Boiling Deer Skulls.

[Smossy]

Yuck. Just started boiling two half antler skulls I have that were given to us by a member on here. Just as something to have on my wall for deco.. Was still lots of matter/hair/skin on them so Im getting them all cleaned up to put on some plaque mounts.
Fun lil project. Alittle practice for when I decide to do my own down the road. Atleast Ill know what I have to do.


So far, Boiling them in water, a small 2x2 and a much larger 3x3. Removing all the skin/hair/matter from the skull with a skinning knife and brillow pad. Just trying to get it clean for the most part.

Next I think Im gonna do a nice wipedown with pure bleach on just the skull part, then leave them overnight.
Tomorrow Ill try to find a good wood varnish or something along those lines and cheap, to give it a nice finished look.

Then eventually get them mounted.

Hows all that sound, to all you guys that have been down this road before?

Ill post some photos in a bit.

I forgot to mention the stench... Yummy, Smells like cooked roadkill/leather.. 

[tjthebest]

Dont use bleach. Use hydrogen peroxide. you also might want to try and degrease the skull as well.

[Bean Counter]

Boiling is the quick and dirty method. Boil too long and you'll weaken the bones and make it susceptible to fracture. If you need it done quickly but have more patience then just boiling it then i would turn the propane stove down adjust simmer it. Use lots of Dawn dish soap to keep the grease from subducting into the skull. Bleach will also weaken. I haven't used it and peroxide whitens just fine.

[elk247]

Theres a good link on here about diy european mounts. Lots of taxidermist input. Carfeful with the bleach. I did a nice 3x4 buck years ago and the bleach made the skull very brittle.

[Smossy]

Ok no bleach then!

[h20hunter]

Better make sure this is indoors....to much fresh air will ruin the scent...


PICS!

[Bean Counter]

Lol; that's just cruel. 

[NRA4LIFE]

throw a bit of borax in the boiling water also.  That will turn the gunk into a jello like substance and degreases it pretty good too.  HP for the finishing whitening.

[NoImpactNoIdea]

Better make sure this is indoors....to much fresh air will ruin the scent...


PICS!

Sage advise.

[Smossy]

Better make sure this is indoors....to much fresh air will ruin the scent...


PICS!

I am, most definetly... In doors right now.. Lol doing it on my kitchen stove! Good thing my girls not home.

[Smossy]

throw a bit of borax in the boiling water also.  That will turn the gunk into a jello like substance and degreases it pretty good too.  HP for the finishing whitening.

I have some on hand actually, about how much does it matter?

[Becky]

Better make sure this is indoors....to much fresh air will ruin the scent...

PICS!

I am, most definetly... In doors right now.. Lol doing it on my kitchen stove! Good thing my girls not home.

  ... ^^^ I WAS JUST TYPING THAT.

[Smossy]

Pics on the way.

[elk247]

Dear god! I hope not. I have two keg shells one for boiling crab and one for skulls. They are labled and not interchangable.

[Smossy]

Here we go.

[Smossy]

Dear god! I hope not. I have two keg shells one for boiling crab and one for skulls. They are labled and not interchangable.

Im gonna make chowder in this same pot tomorrow.

[elk247]

Looks good.

[Smossy]

3x3 after boiling and cleaning.

Now just gotta HP them and be good for the night.

[Becky]

Dear god! I hope not. I have two keg shells one for boiling crab and one for skulls. They are labled and not interchangable.

Im gonna make chowder in this same pot tomorrow.

Yuck, good thing I'm basically lactose intolerant... no skull flesh thick bubbly clam chowder for me.

[Smossy]

Dear god! I hope not. I have two keg shells one for boiling crab and one for skulls. They are labled and not interchangable.

Im gonna make chowder in this same pot tomorrow.

Yuck, good thing I'm basically lactose intolerant... no skull flesh thick bubbly clam chowder for me.

But

[elk247]

Im skull flesh bubbley chowder intolerant so none for me either.

[Smossy]

Im skull flesh bubbley chowder intolerant so none for me either.

Oh maaan lol. More for me!

[Becky]

Dear god! I hope not. I have two keg shells one for boiling crab and one for skulls. They are labled and not interchangable.

Im gonna make chowder in this same pot tomorrow.

