Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => HowTo's and Build-a-longs => Topic started by: osage outlaw on November 03, 2010, 02:45:07 am
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I thought I would do a How-To on making a European skull mount. I have been doing them for 3 years now. After doing some research, and seeking the advice of some pros, I was able to make a fine looking mount on my first try. I have learned some time saving shortcuts since that first one. Last year, I did a total of 6 mounts. My buck, plus 5 for relatives. I have also done a river otter and 2 beaver skulls.
Warning: There are graphic photos following that might be disturbing to younger children. I don’t want any of them to be afraid of deer because of this.
This is what it will look like when finished. This was my second attempt at a Euro mount.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/31.jpg)
There are several methods of cleaning the skulls. You can use dermestid beetles, but you need to buy a colony of them, which can be expensive. Maceration is another method. That is where you submerge the skull in warm water for several weeks or months and let the bacteria do the work. You can imagine what that smells like. I prefer to cook the skull. I simmer it over a fire for several hours. It is a little more work, but you can finish a skull in days, instead of months. I will show you the way I do them.
Lets start at the beginning. I remove the head from the deer so I can clean it on my work bench. I start by making a cut from the back of the head down to the nose.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/1-2.jpg)
I then make a cut across to each antler base.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/4.jpg)
Next, I use the knife and carefully cut the tissue that connects the skin to the bone and start peeling it back. You want to be very careful not to cut the bone while skinning it out. The cuts will show up when you are finished..
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/3.jpg)
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Once I get the sides down a little, I start on the bases. I use pliars and pull the skin from around the base. Be careful, it was at this stage when the pliars slipped and somehow the rack flipped up and hit me in the nose. It started bleeding profusely. I figured the deer was getting a little revenge.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/5.jpg)
Keep pulling and trimming until you start unwrapping the skull.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/8.jpg)
Be very careful around the eyes. It is easy to cut into the bone. Don’t worry about removing them. They are much easier to get out after it is cooked.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/10.jpg)
Keep going until you get down to the side of the mouth.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/11.jpg)
Just keep peeling everything back. You can cut under the cartilage that attaches the ears. Keep going until you get both sides off.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/12.jpg)
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Now you should have something that looks like this.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/13.jpg)
Next, I remove the bottom jaw. This is rather disturbing looking, but it needs to be done. I start by cutting the muscles on each side of the jaw. Then I start pulling the mouth open. I had to use a piece of 1x3 to get this one started. Keep spreading the mouth open until you can cut the muscles and tissue that is in the back of the mouth. Once you get so far, the top of the jaw bones will flip out. Cut any remaining muscles to free the jawbone.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/15.jpg)
Now is a great time to check the age of the buck by checking his tooth wear. This buck appears to be 3 ½ years old.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/28.jpg)
Now I move to the back of the skull. I usually have at least 1 or 2 vertebrae still attached to the skull. Feel the top of the skull until you find the back edge of it. Carefully cut down and then cut around the sides.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/18.jpg)
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Keep cutting and bending it around until you start to free it.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/17.jpg)
Once you remove the vertebrae, this will be what it looks like.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/19.jpg)
Now it is time to remove the brains. If you leave them in when you cook it, they will turn to rubber and be very hard to get out. I have made a brain blaster out of a few cheap parts from the local hardware store.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/24.jpg)
Just insert the tubing into the opening in the back of the skull and turn the water on. Point the opening away from you, because the brains will come shooting out.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/25.jpg)
Not everything will come out, but you should get most of it. This will save a lot of time later while doing the fine cleaning.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/26.jpg)
Now it is ready to cook. This process took around 1 ½ hours.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/27.jpg)
I will post another update on Saturday evening.
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Thanks for sharing. It's the next steps that I'm most interested in, looking forward to seeing more!
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Always loved european mounts. Thank you for taking the time to post this! They always make me think of a big nordic gathering hall.
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This is very similar to the way I did one afew years ago, Outlaw, except the brain blaster. Looking forward to the rest of the story! ;) 8)
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The biologist in the office across from mine bought the beetles. He does them for all of us. It takes about a week to eat one clean. The next turkey I shoot I'm going to try and do a full body skeleton(mount).
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faster way is a friend of mine a taxidermist showed me. he has a high pressure washer he does his with and it is fast and clean skull after. gets a little messy.
