Post by: Band on May 28, 2015, 04:38:15 PM
Post by: Ebell on May 28, 2015, 04:56:58 PM
Post by: n_mathews13 on May 30, 2015, 05:43:39 AM
Post by: BOWHUNTER45 on May 30, 2015, 06:29:15 AM
By the way ...Those mounts look pretty nice ! Band ... :tup:
Post by: Band on May 30, 2015, 09:30:27 AM
I may try it but I think I would dig a hole and fill it with sand ...I bet that would work better than dirt ..Bingo, there's an idea that may help prevent the skull from getting too permanently "dirty". I think I'll try that. I was thinking about putting a yard waste container over the top to prevent critters from chewing on the antlers and hopefully from digging up the skull. :tup:
Post by: n_mathews13 on May 30, 2015, 01:16:57 PM
Leave it for a few months and then check it out. A tote works good to keep it out of sun. If it's done, put in hot water for a few ,then wash it up. Put it in soap for at least a week ( to get any grease out). Then put it in peroxide for a few days. Perfectly white ( not bleached!)
Post by: n_mathews13 on May 30, 2015, 01:22:54 PM
Post by: stevemiller on May 30, 2015, 01:28:38 PM
Post by: HunterStrait on May 30, 2015, 02:17:59 PM
Post by: Band on May 30, 2015, 04:20:39 PM
Good luck with the new method,But I must say the way you were doing them with the hacksaw is awesome.Ive never seen them done that way before. :tup:Thanks. Not sure exactly how I came up with that method but I'll say that I quickly found a hack saw to be really hard to control and get a straight cut so I use a short, stout wood cutting hand saw.
Post by: stevemiller on May 30, 2015, 04:55:41 PM
Post by: Tbar on May 30, 2015, 05:41:01 PM
Post by: Band on May 30, 2015, 07:38:28 PM
Band Have you done any elk like that?If so I would like to see a pic of that if you dont mind.Sorry, I've done a few for friends over the years but don't have any pics of them. I did my bull moose with a similar cut but it's on the other side of the state so I can't get a pic of that anytime soon.
By the way, since that cut makes the antlers stick more out than up it works well for a bull elk when it is going to be hung high on the wall, like where there is a vaulted ceiling. I think it would stick out to far if hung in a room with a standard ceiling height. Not such a problem with most deer.
Here's another angle showing the cut a little better. I think it looks best when you cut from quite a ways back on the skull, a little more than 1/2 of the eye socket, and way out the bridge of the nose. Typically after boiling the tissue off I take a hand file to the top of the skull and around the bridge of the nose to give it a good shape.
Post by: Band on May 30, 2015, 07:55:19 PM
Band have you ruled out maceration? Or boiling? Or just leaving it under something above ground(like a small boat or tote)? I only ask because these are all methods I've tried with both success and failure. The only true failure was over boiling. I could post a few of the skulls tonight if you want. I do like some of the natural skulls.I don't want to deal with the hassle and stink of maceration and the skull is too big to fit in the pot I have available (unless I cut it down like I normally do). Also, I really dislike messing with the brain and the ground method should take care of that problem.
Yes, please post the skulls you have - I would like to take a look.
Post by: stevemiller on May 30, 2015, 08:17:57 PM
Post by: Band on May 30, 2015, 08:50:12 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on May 30, 2015, 08:51:24 PM
Post by: Tbar on May 30, 2015, 09:15:08 PM
Post by: Tbar on May 30, 2015, 09:19:04 PM
Post by: Tbar on May 30, 2015, 09:21:05 PM
Post by: Tbar on May 30, 2015, 09:24:35 PM
Post by: Tbar on May 30, 2015, 09:28:12 PM
Post by: elk247 on May 30, 2015, 09:54:29 PM
Post by: Band on May 31, 2015, 10:03:33 AM
This one is money well spent. Beetle done and degreased by a taxi.Can't beat that for a finished product. How much would you expect to pay a taxi for this service?
