DIY Euro Mount

[lewy]

Thats cheap, for 100 yeah makes sense but most guys are 2 or 3 times that now and that just doesnt pencil out for me unless its a toad of a buck. I literally have dozens and dozens of euros, cant imagine having that much money tied up in em Once you have a formula its an easy process that you can do while doing something else productive to


 

[Caseknife]

Baking soda is your friend.  As others have said, cut/clean as much as possible including removing the brain prior to SIMMERING.  I use a box of baking soda with dish soap in the water, helps turn stuff to mush.  Little forceps, picks, needle nose pliers etc to do the fine picking.  The one thing with hydrogen peroxide in the bath is it will bleach the antler bases so have to watch for that.  Baking soda and dish soap will not discolor the antlers.

[huntnphool]

@M_ray has done my last couple, they turned out great. Maybe he will chime in.

[Pete112288]

I am on the same page as a lot of advice that is already here.
I have a coleman camp stove with the little green propane bottles.
I pretty much run it low and slow till I empty one bottle, typically one whole day while doing other chores.
I have a metal box that just perfectly fits a deer skull and supports the antlers out of the way. A repurposed liner from an indoor planter.
I drop one or two dishwasher pods in it. 20 minutes pressure washing and a little picking here and there and its done. I like to leave it the regular bone color it comes out as.
The biggest thing to me is prep work. The more you take off a head of time the better. And the soonest you do it after the kill the easier it is to cut everything off.
By the time I put it in the water all skin and hair is gone, 90% of the muscle. The lower jaw and tongue are gone. I coat hanger the brain cavity like crazy. Hose it out. Do it again, etc. The brain cavity is pretty dang clean before going in. I break out the ear bones. I cut the eyes out and everything behind them I can manage.
I look at it like painting or seal coating asphalt. The better the prep the better the result.

[Buck Rub Jr]

Joel at Blackriver did my whitetail from last year and looks better than the one I did myself for sure. The one I did is not quite as white and I lost a bit of the cartilage and what not. The one he did turned out perfect. It was 175 for the deer and I think 150? for my bear. I looked at that place in eatonville mentioned and has a few pics posted where the antlers are bleached white a couple inches up the bases. I’ll definitely use blackriver for all of mine unless I want to euro a dinker and want to mess around and do one myself again. I simmered and didn’t use oxy clean or anything in the water so I’m sure that didn’t help. Twisting up a wire coat hanger and putting the back end in a drill helped scrambled the brains really good and electric pressure washer to blow it out and spray it off.

[millerwheeler]

I think white bone creations you tube page has so many diy videos that are so excellent !!!

Oxi clean , baking soda , and getting as much off as possible , remove ear buds , and volume 40 bleach all great tips

[pickardjw]

I'll be using peroxide paste to whiten, haven't had time to get to that quite yet.

I watched some of the whitebone creations videos last night, lots of good tips there.

One of the disappointing things is how brittle much of it seems to be now. First deer skull I've handled so maybe they're all like that? The whole nose seems to want to fall off. The two nose pieces indicated in the attached photo are intact in most skull photos but are loose and about to fall off on mine. That's really why I'm looking into more "delicate" options.

[jrebel]

I'll be using peroxide paste to whiten, haven't had time to get to that quite yet.

I watched some of the whitebone creations videos last night, lots of good tips there.

One of the disappointing things is how brittle much of it seems to be now. First deer skull I've handled so maybe they're all like that? The whole nose seems to want to fall off. The two nose pieces indicated in the attached photo are intact in most skull photos but are loose and about to fall off on mine. That's really why I'm looking into more "delicate" options.

Likely had the water to hot if the bones are that brittle.   Low and slow will remedy that problem.   A little glue from a hot glue gun will fix the nose bones if needed. 

[pickardjw]

The water actually never reached a boil. Really old burner didn't kick out much heat, used a 7.5 gallon oval planter tub probably 5 gallons full. Felt like it took an hour for the water to even get hot.

[vandeman17]

I'll be using peroxide paste to whiten, haven't had time to get to that quite yet.

I watched some of the whitebone creations videos last night, lots of good tips there.

One of the disappointing things is how brittle much of it seems to be now. First deer skull I've handled so maybe they're all like that? The whole nose seems to want to fall off. The two nose pieces indicated in the attached photo are intact in most skull photos but are loose and about to fall off on mine. That's really why I'm looking into more "delicate" options.

Likely had the water to hot if the bones are that brittle.   Low and slow will remedy that problem.   A little glue from a hot glue gun will fix the nose bones if needed.

I have only done a few but I have been told you either go hot and fast or low and slow to help avoid the bones getting brittle. Twice in a rolling boil water for mine for 30-45 minutes and they came out plenty strong. I also wrapped foil around the base of the antlers to help them not lose their color.

Side track to this thread, I want to try the burying it in the garden method. That seems like it would be pretty darn cool and easy.

[Rutnbuxnbulls]

Another tip- just pop the ear drums out instead of trying to clean around them. This also makes it easier to run a wire loop threw to hang it from

I do the same thing, pop out the eardrums to get stuff cleaner back there. 

As far as mounting, I've been using the brain stem hole and I'll drill about a 5/16" hole an inch down from the stem hole.  Screw two wood screw 1" apart vertically on the wall at my preferred height, battaboom battabing skull is mounted to wall with a floating look.  Just another option.

[Karl Blanchard]

I'll be using peroxide paste to whiten, haven't had time to get to that quite yet.

I watched some of the whitebone creations videos last night, lots of good tips there.

One of the disappointing things is how brittle much of it seems to be now. First deer skull I've handled so maybe they're all like that? The whole nose seems to want to fall off. The two nose pieces indicated in the attached photo are intact in most skull photos but are loose and about to fall off on mine. That's really why I'm looking into more "delicate" options.

Likely had the water to hot if the bones are that brittle.   Low and slow will remedy that problem.   A little glue from a hot glue gun will fix the nose bones if needed.

this. Super glue works well also.

[jrebel]

Here are a couple I have done over the last few years.  These are much improved from my first half dozen attempts.  I feel I have a good routine now...

[jrebel]

Couple bear too

[pianoman9701]

Great mounts. I really like the one on the wood slab.