Hunting Washington Forum
Washington State Hunting Forum and Northwest Resource Site
Please
login
or
register
.
1 Hour
1 Day
1 Week
1 Month
Forever
Login with username, password and session length
News:
Free:
Contests & Raffles
.
Home
Help
Calendar
Advertise
Login
Register
Hunting Washington Forum
»
Community
»
Taxidermy & Scoring
»
Degreasing Bear Skull
Advertisement
« previous
next »
Print
Pages: [
1
]
2
All
Go Down
Author
Topic: Degreasing Bear Skull (Read 10338 times)
troyspinetar
Trade Count:
(
+1
)
Scout
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 359
Location: Lake Stevens, WA
Groups: NRA
Degreasing Bear Skull
«
on:
December 30, 2013, 07:13:35 AM »
So my skull has been cleaned, now sitting in "Dawn" degreasing bath. I've read it can take weeks to months at this stage. My question is, how do you know when the skull is done? Is there a particular look or feel to the skull or should the bath water have a certain tint? I'm ready for the long haul, but being this is my first time I'm not sure exactly what to look for. Thanks.
I've been looking on the forum for tips and tricks on the topic, forgive me if I've missed it. Thanks!
Logged
Advertise Here
Advertise Here
PolarBear
Site Sponsor
Trade Count:
(
+4
)
Explorer
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 10468
Location: Tatooine
Re: Degreasing Bear Skull
«
Reply #1 on:
December 30, 2013, 07:18:41 AM »
After a few days the bubbles will leave and it is flat water. Look for the thin grease slick on the top of the water. I let it go until I no longer get that grease slick after changing water and letting it settle. I'm doing an elk head right now that has been degreasing for 2 months and still is not done. Bear might take even longer.
Logged
troyspinetar
Trade Count:
(
+1
)
Scout
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 359
Location: Lake Stevens, WA
Groups: NRA
Re: Degreasing Bear Skull
«
Reply #2 on:
December 30, 2013, 12:24:57 PM »
Right on thanks Polar Bear!
Logged
PolarBear
Site Sponsor
Trade Count:
(
+4
)
Explorer
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 10468
Location: Tatooine
Re: Degreasing Bear Skull
«
Reply #3 on:
December 30, 2013, 12:32:09 PM »
No problem. It takes a long time but it is well worth it especially if you have ever done one only to have grease leach through a couple of months after hanging it in your house.
Logged
troyspinetar
Trade Count:
(
+1
)
Scout
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 359
Location: Lake Stevens, WA
Groups: NRA
Re: Degreasing Bear Skull
«
Reply #4 on:
December 30, 2013, 12:52:43 PM »
For sure. I was amazed at how greasy and slimy the skull was when I was picking and cleaning! It should turn out nice.
Logged
blindluck
Non-Hunting Topics
Trade Count:
(
+1
)
Sourdough
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 1018
Location: Over yonder
Re: Degreasing Bear Skull
«
Reply #5 on:
December 30, 2013, 01:09:59 PM »
PolarBear, what is your water temp for degreasing, right now I have 4 bear skulls and a deer degreasing in a tub with a fish tank heater about 82 deg.
Logged
PolarBear
Site Sponsor
Trade Count:
(
+4
)
Explorer
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 10468
Location: Tatooine
Re: Degreasing Bear Skull
«
Reply #6 on:
December 30, 2013, 01:21:19 PM »
I keep mine around 90-92. I found out last year that putting a bunch of heads in at the same time made it take longer and was tougher to get th grease out.
Logged
blindluck
Non-Hunting Topics
Trade Count:
(
+1
)
Sourdough
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 1018
Location: Over yonder
Re: Degreasing Bear Skull
«
Reply #7 on:
December 30, 2013, 03:42:16 PM »
Note taken, Thanks
Logged
troyspinetar
Trade Count:
(
+1
)
Scout
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 359
Location: Lake Stevens, WA
Groups: NRA
Re: Degreasing Bear Skull
«
Reply #8 on:
December 30, 2013, 07:24:48 PM »
Does it not work if you don't have your water up above room temp? Or does it just take longer? I guess I need to pick up a heater. Thanks guys.
Logged
Elk whack master
Trade Count:
(
0
)
Scout
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 482
Re: Degreasing Bear Skull
«
Reply #9 on:
December 30, 2013, 07:34:58 PM »
How so you get the water to 120? A special heater? I used a big aquarium heater and only able to get it to low to mid 90s in a cooler outside last winter.
Logged
Take a back road!
Chew tobacco, chew tobacco, chew tobacco, SPIT !!!
Elk whack master
Trade Count:
(
0
)
Scout
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 482
Re: Degreasing Bear Skull
«
Reply #10 on:
December 31, 2013, 09:50:11 PM »
Thanks! I'll try that to finish degreasing. I gave up and its still has yellow spots sitting in a garbage bag.
Logged
Take a back road!
