kelcher
Well-Known Member
There are several websites about this subject. Here is a site that sells a peroxide solution to use. It seems a little pricey to me. You may also want to look up VanDyke taxidermy supplies. They will probably have what you want too.
http://www.skulltaxidermy.com/whiten.html
http://www.skulltaxidermy.com/whiten.html
Shovelbuck
Active Member
Lot's of ways to do it. If you do a search on this site....http://www.taxidermy.net/forums/ you can find all sorts of info for the do's and dont's. I personally finish mine by taking them to the car wash and using the wand to clean them. Be carefull of the nose bones. If they come off simply glue back on. I finish them by spraying flat white. A friend of mine uses the dishwasher to finish clean them with great success. Use soap just as if you are doing dishes. You may want to wait until the wife is gone to do this.
moosehunter
PMA Member
CornDude. I've done several of these and they're not hard to do. Just a little time consuming. All I've ever did was boil the skull in nothing but water and pick off the meat with needlenose pliers or even tweezers until it's all gone. It may take several hours. Then let the thing dry out good. Let it set around for days or even weeks. Then mix some elmers glue in with some water til it's like a runny elmers glue and paint the skull with a small brush. It makes the skull stay white and seems to stiffin everything up some. It's kind of a poor mans way of doing it but a friend of mine has did a lot more than me and all of his look pretty good yet and some are more than 10 years old.
After trial and error, this is my favorite way.
I like to use sal soda. You ad this to water, to make a solution for boiling the skull. It will turn all remaining flesh into jell. You can purchase this through well known taxidermy suppliers. It will give you a nice thoroughly clean skull.
Finishing the skull only requires you to use regular hydrogen peroxide. I use heavy paper towels and soak them as I wrap the skull. You will need to wear rubber gloves while doing this as the peroxide will affect your hands. You can use toilet paper to wrap around the pedical areas. Once you have the scull complete with a heavy wrap, pour more peroxide on to thouroughly soak it. Careful not to get any on the antlers. Set the head in a bucket so the anlters are above the skull and let this sit 48 hrs. You will have a pearl white color when you unwrap and it dries.
Good Luck
I like to use sal soda. You ad this to water, to make a solution for boiling the skull. It will turn all remaining flesh into jell. You can purchase this through well known taxidermy suppliers. It will give you a nice thoroughly clean skull.
Finishing the skull only requires you to use regular hydrogen peroxide. I use heavy paper towels and soak them as I wrap the skull. You will need to wear rubber gloves while doing this as the peroxide will affect your hands. You can use toilet paper to wrap around the pedical areas. Once you have the scull complete with a heavy wrap, pour more peroxide on to thouroughly soak it. Careful not to get any on the antlers. Set the head in a bucket so the anlters are above the skull and let this sit 48 hrs. You will have a pearl white color when you unwrap and it dries.
Good Luck
Shredder
Life Member
One thing to add that the fellas above may or may not have done is add dawn dishsoap to the boiling water and it will act as the degreaser and I change my water every four to five hours until the majority of the flesh has fallen off or is loosly attached. I then use a hose to blow the rest of the junk off. Finishing touches, you can wrap a towel around the skull only and drench it with peroxide to whiten to skull. Several things I avoid is boiling too long. This will demineralize the bone and make it have a chalky texture. Also, do not submerge the antlers. they will easily break if you do. Place the skull in the sun with a towel over the antlers to finish out the bleaching process. The towel will help avoid the whitening of the antlers like sheds to when exposed to the sun. Good luck...........
This is about the most unpleasant deer related chore I can think of but its worth it in the end. My cousin and I have done about a dozen or so and are getting better at it.
Tips I'll add:
1. Shredder was right, dont boil any longer than you have to or the skull may get flaky and look bad.
2. Also dont boil any hotter than you need to get a slow rolling boil. Excessive heat doesnt seem to speed the process much, is much messier, and also seems to degrade the skulls condition.