Post by: elk247 on May 31, 2015, 10:44:10 AM
Post by: Band on May 31, 2015, 10:54:24 AM
Post by: Tbar on May 31, 2015, 10:57:50 AM
Pm Natures Way, that's not who did that one (fidalgo did mine). The small details are amazing, the delicate nasal bones are all intact. That pic doesn't do the quality justice. I believe you would be looking at the 180-200 range for what you are looking do. Also pm bugs and bones for a quote.This one is money well spent. Beetle done and degreased by a taxi.Can't beat that for a finished product. How much would you expect to pay a taxi for this service?
Post by: shadowless_nite on May 31, 2015, 11:03:27 AM
Post by: Tbar on May 31, 2015, 11:04:02 AM
Post by: elk247 on May 31, 2015, 01:49:24 PM
I make my own plaques and do my own mounting so really, the skull cleaning is the only thing I'm interested in. Any idea how much your buddy would charge for using his beetles to do the job, elk247?I'll find out for you, I see him next weekend. I have seen bugs and bones work. He does an awesome job.
Post by: MagKarl on June 01, 2015, 08:56:26 AM
Post by: Tbar on June 01, 2015, 09:20:39 AM
Post by: stevemiller on June 01, 2015, 01:57:21 PM
Post by: Band on July 29, 2015, 08:28:40 PM
Post by: blindluck on July 29, 2015, 09:27:07 PM
Post by: MagKarl on July 30, 2015, 08:43:50 AM
Post by: Jonathan_S on July 30, 2015, 08:53:27 AM
I believe maceration works best if you keep a constant temp of 90-100.
10 days in a white bucket in ambient temperature did it for me. Bacteria is pretty persistent. It doesn't need any help :twocents:
Post by: lamrith on July 30, 2015, 09:18:30 AM
Status update: I dug a hole in the back yard 2 months ago, lined it with sand, put in the skull, and covered the skull with more sand so only he antlers are sticking out of the ground. To protect from mice, raccoons, opossum, and such I covered the whole thing with a wheelbarrow. It has been a bit stinky in the area and there has been a constant swarm of bees for weeks, and I mean A LOT of bees. I'm hoping the swarm subsides by the first of November because that's when I want to take my first peek under the wheelbarrow. :oChances are the bees made a nest under the wheel barrow so I would not mess with it at this point! Can you tell if they are bees or maybe Yellow Jackets? Yellow Jackets love meat and are nasty when bothered.
Look forward to seeing your results though!
Post by: Band on July 30, 2015, 12:55:27 PM
I didn't consider that there may be a nest under the wheelbarrow but I know there has to be one somewhere very close to the skull. There are yellow jackets and at least one other variety of bee as well, maybe two. I put up a trap yesterday to try to kill some of them so I can maybe venture in a little closer for a look. :dunno:Status update: I dug a hole in the back yard 2 months ago, lined it with sand, put in the skull, and covered the skull with more sand so only he antlers are sticking out of the ground. To protect from mice, raccoons, opossum, and such I covered the whole thing with a wheelbarrow. It has been a bit stinky in the area and there has been a constant swarm of bees for weeks, and I mean A LOT of bees. I'm hoping the swarm subsides by the first of November because that's when I want to take my first peek under the wheelbarrow. :oChances are the bees made a nest under the wheel barrow so I would not mess with it at this point! Can you tell if they are bees or maybe Yellow Jackets? Yellow Jackets love meat and are nasty when bothered.
Look forward to seeing your results though!
Post by: Bean Counter on July 30, 2015, 01:08:45 PM
I've tried the dirt and forget it method but the fastest method is the bucket of water, someplace away from the house. Further the better. Secure the antlers in a way so nothing canchew on themrun off with them like a yote or neighborhood dog :bash:and refill the water or address when needed. It's much faster but very stinky
Post by: Band on August 02, 2015, 10:13:52 AM
Post by: Band on August 02, 2015, 10:15:31 AM
Post by: Johnb317 on August 02, 2015, 08:11:03 PM
Yellow jackets will visit your bbq, bees visit flowers.
