Preparing Skulls

[thirty-30]

So, the recent skull thread got me thinking. I think this year I want to do a couple of euro mounts.

I'm leaning towards the simmer/light boil method.

Any gotchas towards it?

How bad is the smell on say, bear, coyote, wolf, and deer if you don't let them rot first and get it done right away?

I assume it's pretty basic.. the gist I've gotten is:

Skin it, take as much meat off of it as you can, simmer it for 30 minutes in baking soda/laundry detergent, take it out, clean as much meat as you can, use a coat hanger to poke through the brain stem and the brain should come out in pieces, simmer for 30 more minutes, repeat..

then hit it with peroxide.

Mostly wondering about the smell? I was thinking of trying to do it on my BBQ outside, but how bad is it if I was going to do it inside and the meat was 'fresh?'

[bdub]

It's not to bad at all if they are fresh. Just do it when the wife aint home and you'll be fine. Mine didn't even really notice the last time. Freebreeze is your friend. And make sure you clean her soup pot out good when you are done.

[RDW]

the smell is not that bad i do it outside on a coleman stove tho.I just boil mine for about an hour then pressure wash them be carful of the nose bones if you do it this way because i have sprayed a few off.

[Pioneer2]

I use the cooking plate on the BBQ outside on a mild day.Get your supplies from AAA Taxidermy in Calgary. http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k606/mbogo3/P3130394.jpg

[Pioneer2]

I take a piece of wire and make a small loop in the end [like a paint mixer] and put it in a cordless drill to puree the brain then wash contents out with a presure washer or tap H2O in a utility sink..............Harold

[JohnB]

If it is fresh it won't smell. I did a bear one time well the wife was out; she came home early and asked if I was cooking soup.

[jrs]

I just boil the skull 1 to 3 hours in anti-grease dish soap then pressure wash. Works like a charm. Just don't use the paint stripper attachment. Oh, and then I soak it overnight in dishsoap/light beach solution. Whitens up nice

[Arachnodisiac]

I don't have a barbecue yet, and thus haven't cleaned the couple I have waiting to be done.

Did it once in the house with a red fox.

A small house. My god, it was rank.

[adaras]

i just let the bugs do the work and they aredoimg a detailed work i have now 2 bison sculs half way ready. IMO boiling might damage the bone

[one shot]

boil with soda ash 30 min to an hour max! u can get soda ash any were i got it at wallmart in craft dept. used to degrease white shirts before tiedie. it is the ingrediant in soap. if u boil to long skull will shrink! after u get ALL the flesh off put in peroxide 3 to 4 days. use a rag to cover between horns on deer and soak rag every day. that way u dont bleach to much of the horns. if u do not get all the flesh off it will turn yellow when it drys. if u want it even more white u can use hair bleach and make a paste cover skull and leave on for a few days then rince.

[thirty-30]

Awesome, thanks guys.

:)

[flyguyd]

Take the brain out first youll save a headache later. And i would degrease it first before you use peroxide

[one shot]

the smell is not to bad fresh, would do it out side though. i use a 5 gallon old steel paint can. cut notches for the horns to sit, use tiger tourch to boil water. set the pail on cinder blocks and tourch through one of the holes in cinder block. if u dont want to cut the back of the skull to get the brain out. after u boil it right were the last vertabray conects to skull there is a hole u can use a coat hanger to get it out. i have also used a drill to make the hole bigger. then u get the compleat skull not one that is cut open.

[beverley]

Here is a pretty good tutorial complete with photos.

http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,125076.0.html

[C Taylor]

The best way that I've done for getting the brain out is to
Mix it up with a screwdriver and then use a air nozzle to blow out the muck. Do this before cookin and make sure it's pointed in a safe direction. Don't boil the skull but leave it on a high simmer for a few hours. At a boil you can easily split a skull

[Redneck Renagade]

DO NOT USE BLEACH. The bleach will continue to eat bone well after the job is done. What we have done in the past is after you boil the skull with I found works the best is dish soap with oxy clean to fight the grease then get regular over the counter peroxide and soak it untill it's as white as you want it then soak it in a solution of baking soda and water to neutralize the peroxide. Leave it in the peroxide for a week then remove let it dry and enjoy

[JohnB]

Here is a pretty good tutorial complete with photos.

http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,125076.0.html

Yes Michael did a good job on this tutorial.

You can get basic white and 40 volume at Sally's.

[thegunman]

Yes Michael did a good job on this tutorial.

You can get basic white and 40 volume at Sally's.

Awesome way, awesome results. Biggest thing is getting the glands in between the eyes. Thats where you'll hold grease.

[st99]

I've done over 30 so far, all in the kitchen, it just smells like any boiling meat, as for the process, I recommend soda ash it works great and I usually boil it once sometimes an extra 10 minutes if I was too lazy to remove more before boiling and the cooking didn't reach deap in the meat.

here's a bear and a wolf, if I remember I'll post my last one at the end of the week, it is in the peroxide at the moment

[st99]

this is the last one I did, my buddy's 2011 wt

[muzzy]

I used to always boil my skulls but a new hunting buddy told me to just try the water soaking method Submerge skull in water and let it sit submerged for 3 weeks ( I used a large plastic tub) If you dont disturb the tub there is minimal smell but if you accidentally bump it yikes I kept mine in corner of garage and it was fine Don't leave outside as dogs would get at skull. Once its soaked 3 weeks then just pressure spray it The meat just fell away and the brain had virually dissolved away The skull was nice and white and no worry about boiling hurting bones or teeth
To whiten even further get your peroxide from hair dresser as theres is stronger than drug store bought, mix it with powdered bleach to a paste Paint on and let it dry over night wash off and let it soak in clean water for a couple hours to get rid of any remaining bleach then let dry turns out great