Bury or Boil ?


Guest Powers

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Guest Powers

I am going to try to do my own skull mount on the ten pointer i got. Should I bury the skull and let the bugs do the work or boil it? Any tips for a first timer would be appriciated.

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Re: Bury or Boil ?

If you want it destroyed, dug up by a varmit, antlers consumed by rodents,..then bury it. If you want a nice finished skull mount then by all means do the boil out method.

FYI: When I say boil out, I actually mean to simmer. Never do a hard boil.

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Re: Bury or Boil ?

Don't bury it. I burried one and it took forever to get it white again, it was so dirt stained and the meat and flesh kind of oozed and greased itself into the bone.....it was a mess.

Boil it and buy some Sal-Soda from a taxidermy supply store. The Sal-Soda really loosens up the junk very well.

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Guest waynemclain

Re: Bury or Boil ?

both....boil it first get most of the flesh off with pliars and a knife then bury it outside...it wont stain if its not left out all year

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Guest dedicatedmarine

Re: Bury or Boil ?

boil with sal soda for sure, and here's a quick tip, DON'T use bleach to whiten, bleach deteriorates bone over time. Use women's hair dye, turns the skulls white as snow and takes the smell away this one just started drying, but you can already see it turning white Brandon110.jpg

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Re: Bury or Boil ?

The first one I did, I used bleach and store bought peroxide and a lot of scraping to get it the way i did. I also sprayed it with a clear lacquer, (someone told me I should).

The next few I did, I used Sal-Soda during the simmering process and then I whitened it with a paste mixture of Volume 40 Hyrdrogen Peroxide and Magnesium Carbonate.

Those two turned out much whiter.

euroandskullmounts001.jpg

The one on the top left of the picture is the first one I tried. The other two are ones I did this year.

euroandskullmounts002.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

have you guys done the rotting in water thing? i have a 12 pt been in a bucket for 3 weeks now and is looking rough! i put it in our pump house at the camp where we keep some light bulbs on to keep from freezing. i thought the extra warmth would speed up the process, but i still cant pull the meat off the bone. this aint for those with a weak stomach, lol....

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Wow did you dig this one up from the archives lol. I personally do the water treatment like you stated. But I let the head just freeze in the winter hanging fron a tree so the critters can't get to it. In the spring I will put it in the water and let the bacteria eat. The warmer temps make the process faster for sure. I change the water about once a week and hit the head with a blast of water from the hose. It will blow off the loose meat and tissue. After about 3-4 weeks most all of the stuff is ready to come off. The last of it a small knife will take care off.

The reason I like this method is the teeth stay firmly attached to the scull and don't want to fall out. After all of the meat is off and the scull is dry you can whiten it.

Hope this helps.

Kirk

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Thanks Kirk! Yeah, i did dig this one up with a search. I'm new to this forum, and i know how some are about starting new threads on subjects that have been beat to death in the past. I think i'll be ready to blast it with some water soon, but with temps dropping down to low teens this far south, i doubt much is happening in the pump house. How do you get to the brain?

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  • 3 weeks later...

I found this one on youtube, looked pretty neat. BUT.....my wife aint lettin me boil no head in the kitchen.......

Also, been about five weeks in water, and looking real good. clean skull on top, jaw pulled off, eye sockets pulled clean with needlenose. It really is a super easy way to go, as long as you can stomach a little (lot) of rotten odor when you have to work with it. I'll post pics when i get done.

john

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