & sanded, will be 95-100% white in color.

Well, as I thought about them (for possible future calls), I decided that they would be good candidates for some engraving work on the finished howlers. (which might not be until closer to Halloween)

Anyway......here's my question: Have any of you ever had an all-white horn, and tried using a bleach solution to make it even whiter???
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If so, how did it work out?
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And did the chemicals in the bleach do any damage to the horn?
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I think hydrogen peroxide is called for here. The strong stuff, but I know nothing of such matters.
 
I've never done horns but have done skulls and teeth. Can't promise this will work on horns, but it's worth a try if you ask me. As with anything, degreasing is probably the best first step. If the horns have embedded dark material it may not be possible to whiten it with anything. If you have the tips cut off you may want to experiment with them first. Google "Baquacil Oxydizer". If you have a pool supply store around they should have it. More info at the last page of the "How to do a skull" thread at the top of the trapping subforum. You may also poke around on taxidermy.net for some suggestions.

If all else fails you may be able to paint the engraved horns. Good luck.
 
Originally Posted By: CastI think hydrogen peroxide is called for here. The strong stuff, but I know nothing of such matters.

Peroxide is the best, not the 3 % stuff in the grocery store but the stuff that makes brunette's blond. Bleach is not recommended but I have used it and didn't get very good results. Go to a hair salon and find out where to get the high octane peroxide.
 
Originally Posted By: jumprightinitOriginally Posted By: CastI think hydrogen peroxide is called for here. The strong stuff, but I know nothing of such matters.

Peroxide is the best, not the 3 % stuff in the grocery store but the stuff that makes brunette's blond. Bleach is not recommended but I have used it and didn't get very good results. Go to a hair salon and find out where to get the high octane peroxide.

Thanks for the info about not getting good results with bleach.
It's those things that I was really needing to know, before I try to tackle this project.
 
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