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Buck boiler

ohio giants

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I just got me a buck boiler and was gonna try and do a head this weeken to see how it turns out but was looking for some input on it I do know to put it outside in a shed or something cause last year I used a propane one that I made and my garage smelled bad forever lol but what's the best soap and do I keep the antlers outta the water or does it matter? Thanks
 
I've used borax. Seems to do a pretty good job. Don't know how much, I just dump some in....maybe a cup or so. I try to keep the antlers out of the water as best as I can. If there's some wood debris or anything like that around the bases from rubbing, the water will wash it off. I like to keep that stuff on. Also, the foam and fatty junk that will rise to the top of the water will stick to the antler bases like crazy and doesn't come off very easy.
 
I used oxy clean and put some dawn dish soap with it. It did a good job. I wrapped the antler bases with cling wrap real tight to keep the wood and color in the antlers.
 
Ive boiled 3 skulls with some Dawn Dish Soap... antlers dont change color..will be doing more soon
 
Wrap tin foil around the burr/bases, cover with tin foil all the way around the brows up to the g2's. Alot of times we will wrap the tin foil in blue painters tape. We keep it on until they are finished and it keeps all wood shavings and color on the bases.
What I put in the water is 1/4 cup of baking soda, 3/4 cup borax and 1/2 cup of sodium bicarbonate. Me and my brother did 6 over the weekend. Maybe an hr in simmering water and then powerwash them off. We even did a few deadheads with all the hide and hair still on them and i think its the sodium bicarbonate that really makes everything fall off.
Once they are cooked and powerwashed we change water and add in very small ammounts of 40% hydrogen peroxide and powdered bleach. Let them get good. And warmed up and pull them out then pour 40% hydrogen peroxide over them a few times or mix up powdered bleach and peroxide and make a slurry and cover the entire skull and allow to dry for a few days and wash off.
All of ours have come out bright white and one can be done start to finish in less than 2 hrs
 
Just skin and remove bottom jaw and most meat and cook it. Put bout a half cup of baking soda in there and let er cook for a hour or 2 then powerwash the heck out of it being careful around the nose. Once it's cleaned good stick a screwdriver I. The ear canals and pop the eardrums out then powerwash some more. Then put in a sink of as hot of water you can get with dawn dish soap and use a air compresser and blow hot soapy water through it like crazy. Let it dry off and mix basic white and volume 40 till it's like pudding and completely cover it and fill the nasal cavities and brain cavity then wrap good in plastic cling wrap and stick in front of a heater for a hour or so turning regularly. Then wash good in hot soapy water. Make sure to put electrical tape around the bases prior to whitening.
 
If it's an actual Buck Boiler brand, they're really specific about what you can put in the water becuase apparently it can trip the breaker on the element and then you need to start over.
You need to use powdered dishwashing detergent (I think they recommend Cascade) and I think you can put a max of 3 teaspoons in it. They have really good directions that come with them, so just read through them & follow them & you'll be fine. I don't think you want to use liquid soap in them or it will mess up the element.
You definitely need to check on the water ever hour or 2 (not sure it says to do it that often, but from experience, you'll want to) and keep it full otherwise it will evaporate off and the whole skull won't be submerged- use HOT water when you refill it so it doesn't take as long to get to boiling again.
I've left a couple skulls in too long and they got really brittle (which will happen with any boiling method). I started to keep it in there until the little bit of meat that's left on the skull starts to turn color & look 'cooked' and then hose it off. If it won't all come off, I put it in for another hour or 90 minutes and try again.
If you can keep the antlers out of the water, try to, otherwise you can get the clean if you either scrub them really good with hot water or powerwash them, but you want to do that right away (like within 30 minutes or so) from taking it out. Otherwise all that nasty crap will be on them & it's a pain to get off. Looks like someone else has another method to keep the antlers clean that might work too.
Good luck!
 
If it gets to hot the skull will start flaking and some of the little burrs on the bases will come off. I'm telling ya just cook it for a hour or 2 and power wash it. Less time it's in boiling water the better.
 
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