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Community => Taxidermy & Scoring => Topic started by: longstevo on August 27, 2013, 04:06:06 PM

Title: Help with European mount
Post by: longstevo on August 27, 2013, 04:06:06 PM: Hey guys,
It's been a while since I've been on. Need some help with a couple skull mounts I'm doing.
I boiled and cleaned two skulls of mine a couple years ago and since they've sat. Theres still some dried greasy skuzz in some places. What's be the best next step? More peroxide? Something else?
Title: Re: Help with European mount
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on August 27, 2013, 05:22:59 PM: That is grease leaching out of the bone. All those wet spots and orange spots are grease. The grease is cooked into the bone due to the boiling. You need to degrease it. Dawn dish soap and water in a bucket with a tank heater. Could take a couple months. Water needs changed about every 2-3 days.

After a month pull it out and let it sit in clean warm water to dilute the soap for 24 hours. Then set it out to dry in a warm place for a week or 2. If you see more wet spots coming back to the surface. Back in the degreaser for a few more weeks. Repeat til there are no wet spots. Then peroside it.

Be carefule and make sure you keep checking the bone. The boiling has degraded the bone. If it starts getting soft in spots you may want to quit working on it.
Title: Re: Help with European mount
Post by: longstevo on August 27, 2013, 07:32:42 PM: If I don't have a tank heater will just soap and water work?

And covering it with another layer without degreasing will just leak through again I presume?
Title: Re: Help with European mount
Post by: biggfish on August 27, 2013, 08:00:53 PM: Tagging interested myself.
Title: Re: Help with European mount
Post by: Call em in on August 27, 2013, 08:06:13 PM: Quote from: Michelle_Nelson on August 27, 2013, 05:22:59 PM
That is grease leaching out of the bone. All those wet spots and orange spots are grease. The grease is cooked into the bone due to the boiling. You need to degrease it. Dawn dish soap and water in a bucket with a tank heater. Could take a couple months. Water needs changed about every 2-3 days.

After a month pull it out and let it sit in clean warm water to dilute the soap for 24 hours. Then set it out to dry in a warm place for a week or 2. If you see more wet spots coming back to the surface. Back in the degreaser for a few more weeks. Repeat til there are no wet spots. Then peroside it.

Be carefule and make sure you keep checking the bone. The boiling has degraded the bone. If it starts getting soft in spots you may want to quit working on it.

What ratio of dawn soap to water? Thanks
Title: Re: Help with European mount
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on August 27, 2013, 08:37:47 PM: I'd say 2-3 oz per 4 gallons of water.

It will work but not nearly as quickly as if you had a tank heater.
Title: Re: Help with European mount
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on August 27, 2013, 08:38:57 PM: It won't work well at all once it gets cold outside.
Title: Re: Help with European mount
Post by: bugs n bones on August 27, 2013, 09:08:34 PM: 120 degree dawn and water....... might take a couple months now that its been boiled
Title: Re: Help with European mount
Post by: j_h_nimrod on August 27, 2013, 09:33:57 PM: I have used Simple Green in place of Dawn in a very hot water bath. Boil lightly if you can and then just keep hot. I would recommend the clear SG because I have had a bit of green stain before with the regular SG.
Title: Re: Help with European mount
Post by: Pilot_Hunter on August 28, 2013, 02:36:42 PM: I simmered a skull in water for a while, peeled all the flesh off, and the let it sit in a bucket with dish soap. I changed the water every week or so. It came out the whitest skull I have. I haven't even whitened it yet and it is VERY white.

I suggest to just let it soak in water with some dish soap.
Title: Re: Help with European mount
Post by: longstevo on August 30, 2013, 05:26:54 PM: Quote from: Pilot_Hunter on August 28, 2013, 02:36:42 PM
I simmered a skull in water for a while, peeled all the flesh off, and the let it sit in a bucket with dish soap. I changed the water every week or so. It came out the whitest skull I have. I haven't even whitened it yet and it is VERY white.

I suggest to just let it soak in water with some dish soap.

Did you have any problems with antler discoloration?
Title: Re: Help with European mount
Post by: Pilot_Hunter on August 30, 2013, 06:05:58 PM: Quote from: longstevo on August 30, 2013, 05:26:54 PM
Quote from: Pilot_Hunter on August 28, 2013, 02:36:42 PM
I simmered a skull in water for a while, peeled all the flesh off, and the let it sit in a bucket with dish soap. I changed the water every week or so. It came out the whitest skull I have. I haven't even whitened it yet and it is VERY white.

I suggest to just let it soak in water with some dish soap.

Did you have any problems with antler discoloration?

No I made sure the water line was below the antlers.
Title: Re: Help with European mount
Post by: longstevo on September 06, 2013, 08:30:03 PM: Completed work.

Hopefully I managed to take care of most of the grease.
Title: Re: Help with European mount
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on September 06, 2013, 10:22:26 PM: As much grease as I see in that skull in the first pic its going to take longer than a week to degrease.