RTF Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 I'd boil. Never ever boil the skull. Simmer it. It took under 1 1/2 hours to do this bear skull the other day by just doing a slow simmer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Your old lady let you simmer a bear head in the kitchen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTF Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Your old lady let you simmer a bear head in the kitchen? No, although it wouldn't matter since I run the kitchen. I do all my skull boils outside on a turkey fryer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeygirl Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 The one i'm working on...we cut off meat and hide, as much we could then would alternately simemr it and scrape stuff of. I just bleached it the other day because it smells nasty....still smells nasty....I need to soak it in something...We cut the top jaw off so it has a flat base to go on a plaque. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 OK, here's where i got to so far. Got a little more meat to get off. I put it in the photo section, so rather than waste server space, i'll paste the link here to keep in the same thread here. http://www.realtree.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82659 And btw, i have already lost 5 teeth rotting!!! Some may be in the bottom of the bucket, while some may be at the deer camp where i was spraying it off, but I am sure I wont find all five!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artisticwhitetails Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 redkneck, for your future maceration projects may I offer you a tip. I know it won't help you for your current project but there's a much better way. All you will need is a large enough container to submerge your skull and an aquarium heater. I use a 30 gal heavy guage plastic drum which I have cut in half and wrapped the outside with insulation and shrink wrap. I also rigged a top to seal everything up. First, remove the hide from the head and as much meat as you can. All you have to do is fill the water to just above the antler burrs {coat antler bases good with vasoline, wrap with shrink wrap} put your skull in along with aquarium heater, set heater at 80-90 degrees. Close her up and check in 7 days. 90% of the meat and tissue will be gone at this point, even in winter time. Pour out the mess inside, re-fill with clean water and repeat for 5-7 more days and you will be done. Spray it off, let dry and whiten with 40vol peroxide/basic white. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 redkneck, for your future maceration projects may I offer you a tip. I know it won't help you for your current project but there's a much better way. All you will need is a large enough container to submerge your skull and an aquarium heater. I use a 30 gal heavy guage plastic drum which I have cut in half and wrapped the outside with insulation and shrink wrap. I also rigged a top to seal everything up. First, remove the hide from the head and as much meat as you can. All you have to do is fill the water to just above the antler burrs {coat antler bases good with vasoline, wrap with shrink wrap} put your skull in along with aquarium heater, set heater at 80-90 degrees. Close her up and check in 7 days. 90% of the meat and tissue will be gone at this point, even in winter time. Pour out the mess inside, re-fill with clean water and repeat for 5-7 more days and you will be done. Spray it off, let dry and whiten with 40vol peroxide/basic white. Thanks! I did want to add the aquarium heater, but the one i had in the shed was shot. I put this thing in our pump house at the camp b/c we have light bulbs in there to keep it from freezing and its insulated but it wasnt nearly as warm as you are talking about. I'll try it your way next time, if i dont want to boil it (i still want to boil one for comparison). thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 redkneck, for your future maceration projects may I offer you a tip. I know it won't help you for your current project but there's a much better way. All you will need is a large enough container to submerge your skull and an aquarium heater. I use a 30 gal heavy guage plastic drum which I have cut in half and wrapped the outside with insulation and shrink wrap. I also rigged a top to seal everything up. First, remove the hide from the head and as much meat as you can. All you have to do is fill the water to just above the antler burrs {coat antler bases good with vasoline, wrap with shrink wrap} put your skull in along with aquarium heater, set heater at 80-90 degrees. Close her up and check in 7 days. 90% of the meat and tissue will be gone at this point, even in winter time. Pour out the mess inside, re-fill with clean water and repeat for 5-7 more days and you will be done. Spray it off, let dry and whiten with 40vol peroxide/basic white. I wish I could go that route, but I'd lose breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I did that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTF Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 In the future post all taxidermy photos in here. Anyhow, that's a really nice rack and mount you have done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 In the future post all taxidermy photos in here. Anyhow, that's a really nice rack and mount you have done. Will do RTF. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 Well now that the meat is all gone, how to get rid of the fat in the bone? I have seen posts to soak it in water and ammonia, or dishwashing liquid. Any suggestions to make sure it dont stink or turn yellow on the wall? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 Also, my bones around the nose are trying to separate. What do you use to glue them in place, and the teeth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTF Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 A good degreaser of any kind will help with the fatty oils. Hot glue can do wonders, but don't over do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 Ok, i know i'm beating this thread to death, but maybe this will help someone. I soaked the skull all night in a bucket of water with some dishwashing detergent. Then this morning i washed it off and transferred it to a crawfish pot and put it on the stove with more detergent and a bit of pine sol and cut the eye on high. Its a big pot and i never brought it to boil, just kept the water steaming hot. This afternoon i got it back out. It looks great, but here's what i was afraid of, i put it in the oven to dry it out (about 200F). After about ten minutes the fat in the skull started oozing out in a few places. I'm going to put some tin foil on the horns and blast it off with some carb/brake cleaner to blow away the oil. We'll see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 I can see it on the nightly news: A redneck blew himself up today apparently from brake cleaner fumes in the oven as he tried to dry out a deer skull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 OK, that ends it. After repeatedly placing it in the oven, the fat kept oozing out around the eyes, and i'd spray it off with degreaser, and again, and again with the rancid fat. I put it in my fish cooker on the back porch and boiling the fat out with detergent. To answer the original post of this thread (way back in the carter administration), IMHO boil it! or at least some simmering. I think its the only way to get that deep down fatty oil out of the bone. Thank you guys for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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