Post by: Band on August 02, 2015, 09:45:41 PM
Those are yellow jackets, not bees.Since I am dealing with more than one species, you'll have to excuse my generized term "bees" for any critter that flies around looking to sting me if I get too close. Yes, the ones in the yellow trap all look to be yellow jackets. There were a few yellow jackets in the other trap but most in that one look a lot like those bald-faced Hornets people were talking about in the elk hunting section.
Yellow jackets will visit your bbq, bees visit flowers.
Post by: Band on September 02, 2015, 04:10:32 PM
Post by: BlackRiverTaxidermy on September 02, 2015, 09:13:48 PM
1.Boiling- clean the skull well and boil starting with soda ash (eats the flesh much quicker by raising the PH) in the water for an 45 minutes, clean by hand then re-boil with Dawn Dishing washing soap instead of soda ash for another session (45 minutes). Several sessions are needed and final clean with pressure washer- PROs= good clean, easy clean-up and doesn't stain the bone making it easier to bleach out. By far the fastest method. CONs= makes the bones weak by disintegrating the cartilage and usually the nose cap and upper mandible can detach required re-attachment, especially in younger animals such as spikes. Also, during clean-up/power washing there is a high probability you will damage the small nasal bones that really define a good euro mount.
2. Maceration (soaking). Clean the skull well (remove hide, eyes, brains and excess meat). Put in tap water in a container that can be heated and kept between 68-80 degrees. Leave skull in for a month or 2, possibly change SOME of the water halfway through the process, DO NOT let water come past the skull an onto the antlers! PROs- meat, viscera, cartilage comes away very clean and there is little that needs to be done by way of maintence. CONs= HORREDIOUS smell that can be smelled from quite a ways off! I can handle a lot of bad smells, but this one is pretty bad, comparable to raw sewage!! It also 'stains' the bone with both a tan tint AND the smell. ALSO..it looses the bones even worse than boiling and you WILL have some bones that will need to be re-attached. A good method is dip the bones in 1 part chlorox to 6 parts water for 5 minutes and rinse well before going onto bleaching, if you leave it in any longer than 5 minutes it will eat the small nasal 'netting' bones.
3. Natural/Burrying. Clean the skull as above and bury. Leave anywhere from 2 months to 6 months depending upon your soil composition and temp. PROs=tends not to loosen the bones and easy clean up, easy to do. CONs= Its hard to find a spot, even in the city, that is 100 percent free of critters that will attempt to dig it up. This method also stains the bone even worse than the Maceration technique making bleaching harder.
4. Dermestids/Beetles. We have beetles, and as you will probably tell, I like them the best. Clean the skull as usual. DO NOT boil, salt, or put any chemicals on the skull/meat as the beetles will not touch it then. Put in with the beetles and dependent upon how many beetles are working on it is dependent upon how long you have to wait. PROs= very little maintenance. The beetles also don't touch the cartilage or 'netting' bones leaving the skull completely structurally intact and beautiful. Also, there is NO staining of the bones and they come out very white making final bleaching easy and very effective. CONs= You have to have beetles, know a taxi with beetles and if you decide to get them, remember, they are animals...thus they require constant attention such as feeding/watering/cleaning/etc. This method is not as fast as boiling, but much much quicker than method 2 or 3. My beetles will have deer skull done in 16-36 hours.
I hope this is helpful....again, this is my findings based upon doing all 4 and I am sure there are others that may disagree. Sorry for the long-winded reply, but I hope this was helpful.
Joel -B.R.T
Post by: Band on September 03, 2015, 09:29:53 AM
Post by: Band on July 29, 2016, 05:27:53 PM
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1229.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fee465%2FDipsnort%2FHunting%2Fimage_3.jpeg&hash=1ed077116a760956451bcda9c12dc7754b9a49d1)
Post by: BlackRiverTaxidermy on July 29, 2016, 05:33:43 PM