do it yourself skull cleaning?

[Kain]

Anyone point me in the right direction? 

Thanks

[Michelle_Nelson]

Yeah throw that head in the freezer.  The next skull I get in for a Euro I am going to do a step by step tutorial on Maceration.

[Kain]

You rock!  In the freezer and waiting.

[Huntbear]

Yeah throw that head in the freezer.  The next skull I get in for a Euro I am going to do a step by step tutorial on Maceration.

Thought you had already done one?

[CoryTDF]

I usually boil mine and then use the magnesium and peroxide kit out of Van Dykes. Maceration??? Is that a better way to do it? I looked into Beatles, wow, what a pain in the butt they seem to be. I'm no taxidermist but i boiling them in dawn dish soap, pickin them, washing them in dawn, soaking them in gasoline for five min, washing again, and applying the mag/peroxide mix seems to do a pretty good job for me. The gas smell fades faster than you might think and does a great job of disloving any grease that the soap could not handle.

[mossback91]

tried maceration last spring...........works awesome

[washingtonmuley]

I did the maceration on a bear it worked great although it took awhile.

[Michelle_Nelson]

I started a thread on it but never got around to finnishing it.  I am going to do it step by step so some can follow along.

Maceration is far beter than boiling.  Boiling breaks down the bone and causes grease to set into the bone.  Soaking in gas for 5 minutes will not degrease a skull.  I soak some Bear skulls in Acetone for 6 weeks befor it is totaly degreased. 

Maceration is not a fast process but the results are far better than boiling.  The metod is very gentle on the skull.  Deer will normally take around 2 months to finnish.  Bear Skulls atleast 3 months.

[MtnMuley]

Beetles all the way.  I've boiled 20 plus heads and they turn out fine, but time consuming.  Having a buddy with bugs is the ticket.  All nasal cavity stays in tact this way, and you have more time to hunt!

[Michelle_Nelson]

Beetles all the way.  I've boiled 20 plus heads and they turn out fine, but time consuming.  Having a buddy with bugs is the ticket.  All nasal cavity stays in tact this way, and you have more time to hunt!

Same with Maceration.  Never had a problem with it and hard to screw it up.  You donlt have to worry about feeding a 5 gallon bucket in the off season.

[MtnMuley]

Bugs take a few days to do a skull.  Maceration takes weeks.  Havn't noticed any stinky skulls from the beetle eaten ones, but I sure have from maceration.  Also, one coyote skull per week in the slow months does the beetles just fine.

[ICEMAN]

I buried one in with the daisies near our front walk a few years back, antlers protruding above the soil....

Yeah   nasty when checking on it occassionally. I then peroxided it for my buddies son..... For the next one, I better pay attention to Michelle's tutorial later....

[Michelle_Nelson]

Yeah but I have seen beetles eat holes inside the delicate nasal bones of bears and deer.  Maceration doesn't do that.  Still takes months with beetles.  You still have to degrease.  Let it dry atleast a week so you can see the grease.  If it's done than you whiten and let dry.  Than seal.  I have used Beetles, Boiling, nature, and Maceration.  I prefer Maceration.

[ICEMAN]

The bury in the yard trick turned out like crap....glad it wasn't mine...

[Buckmark]

The bury in the yard trick turned out like crap....glad it wasn't mine...

Yup. i did the same thing, did not like how it turned out, all my skulls now go to a taxi, come back clean and white..