I've been doing Taxidermy for over 11 years. I've been around the block more than a few times when it comes to cleaning skulls. I have used just about every popular method there is to clean skulls. I've boiled, simmered, used beetles, maggots, and have macerated. I've whitened skulls in both straight 3%, 27% and 30% peroxide and also bleach. I've used 40 Volume hair developer with the powder. I've also used 30% peroxide mixed with a type of chalk powder and painted in on skulls.
So when I give advice or directions on using a specific method or NOT using a specific method of skull cleaning its not something that I just read online and thought it sounded good. When it comes to skull cleaning Maceration is the method I prefer and recommend for getting a Taxidermist quality skull. Beetles are a close second. Boiling, simmering and burying a skull in an anthill is by far at the end of my list.
There is absolutely no reason someone can't do a taxidermy quality skull on there own. It will take more time then just boiling them out. You will see the difference in the results and quality you get. Boiling is an instant gratification
. People want it and want it now.
There are taxidermists out there that still boil skulls. It's a cheap way of cleaning a skull
. Even though they are boiled some can still look OK. If that's good enough for you, that's fine. I'm not criticizing. If your happy with it, that's fine. I'm just a lot more picky about what leaves my shop. I have also seen a lot of people and a few taxidermists ruin skulls by boiling/simmering them.
De-fleshing and CleaningBoiling and Simmering. Is one of the harshest skull cleaning methods that most people use. The heat degrades the bone. Causing the bone to break down. Boil or simmer to long and it will cause the skull to become chalky and more delicate bone structures (nasal bones) to fall apart. It also causes grease to leach into the bone. Making it harder to degrease. It can also cause teeth to crack due to extreme temperature changes, especially when using a hose to rinse the skull off.
Some of the chemicals people use in the water that they boil the skulls in only makes things worse. Especially when they start mixing chemicals! Powdered laundry soap, Simple green, Purple power, Bleach, Borax, Dawn dish soap, and many other degreasers.
Burying in an ant hill. Depending on how long you leave the skull in the dirt it is exposed to the acids and minerals in the soil causing discoloration of the bone and can be super difficult to get out. Not to mention the color loss of the antlers due to rain, sun, and the minerals and acids in the soil. Keep a close eye on where you put it because it is not past squirrels and other rodents to chew on the antlers and bone. If they get to it before a dog, cat, coon, possum, or some other animal gets to it and either chews it up of drags it off.
Beetles. They are a great way to clean skulls. Depending on the size of the skull and how hot a colony is it can take anywhere from just a few days to a month to clean all the meat off. The one thing you have to deal with is getting all those annoying beetle casings out of the skull and nasal area. It you don't get them all out it's not going to really hurt anything. To me it is just annoying to listen to them rattling around in there.
Maceration. By far my favorite method. Bear and Deer Skulls typically take 6-8 days to clean all the way. Elk and Moose take roughly 8 - 14 days. The more meat, eyes and brain you remove off the skull the quicker it will clean. All your using in the process is a container of water deep enough to cover the skull, fish tank heater capable of keeping the water at between 75-95 degrees, and the skull.
DegreasingPurple power, Simple green, Formula 409, Ammonia, and other chemicals used for degreasing. A lot of chemicals I have heard of people using I am not 100% sure what these chemicals do as far as degreasing. The danger is what are these chemicals doing to you when you add them to boiling water and your breathing in the fumes. Compounding the problem is when your mixing these chemicals. What are they creating? A corrosive that is breaking down your skull? Who knows. If you read the warning label on most chemicals they warn against mixing them.
Dawn Dish Soap. Is what I use to degrease my skulls. It is a gentle way to degrease skulls. It takes a little longer than boiling but it's not doing damage to your skull kept at a lower temperature (80 - 120 degrees). It can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 months to degrease a skull depending on the size, age, species, and time of year the animal was killed.
Whitening Bleach. Absolute worst thing you can use to try and whiten a skull. Bleach is a harsh corrosive. It breaks the bone down. The skull will become chalky and brittle over time. Because you can't neutralize bleach with water. It will constantly work on the the skull. Adding Bleach to boiling or simmering water when cleaning the skull only speeds up the break down.
Hair Developer. Good stuff and works good. There are different strengths and a lot of people don't know that. They use the lower volume and it doesn't work as quick and they get frustrated. I have used it in the past and it works well on large skulls you can't soak in peroxide.
10 Volume Hair Developer is 3% peroxide.
20 Volume Hair Developer is 6% peroxide.
30 Volume Hair Developer is 9% peroxide.
40 Volume Hair Developer is 12% peroxide.
3% Peroxide. Same stuff you put on cuts and boo boo's. It will whiten a skull. It may take a little longer than using the stronger stuff but it is about the safest way to go. It can take a couple days to fully whiten but it is also not as harsh on skulls. You may have to change the peroxide if you are doing multiple skulls because it will weaken.
High % Peroxide. (up to 35% Peroxide) I use 30% peroxide. It can be dangerous mishandled and I don't recommend just anyone using it. If you spill it on your skin it
WILL BURN YOU. Splash it in your eye and you can go
BLIND. If you try and heat it in a pot it
WILL EXPLODE! I ALWAYS wear gloves and eye glasses. I am always careful when using it. It's not a joke.