3. Forget the screwdriver technique of de-braining, get a nice piece of #9 wire or something stiff and put a hook on it. Pulls the ick-um out much faster.
4. We have had good luck with the Super Washing Soda and the solution sold in taxidermy supply places (I think its the same thing).
5. The Super Bleach White and 40% peroxide works well for whitening the skull and is recommended by taxidermists (might have to try the regular 3% some time).
6. The antlers, especially the base, will take on a reddish color after the boiling but seems to go away after 6 months or so.
7. DO IT OUTSIDE and eat lunch before, you wont be that hungry after...
Tips I'll add:
1. Shredder was right, dont boil any longer than you have to or the skull may get flaky and look bad.
2. Also dont boil any hotter than you need to get a slow rolling boil. Excessive heat doesnt seem to speed the process much, is much messier, and also seems to degrade the skulls condition.
3. Forget the screwdriver technique of de-braining, get a nice piece of #9 wire or something stiff and put a hook on it. Pulls the ick-um out much faster.
4. We have had good luck with the Super Washing Soda and the solution sold in taxidermy supply places (I think its the same thing).
5. The Super Bleach White and 40% peroxide works well for whitening the skull and is recommended by taxidermists (might have to try the regular 3% some time).
6. The antlers, especially the base, will take on a reddish color after the boiling but seems to go away after 6 months or so.
7. DO IT OUTSIDE and eat lunch before, you wont be that hungry after...
Rackaddict
Life Member
Here's the method I use. Remove as much meat and scrap from the skull, eyeballs, etc. Remove as much of the brain tissue as possible using a coat hanger or screwdriver. Fill a pot of water large enough to completely submerge the skull. (Try to keep the water level just below the antler bases.) Add a handful of washing soda to cut the grease and bring the water to boil before putting in the skull. After putting the skull into the water, immediately turn down the heat and simmer slowly. DO NOT BOIL !!! As the water evaporates add hot water NOT COLD! Rapid cooling can crack the teeth. Simmer for several hours adding HOT water as needed, then remove the large pieces of meat and start the process over using clean water and washing soda. After you have repeated this process to the point of having a clean skull. Remove it from the water and let it cool slowly. Be sure to check for teeth in the pot each time you change your water. Any loose teeth can be replaced with a dab of glue. After the cleaning comes the bleaching. Do NOT use laundry bleach. It will cause powdering of the bone. Use 40 volume Hydrogen Peroxide combined with a dry powdered bleach available at a Beauty supply or the exact same product is available through Cabela's. Mix the "whitener"in a non-metaic bowl to the consistency of whipped cream. WEAR RUBBER GLOVES!!! This stuff will burn your skin. Coat the entire skull with the whitener keeping it off the antlers. Place it into a clear or white plastic bag. ( The function of the bag is to keep the solution moist. The bleach will stop working when it drys out.) Place the skull that is now in the bag, on a WHITE towel or paper, etc. Anything other than a stark white surface may cause the skull to take on a darker color. Place it into direct sun light for a couple of days then rinse it off. Neutralize the bleaching process by rinsing the skull with a mild vinegar solution. When it comes to finishing your skull mount I like to mist it with a clear finish spray. McKenzie Taxidermy supply has some fantasic bases to mount your trophy on ranging up around $35.00 for a fantastic pedestal base. Good Luck!
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Has anybody else noticed the reddish or purplish color the antler bases take on after boiling? Or any way to stop it? We have tried wraping the antlers in plastic, tinfoil, duct tape, etc, and it still does it, sometimes worse.
The discoloration does seem to go away after a long time but I'm not convinced they ever get back to completely normal.
We have been using the standard washing soda or taxidermy soultion in the water.
Thanks...Timber
Rack, nice mount. I have been wondering how that one looks in use, Van Dykes has a nice one also.
The discoloration does seem to go away after a long time but I'm not convinced they ever get back to completely normal.
We have been using the standard washing soda or taxidermy soultion in the water.
Thanks...Timber
Rack, nice mount. I have been wondering how that one looks in use, Van Dykes has a nice one also.