How to do a European Mount. . . Maceration.

[Pathfinder101]

OKAY, headed to Petco right now to get a new heater.  I must have been using one too small...

[Pathfinder101]

...All right... back in the soup he goes....
Yeah, that's what I did wrong... I had an itty-bitty heater...

[Elkslayer]

Michelle,
I have a skull that has been sitting outside for two years in my garage. If I start this process and put some meat in it will itfinish cleaning the skull and whiten it?

[PolarBear]

I did one last year that had been on top of my chicken coop for a couple of years.  I soaked it in a bucket with a heater for a week, simmered it with sal soda for 1/2 hour (until all the rest of the meat fell off) soaked it in Dawn for a couple of days and then bleached it out.  It looks as white as if it had been done fresh.

[Elkslayer]

Thanks PolarBear, where do I get sal soda?

[PolarBear]

I get it through taxidermy supply like Van Dykes.  The maceration with meat will probably work fine as well.  You just need to soak it good to rehyrate the meat.

[Michelle_Nelson]

SuperDave you only want to change 1/2 the water at a time.  From now on I wouldn't change the water again.

The nose cartlige is the very last to come out.  Don't force it or you will have to dig or it will break off and than you will have to dig it out.

I have got Deer and Bear skulls cleaning in around 10 days and Elk in 12 days.  Usually waiting on the nasal cartlige to loosen.   

[Hornseeker]

Michelle et al...

I killed a bull in 98 that I never skinned the head on... still full hide around the skull, ears and all... I'd love to get it to Euro stage someday...

Will this process work to get that fur/hide off there? As you know, its about useless trying to actually skin it at this point...

Thanks for any advice!

My buddy just finished my big bull yesterday... he boiled it... then he used peroxide to get him white... man its nice. I'll get some pics up this weekend.

[Michelle_Nelson]

Yes but you will have a harder time and it will take a lot longer because of the meat being dryed on but i see no reason why it can't be done.

[Hornseeker]

Thanks... I will pick up a tank heater and give it a shot... or...maybe I'll wait till summer, hell, its already been 3 years... so...

[Pathfinder101]

Well, I just checked the soup.  Working much better now that I have an adult-sized heater...
(Still smells like the underside of a Tyrannosaurus Rex's nutsack....)

[bow4elk]

Well, I just checked the soup.  Working much better now that I have an adult-sized heater...
(Still smells like the underside of a Tyrannosaurus Rex's nutsack....)

nice...fumunda cheese

[BLKBEARKLR]

Well, I just checked the soup.  Working much better now that I have an adult-sized heater...
(Still smells like the underside of a Tyrannosaurus Rex's nutsack....)

nice...fumunda cheese

 

[Pathfinder101]

Okay, they're finally done.  Good Lord, that took a while.  I don't know that I will ever do that again.  Stunk pretty bad, took a LONG time, and I still wound up picking at the thing for a couple of hours to get it completely clean, but I've gotta say, they are the prettiest skulls I have ever done.  Love how the nasal bones stay intact.  I'll try to remember to take some pics and post them later. 
I guess I could put up with all of it again, except the smell.  I just don't have a place at my house that I can stink up like that and remain married...

[Michelle_Nelson]

You must just have bad luck.  I just Macerated a Bison Skull and it only took 10 days to finnish cleaning with about 5 minutes total of pulling loose flesh off.  It's been in the degreaser for 2 days now. 

You must not have had your temperature up high enough and it didn't help that your first heater gave up the ghost half way through.