Chew tobacco, chew tobacco, chew tobacco, SPIT !!!
blindluck
Non-Hunting Topics
Trade Count:
(
+1
)
Sourdough
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 1018
Location: Over yonder
Re: Degreasing Bear Skull
«
Reply #11 on:
January 01, 2014, 08:10:06 AM »
Thanks to everyone for the tips, I just built a degreasing tub with a 1500 watt heater element, I filled it with water above the element and put my two 5 gal buckets full of water in the tub now she is degreasing away at 120 degrees. No more fish tank heater.
Logged
blindluck
Non-Hunting Topics
Trade Count:
(
+1
)
Sourdough
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 1018
Location: Over yonder
Re: Degreasing Bear Skull
«
Reply #12 on:
January 03, 2014, 08:06:31 AM »
just out of curiosity what are peoples experience length of time degreasing a boiled skull vs a beetled or macerated skull? I would bet the boiled would be considerably longer.
Logged
daydreamn
Trade Count:
(
0
)
Scout
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 260
Re: Degreasing Bear Skull
«
Reply #13 on:
January 03, 2014, 09:35:18 PM »
Macerated skulls. 48 hrs @130. About 1 cup of Dawn per 10 gallons water. If they are fresh skulls I get zero oil spots when done. Older skulls take a couple days longer. I just finished 4 deer and a mt goat this week end and scraped about a full cup of grease and oil off the top of the tub.
Logged
sirmissalot
Past Sponsor
Trade Count:
(
+1
)
Frontiersman
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 3070
Location: Shelton, WA
Re: Degreasing Bear Skull
«
Reply #14 on:
January 06, 2014, 10:38:35 AM »
You really need to get the water warmer than room temperature or even a fish tank heater can get. The easiest thing I've found for doing one deer or bear skull at a time is a 6 quart crock pot on the keep warm setting, its right around 120 which is perfect to get the fat and grease to leach out. I have a big tub with a water heater and thermostat for doing elk size skulls.
The more water change outs you do, the faster the process will go. You want to keep the skull in clean and clear water, so the first week or so you should be doing water change outs every day or every other day. When the skull is sitting in cloudy, greasy water its not going to pull the grease out nearly as fast. A bear skull should be done in a month or so if done right, but sometimes they will take a bit longer.
More dawn is not always better either, just add enough to make soapy water if you were to splash it around.
Logged
Advertise Here
Print
Pages: [
1
]
2
All
Go Up
« previous
next »
Hunting Washington Forum
»
Community
»
Taxidermy & Scoring
»
Degreasing Bear Skull
Advertisement
Advertise Here
Quick Links
Front Page
Donate To Forum
Advertise on H-W
Recent Posts
Articles
Forum Rules
Recent Topics
Primer 157 vs 209
by
EnglishSetter
[
Today
at 11:30:27 AM]
Evergreen youth livestock show and sale
by
nwwanderer
[
Today
at 11:06:58 AM]
Selkirk bull moose.
by
ThunderRolls
[
Today
at 10:14:52 AM]
Sportsman Alliance files petition to Gov Ferguson for removal of corrupt WA Wildlife Commissioners
by
hunter399
[
Today
at 09:35:53 AM]
2025 Quality Chewuch Tag
by
elkaholic123
[
Today
at 08:39:45 AM]
Rotator Cuff repair X 2 advice needed
by
Wood2Sawdust
[
Today
at 07:49:52 AM]
Upland Side by Side
by
OutHouse
[
Today
at 07:37:28 AM]
Tooth age on Quinault bull
by
nwwanderer
[
Today
at 06:54:44 AM]
Public Land Sale Senate Budget Reconciliation
by
JDArms1240
[
Yesterday
at 08:45:13 PM]
North Peninsula Salmon Fishing
by
metlhead
[
Yesterday
at 07:43:57 PM]
3 days for Kings
by
Stein
[
Yesterday
at 06:45:11 PM]
Kinda fun LH rimfire rifle project
by
JDHasty
[
Yesterday
at 06:44:33 PM]
Can’t fish for pinks area 8-2?
by
WAcoueshunter
[
Yesterday
at 05:22:46 PM]
GMU 247 Entiat bear hunting
by
GeoSwan
[
Yesterday
at 03:02:21 PM]
2025 NWTF Jakes Day
by
wadu1
[
Yesterday
at 02:19:48 PM]
Dandy Bull
by
Buckhunter24
[
Yesterday
at 01:29:37 PM]
Tricer AD tripod
by
gee_unit360
[
Yesterday
at 12:40:45 PM]
How a Product That Changed Hunting FOREVER was invented in the 1980's
by
jrebel
[
Yesterday
at 11:28:44 AM]
Ten Years, and still plugging along
by
JWBINX
[
Yesterday
at 10:22:55 AM]
Sauk Unit Youth Elk Tips
by
high_hunter
[
Yesterday
at 10:04:16 AM]
SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2025, SimplePortal