Skull Cleaning

Got a cousin that boiled one to get it clean, but do it outside.

 

Unless you're trying to run your old lady off.

 

I have heard of several taxidermists using a pressure washer to get off the skin and fat.

 

We do that after we boil them. Be careful if you stick the nozzle in the brain cavity though. The water will shoot right back up in your face... which can cause your lunch to shoot right out of your mouth.

 

LOL, and them brains are about as sticky as super glue too. :smack: :biggrin:

 

spoke to a taxidermist yesterday about this he said to boil for ten or 15 minutes at a time and remove all the meat and brains you could b4 boiling said to drill a hole into brain cavity and remove all you could guess I will do some boiling soon myself also he said to pay special attention to nose area very easy to crack and brake here

 

You can just cover with a bucket in the back yard. Come back in 3-4 weeks and it should be clean, then soak it in peroxide.

 

There's a kind of beetles.....or a hole of water with crayfish.....or the boil/power wash method. Forget drilling that stinking mess!:wink:

 

I burried mine in the ground with the horns sticking out, covered them with a bucket and they are coming clean. the worms, etc eats rest off. heard to use peroxide after that to get em white. could boil the skull in an ajax water bath to get em white. watch out not to get on rack as it will bleach it too. shouldn't smell too bad with just bare skull though.

 

When you put them in the peroxide to whiten them, be careful because the the teeth may fall out. You can just glue them back.

 

And if you boil the skull in peroxide, wrap the antlers in foil to keep them from turning black.

 

http://www.skullsunlimited.com/

You might give these guys a try. My friend sent them a few bear skulls in the past. They have a Dermestid Beetle Colony that will clean a skull pretty quick. They are in OKC and should be able to turn it around in the time frame you are wanting. Just depends on how many skulls are ahead of you.

 

Here is a link showing what I do.

The only thing different is I add a half of cup or so of washing soda to the pot when simmering.

http://www.tndeer.com/art-skull-mounts.html

 

Let me see.....eeeny...meeeeny...miiiiiney...moe, I wonder where; dis one go??:razz: :biggrin:

 

FWIW I do not recommmend using a pressure washer to facilitate cleaning. There are many VERY fragile bones you will blow apart and/or destroy.

Don't ask how I know.:smack:

 

taxidermydude told me this, and it works, but not in the time frame you have.

cut the head off right at the base of the skull. skin it out if you wish, if not, its ok too. put the skull in a 5 gal bucket of water, where the head but not too much of the horns are submerged. leave for a couple of months, a considerable distance from the house. when you take them out they should be clean as a pin. i did one this year like that, and it worked great. one round of boiling with peroxide to whiten, or use the poor boy method i chose, white kiwi shoe polish, the liquid bottle with the sponge on top:thumb: BG12

 

Here is what the beetles did. $35 and was very happy.