Boiling a Deer Skull

[oneshotkill]

I am going to be boiling my deer skull for a european mount but I have never done it before.  How long approximately should I do it?  Any tips or instructions on how to do it would be great.

[NRA4LIFE]

Put a little borax in the boiling water.  I use about a 1/2 cup per gallon.  It will help dissolve a lot of the soft tissue.  Boil for 20 minutes and then pick out as much stuff as possible and then repeat with clean water and borax until the skull is clean.  Do NOT use an aluminum pot when using the borax.  I then soak the skull in a 50-50 mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide for a couple days.  Turns the skull snow white.  Be careful not to get any of the horns in that mixture as they will turn white also.

[ponyboy156]

I like to use a pressure washer with a jet nozzle between boils to clean off meat.... just make sure you got full coverage raingear and a mask if you dont like the tase of brains. Seriously its easier than scrapin meat, but way nasty. Oh and dont pressure wash the antlers unless you want jet lines.

[PolarBear]

Simmer, do not boil!

[MuleySniper]

Sounds nasty, but we take a 2" hole saw and drill out the back so all the brains and stuff come out real easy. I'll post some pics up tomorrow.
MS

[Bullistics]

I am likewise, getting ready to do this process, for the first time, and was wondering if you guys take off the lower jaw and remove the tongue before you boil the skull.

[youngchristof]

the bottom jaw will fall off at some point in the simmering process.

[HardCorpsHuntr]

I am likewise, getting ready to do this process, for the first time, and was wondering if you guys take off the lower jaw and remove the tongue before you boil the skull.

Cut it out and toss it, unless you want to keep it (lower jaw).  Take about 15 minutes or less and remove all the big hunks of meat/fat before the boil.

[mossback91]

Maceration does wonders compared to boiling

[grizzlygibbs]

X2 on maceration, I have boiled 3 skulls and maceration takes longer but is well worth the wait.  I am in the middle of the process!

[bucklucky]

If you are going to "simmer" your skull, do yourself a favor and cut away as much meat as you can, take out the eyeballs, and take a hose and wash out the brains first. You should not have to put it in the pot very long. Leave the skull in to long and it will chalk on you and look like poo.