Looking for ways to clean skull
Thanks for any ideas
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Looking for ways to clean skull
Thanks for any ideas
I have heard of guys digging a hole and burying the skull letting the bugs pick it clean. Never done it myself though.
I used the pressure washer on one and it worked pretty good, but be careful not to spray it to hard on some spots
A propane torch will do a good job.
If you are not in rush:Quote:
Originally Posted by ROB
I have put mine in the Bush that I hunt.
Need to secure it in place thou.
By next fall it will be clean along with brain cavity empty as well.:thumbup:
Sun exposure will whiten it. :thumbup:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Lk
I can just imagine the smell!!!
but you have to make sure that the rodents don't get at it as they like to chew on them as well .Quote:
Originally Posted by ROB
I did a euromount last year and some details are in this thread. Lots of dirty stinky work but it turned out awesome.Quote:
Originally Posted by sambo
http://forums.oodmag.com/showthread.php?t=12865
Good luck!
Most I know screw it to a fence post and let nature do its work, BUT the sun will fade the antlers aswell as the skull.
Im doing a european mount of the one I got this year, calling the taxi. on thursday.
any idea what they usually cost with a nice plaque,??? never had one done before
The method I use (but did not come up with):
1) Skin and flesh the skull as best you can. Dig out the eyeballs and remove the brain, remove the jaw and get all the meat off possible.
2) Simmer (DO NOT BOIL) for 1 hour in a pot with a cup of baking soda. A turkey deep-fryer works well or a stock pot on the bbq.
3) Remove all remaining flesh from skull. Auditory bulla can be removed with an awl if desired, but that's not my preference. Some people mash out the nasal bones, but that's not my preference. Remove septum with long forceps.
4) Place skull in a bucket of hot soapy water. Keep water hot using a bucket heater w/ thermostat or an aquarium heater.
5) Change the soapy water every 2 days for 4-6 weeks until all grease is out of bone.
6) Whiten with peroxide (NOT BLEACH) to taste. Don't get it on the antlers unless you like white antlers.
EDIT: I should have clicked the link... has basically the same procedure but with less degreasing time.
Fire up the chainsaw.....slice off top of skull.....done!!
Benjhind's method works great - I used it last year. The key is to simmer but not boil. This will help cook and dissolve all the tissue, making it easy to clean off the bone, without softening the bone. Do this a couple of times, and it is fairly easy to clean up. Then you have to degrease the skull - I used Tide and some Borax, in the same pot at simmer but not boil. Needed to do it a few times to get all the oils/grease out. Last is "bleaching" the bone, but don't use bleach, use hydrogen peroxide. Many sites suggest using high strength peroxide you can buy from hair salons, but it is sometimes hard to find, so I just use the low strength cheap stuff you can buy at most grocery stores labelled as chlorine-free bleach (ex - PC Ultra Active Oxygen Bleach). Just soak it for a few days, and wait for it to whiten up. Rinse it off and you're done. Some people spray them with a clear sealant, but I just left mine and it seems fine.
If you can make chicken soup, you can make your own Euromount!
200-250 for a euro mount... half skull i did last year was 175..Quote:
Originally Posted by cumminsdsl
For all the bucks we dont get mounted at our Camp we tie them to a good Rope and throw them into the lake ... next fall we pull them out... all done :) .. ready for the wall in the camp
I have tried the digging a hole method a couple of times. The first attempt I came out with a clean and intact skull. The second try resulted in a deteriorated skull. I lost most of the bone up to the eyes sockets and it was very brittle.Plants had grown inside of it and the roots had eaten it up. I've heard of putting them over an ant hill. But you would need to secure it in some fashion.
I boil them in water and peroxide. Come out white as snow.
Added when simmering some OX-O clean helps in the whitening.
Thanks guys for the ideas .:goodstuff:
Keep them coming
Red wigglers will do the trick also look up Vermicomposting!
A buddy of mine would pick up road kill and paint the skulls. He'd clean the skulls by putting them in a chicken wire cage and stake it behind the shed, check on it often as the maggots will clean it very fast and remove it before the rodents get to it.
boil it the bleach it
Bleach eats bone! Sorry Nutzzy, maybe you meant whiten with peroxide when you said 'bleach'.Quote:
Originally Posted by nutzzy
I have skulls that looked good but have turned mostly to chalky dust after 10 years from being exposed to bleach... If you want your skulls white, use peroxide.
Pressure washer first then use propane torch to cook any tough stuff and then pressure again
Benjhinds method is well described.
I've done it like that with moose skull and antlers.
You need a really big stock pot to do a moose.
Cabelas sells a skull bleaching kit that I have used and worked really well on moose and deer
When whitening large skulls, high-strength peroxide can be mixed with magnesium carbonate to form a paste for whitening.
I clean them up while they're real fresh , clean the brains, eyeballs, the flesh off the roof of the mouth and such, then hang it right on the side of the woodstove in the shed a few days to a week (it's usually pretty dry by then) give it a final rub to get rid of the rest of the sinew and dry flesh that remains. then you're good to go.
If your looking for some great skull cleaning, contact me at 647-232-9204.