Yuck, good thing I'm basically lactose intolerant... no skull flesh thick bubbly clam chowder for me.

But

  that's all you baby, it's against my diet anyway  too much, umm... ick added... for my fat girl figure

[Holg3107]

Lookin good Smossy. Now you should try re-coloring them. There are a few topics on the subject if you do a search, but shoe polish or wood stain works really well. Have fun with the new project.

[Smossy]

Lookin good Smossy. Now you should try re-coloring them. There are a few topics on the subject if you do a search, but shoe polish or wood stain works really well. Have fun with the new project.

Yeah thats next! Thanks buddy

[Smossy]

Ok, seriously??? Lol This video makes me chuckle hard
Looks sooo professionally done. 
How to mount deer horns

[elk247]

Wow, i feel bad for the deer that was out smarted by that guy. At least he didnt attach it to the scooter.

[kentrek]

i hope that was ment to be a joke lol (the vid)

good work tho,sometimes that old skin around the horns can be pretty rock solid when its been on there awhile

i was going to suggest bone white spray paint for a fast job but it looks great that way too 

[kentrek]

here is a skull i did with paint,they dont look as good as others but for the time it takes its what i end up doing most of the time

[Smossy]

i hope that was ment to be a joke lol (the vid)

good work tho,sometimes that old skin around the horns can be pretty rock solid when its been on there awhile

i was going to suggest bone white spray paint for a fast job but it looks great that way too 

If it was a full skull, I would hydrograph It. I think It would look awesome. I seen another person post a picture of one. I was in aw.

[Smossy]

WeHuntSC.com - Camo Skull Update

[kentrek]

idk bout the camo...call me old fashioned  if i was gona take the time (a real trophy) to do a dip i think id would rather try maceration ?? idk bout that spelling

[shadowless_nite]

I read through all the post and dont recall anyone explaining what the hydrogen peroxide... save yourself the mess and dont use the brown bottle stuff your mom put on your cuts as a child (though it does work). Go to a beauty supply store and pick up sone 40 volume peroxide used when dying hair. It is much thicker and can be brushed on with a cheap paint brush. Then when it dries you can wash or brush it off.

Hope this helps a little.

[Smossy]

I read through all the post and dont recall anyone explaining what the hydrogen peroxide... save yourself the mess and dont use the brown bottle stuff your mom put on your cuts as a child (though it does work). Go to a beauty supply store and pick up sone 40 volume peroxide used when dying hair. It is much thicker and can be brushed on with a cheap paint brush. Then when it dries you can wash or brush it off.

Hope this helps a little.

I can get it that at my local hydroponic store.. Wouldnt know where a beauty supply store is.
They look fine now though without doing either or.
They will more than likely be covered up with leather once I mount them also.

[Old Mule]

Before you boil the Skull, Wrap cellophane around the burrs and up the Antler, then wrap that tightly with duct tape that will keep all the color on the Horns. Scrape the flesh off frequently while boiling the faster you get it done the stronger the bones will be. 

[Worldhunter]

Smossy,

I felt adventorous after a hunt and decided I wanted a European mount, below we're the steps I followed:

1) Boil in salt brine for about six hours... 2) Clean off residual matter with a pressure washer...3)  Glue back together.... 4) Get beauty store hydrogen peroxide and saturate gauze with it ...5)  Apply to skull for two hours... 5) rinse and mount on plaque from hobby store. 6) hang on wall

Turned out decent

[DoubleJ]

If it were me, at this point, I'd just dry it off real good and salt it.  Cover it in salt for a few weeks.  every day for the first week, pull it out of the salt and knock all of the salt that sticks to it in the garbage and put the skull plate back into the salt and cover it.  After about a week, do this weekly for about a month.  Then pull it out, clean the salt off, and get one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Hunters-Specialties-Deer-Antler-Mounting/dp/B001F0GPMQ  They have them everywhere from Wal Mart to Cabelas for about $20.

I never went with the mounting part, I just cut the flesh off and put it in the salt as described above.  I still need to get a mounting kit but for now, the skull plate is sitting on my computer.

 

[sirmissalot]

I prefer the leather wrapped look. Here are my bucks from this year I just finished them on a rainy day a month or so ago

[elk247]

Looks good. Like the leather wrap.