Hunting Washington Forum

Community => Taxidermy & Scoring => Topic started by: Kain on September 16, 2009, 07:34:39 PM

Title: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: Kain on September 16, 2009, 07:34:39 PM: Anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on September 17, 2009, 08:49:28 PM: 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.
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: Kain on September 17, 2009, 10:58:35 PM: You rock! In the freezer and waiting.
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: Huntbear on September 18, 2009, 10:53:26 AM: Quote from: Michelle_Nelson on September 17, 2009, 08:49:28 PM
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? :dunno: :dunno:
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: CoryTDF on September 18, 2009, 11:18:11 AM: 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.
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: mossback91 on September 18, 2009, 11:23:42 AM: tried maceration last spring...........works awesome
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: washingtonmuley on September 18, 2009, 05:49:02 PM: I did the maceration on a bear it worked great although it took awhile.
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on September 18, 2009, 07:00:45 PM: 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.
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: MtnMuley on September 18, 2009, 09:08:51 PM: 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! ;)
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on September 19, 2009, 03:06:45 PM: Quote from: MtnMuley on September 18, 2009, 09:08:51 PM
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. :chuckle:
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: MtnMuley on September 19, 2009, 07:48:11 PM: 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. ;)
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: ICEMAN on September 19, 2009, 08:09:28 PM: I buried one in with the daisies near our front walk a few years back, antlers protruding above the soil.... :chuckle:

Yeah :puke: 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....
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on September 19, 2009, 08:15:08 PM: 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.
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: ICEMAN on September 19, 2009, 08:17:18 PM: The bury in the yard trick turned out like crap....glad it wasn't mine... :chuckle:
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: Buckmark on September 19, 2009, 08:19:39 PM: Quote from: ICEMAN on September 19, 2009, 08:17:18 PM
The bury in the yard trick turned out like crap....glad it wasn't mine... :chuckle:
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..
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on September 19, 2009, 08:25:49 PM: Bones tend to stain from minerals in the sail. They are not to fun to get white after that.
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: CoryTDF on September 20, 2009, 03:58:29 PM: I just did two heads last weekend. I boiled one for a friend and then my own. The one i did for a friend came out great almost pure white before i put the chemicals on. The one i did for myself, well, my f-ing dog decided to eat the nose bones >:( and the skull is very dark and stained. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to bleach it out. O well, i think it looks cool anyway. I'm going to pull some nose bones from the next dead deer i find. I know they wont match up very well but it's worth a shot. All in total i have boiled and bleached 16 skulls for myself and family members. I have had pretty decent success but every now and then run into a stubborn one that just wont get white. I am sure that it has to do with the grease/oil. I'm sure the maceration works great but I'm not that patient. I can boil and bleach a deer skull in a day and they look right on par with ones my friends have payed over $200 dollars for. If i shot a monster and wanted a Euro done i would look somebody up with bugs. :twocents:
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: MtnMuley on September 20, 2009, 07:52:29 PM: Delicate nasal bones? You're way ahead of me Michelle! As long as the cavity in the nasal passage is in tact, I'm happy! 2 weeks maximum on a deer that would please anybody. ICEMAN, I got a bull skull that's macerating in a tree in my yard....you need it for your front yard collection? :dunno::chuckle:
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: ICEMAN on September 20, 2009, 09:04:16 PM: Thanks for thinking of me MtnMuley! :chuckle: I will pass this time...
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: PolarBear on September 20, 2009, 09:08:40 PM: I did a muley last year that the guy had soaking in a steel drum for several weeks. The skull was stained with rust and it took me 2 weeks worth of scraping, soaking, simmering and bleaching to get it all out. What a pain in the ass!
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: ICEMAN on September 20, 2009, 09:10:39 PM: Holy moly, Rust doesn't usually wanna come out of anything....cant image trying to get it out of bone....Pain in the ass sounds about right...
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: ICEMAN on September 20, 2009, 09:13:42 PM: I had a thought....how about those flesh eating carp which the ladies have been using for the pedicures? This may be pretty cool, set up a big fish tank in the living room with your soggy buck skull in it and rack sticking out and watch for a week as the little fishies make minced meat out of your trophy! :chuckle:
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: PolarBear on September 20, 2009, 09:16:42 PM: Yeah, I wanted to tell him to forget it but it is a good friend so I sucked it up and did it. I probably had 20 hours into the thing and didn't charge him a dime. Just as I was ready to give up I mixed up a secret solution that I found out will take rust out of about anything, including bone.
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: MagKarl on September 21, 2009, 08:57:22 AM: Lookinf forward to your tutorial Michelle. My bull head is feeding my buddy's beetles right now so your degreasing, bleaching, cleaning instructions will be right on time for me.
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: Gringo31 on September 27, 2009, 06:10:42 PM: I've done this and it turns out FANTASTIC!

I have done this on coyote deer and antelope skulls, but it should work for anything. Skin out the skull and remove as much meat as possible. Also remove the eye's and toung. Place in a bucket and cover with a good amount of water. Now add some baking soda. I use about 2 LBS for a coyote or fox. Probably could use more for bigger skulls( maybe 3-4 lbs.). Let this sit for about 6 weeks. Make sure the skull never gets exposed to the air, keep it covered with water. After the six weeks , remove the water and hose down with a high pressure nozzle on your garden hose inside the bucket. Make sure to spray inside the brain cavity. Next put it in a big pot with just enough water to cover it and boil it for 30-45 minutes. Just a slow rolling boil. Make sure the pot is big enough so it wont boil over if it foams up. After boiling, drain the water and hit it again with a high pressure nozzle in the pot or bucket. BE CAREFULL NOT TO LOOSE ANY TEETH. All the teeth will fall out and the bottom jaw will split in 2. After cleaning the skull and teeth of any left over material, I place it in a zip lock bag with hydrogen peroxide bought from the grocery store. Completely cover it and let sit for atleast 30 minutes. Remove all the parts and let dry. Glue the jaw back together ( i use super glue or a hot glue gun) and then figure out the puzzle of where all the teeth go and glue them back in ( I use super glue). Now coat with several coats of gloss clear paint. I spray the top half and bottom half seperatly so they wont stick to each other when you set them together.
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: Dipsnort on October 01, 2009, 10:39:46 AM: My grandma caught me macerating one time and I haven't been able to look her in the eye since. :P
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: lewy on October 01, 2009, 10:49:24 AM: :chuckle: :chuckle: that was too funny
Title: Re: do it yourself skull cleaning?
Post by: ICEMAN on October 01, 2009, 07:33:59 PM: Quote from: Dipsnort on October 01, 2009, 10:39:46 AM
My grandma caught me macerating one time and I haven't been able to look her in the eye since. :P

She didn't like you removing the meat from the bone? :P