How to do a European Mount. . . Maceration.

[Michelle_Nelson]

Have had quite a few people ask me about my process for cleaning skulls and doing European Mounts.  I just started a skull on December 9th so I will be adding pictures every couple days with comments on the process.  This will take a couple months.

This is what you are going to need!

1. 5 Gallon Bucket

2.  Floating Glass Aquarium Thermometer  

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752255

3.  Fish Tank Heater  I would recommend a heater that can keep your 5 gallon bucket of water heated to at least 85 degrees in winter.  I wouldn't use anything less that the 150 Watts.  Make sure the heater is submersible.

I use the 200 - 250 Watt heaters but I have a 150 gallon tank used to water stock that I macerate in when I have several big skulls.  I will normally run no less than 5 - 200 Watt heaters in this tank at one time.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754055

4.  Knives or Scaple Blades.

5.  A coat hanger or something to get the brains out of the skull.

[Michelle_Nelson]

If the head has been in the freezer I will take it out and put the head down inside of the 5 gallon bucket to thaw for a couple days.



Once thawed out and using your choice of knife or scaple remove all the hide, meat, eye's, Lower jaw, and neck remaining on the skull!





This is a fully preped skull.  Their is still a good bit of meat left on the skull.  Their is plenty of meat removed for the process to work with out problems.  I don't bother removing the upper palat.  It will peal off in about a week.  Though the more meat you remove the faster the process witll go.  Usually you will only save a couple days on a deer skull.





Now using your coat hanger or other tool of choice that will fit inside the back of the skull and scramble the brains.  Now turn the skull up and let the brains run out of the hole while working the tool.  Using a hose you can spray water inside the brain cavity to help wash the brain out.





Now put the skull inside the 5 gallon bucket.  Put something between the antlers and bucket to keep the back of the skull down inside the bucket.  Fill the 5 gallon bucket up with water until the skull is under atleas 1" of water.  Also put the Fish Tank Heater and Floating Thermometer inside the bucket.  Go ahead and plug in the Fish tank Heater.






Now all you can do is wait.

[270Shooter]

Cool . Except the brain part is kinda gross

[Michelle_Nelson]

Except the brain part is kinda gross

Just looks like pudding!

[mossback91]

What do u do to bleach it?

[Michelle_Nelson]

I use 27% peroxide.  I will go into more detail when I get that far on the skull! 

[JoeVon]

So do you end up recoloring the bases of the horns once you are done?  I noticed some on your website that looked like they had been recolored..

[Michelle_Nelson]

Nope.  Why would I recolor them?

[huntnphool]

Okay Michelle, done boiling and everything removed. How do you go about the final detailed cleaning in the tiny cracks? does the peroxide take care of this? Also, I thought I would like the natural yellow color but now think I want it white. If I cant get it cleaner I may have it Hydroprinted but cant find anyone with a desert type camo pattern.

[JoeVon]

Nope.  Why would I recolor them?

If I would have thoroughly read your post I would have seen that you are soaking the deer head in water as a first step....not peroxide. Stupid me...
The peroxide that I use will bleach the antlers or anything it touches for that matter white.  I'm using 39% peroxide but would assume the stuff you're using would also do this.

[Michelle_Nelson]

Nope.  Why would I recolor them?

The peroxide that I use will bleach the antlers or anything it touches for that matter white.  I'm using 39% peroxide though...

I put the skull in peroxide up to about 1" from the antler burs and than I put paper towel around the pedical and top of skull.  Every hour I pour fresh peroxide on the towel. 

[Michelle_Nelson]

How do you go about the final detailed cleaning in the tiny cracks? does the peroxide take care of this? Also, I thought I would like the natural yellow color but now think I want it white.

That is why I don't like boiling.  You won't get the conective tissue out between the bones and up inside the nasal cannal.  Peroxide won't get rid of it.

Peroxide should get rid of most if not all the yellowing.  The yellowing is probably grease set into the bone.  You are going to have to degrese.

[JoeVon]

Nope.  Why would I recolor them?

The peroxide that I use will bleach the antlers or anything it touches for that matter white.  I'm using 39% peroxide though...

I put the skull in peroxide up to about 1" from the antler burs and than I put paper towel around the pedical and top of skull.  Every hour I pour fresh peroxide on the towel. 

That sounds more like it. 

[Michelle_Nelson]

Where are you getting 39% peroxide?  I have never heard of more than 35% being used.  IMO 39% is over kill.

[JoeVon]

Water Treatment.   Call it overkill, but i've never had to soak skulls in water prior to peroxide...