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that 8th picture is really gross looking
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The biologist in the office across from mine bought the beetles. He does them for all of us. It takes about a week to eat one clean. The next turkey I shoot I'm going to try and do a full body skeleton(mount).
That would be freakin awesome! Be sure to post some pics if you do!
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After the boiling, it gets much easier! The presssure washer trick helps, too...especially with clearing all the stuff outa the sinus cavities. On several of my euros I have left all the nasal turbinates up inside the nose cavity.
Keep posting the updates, Outlaw!
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when you bleach it put baking soda in the bleach it halps draw the fat out keeps it nice and white
dan
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instead of using bleach. go to your local beuty supply shop and look for a powder product that hair stylist use for whitening. mix this with hydrogen peroxide which will make a paste and then just paint it on, let it dry a couple of days and then just brush off the dried powder. one bleached skull
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These are some good tips, guys. Thanks.
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Friday I was able to cook the skull. I have a large stainless pot that I use. I pile some of my fire bricks up and sit the pot on it. I extend the ends to try to keep as much heat in as possible. I also have some pieces of metal that I put around the sides of the pot to keep the flames from going up the sides and scorching the antlers. I put a scrap of wood under the beams to hold the head at a better angle.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10919.jpg)
I wrapped the antlers in some old rags and wetted them down. You could wrap them in foil if you wanted to. I didn't do this to the first rack that I did and the smoke turned the antlers black. It came off, but I had to scrub them.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10921.jpg)
You want to keep the water just under a boil. Boiling can weaken the bone. Think Crock pot! I actually use an old crock pot for smaller skulls like beaver and river otter.
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While it is cooking, there will be some green/brown grease and fat floating on the surface. I take a small cup and skim it off. It will stick to the bases of the rack if you leave it in.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10925.jpg)
Now I just keep a close eye on it. If it starts to boil I add a little water. While it is cooking, it is a great time to get some yard work done before winter gets here. After hunting hard for a month, the wife usually has a list for me to do. Just keep checking on it every 20 minutes or so. I used some hickory scraps left over from splitting staves for the fire wood.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10927.jpg)
I cooked it for 3 1/2 hours. When it is done, there will be big chunks of meat almost falling off of it. The roof of the mouth will be loose and hanging. If you don't cook it long enough, cleaning it will be a lot harder.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10929.jpg)
The top of the skull should be pretty clean looking.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10928.jpg)
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About 5 minutes of pulling meat off and it looked like this.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10932.jpg)
Now I take it back to my work bench for some final cleaning. I am sure using a pressure washer would be a lot quicker and easier, but I have seen how powerful those things are and I would be afraid I would damage the bones with it. I don't mind spending a little more time cleaning it by hand.
Here are my tools I use to do the finish cleaning.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10944.jpg)
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I usually start at the back of the skull. I use the needle nose pliars to remove a small bone near the ear. Sometime it comes out in one piece, but most of the time it breaks in a couple of pieces. Removing this makes it easier to clean around the base of the skull.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10946.jpg)
Here it is after the bone is removed.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10948.jpg)
I remove the piece of cartilage in the nose with the needle nose too. You want to get as much of this out as you can.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10954.jpg)
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Here is all of the junk that I picked off/out of it.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10956.jpg)
I get it as clean as I can. Any remaining tissue will turn yellow and won't look very good. All of the hard work is done now.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10957.jpg)
I also did the bottom jaw on this one. This is the first time I have done this. I am curious to see how they look together.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10960.jpg)
Next, I soak it in very hot water and dish liquid. It helps to get any remaining grease out. I take it out and scrub it with a brush a couple of times while it is soaking. I will let it soak over night.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10962.jpg)
Now it needs to be whitened. DO NOT USE BLEACH. Bleach can weaken the bone. Use peroxide. The stuff in your medicine cabinet is 3% strength. Beauty supply stores carry 30% strength. That is the stuff that you want to use.
Tomorrow, I will put it in to soak in the peroxide and post an update.
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Very cool! One thing I read about when I did mine was to be sure when you boil the head to keep the antler bases out of the water. It can remove the coloration from the antlers. I think I also used the dish detergent while boiling instead of having another step later.
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Pat, I have never had a problem with loosing color on the bases while cooking. If you get peroxide on them, they will definately loose color. I made that mistake on my first one. The back side of the bases were submerged a little and it turned them white.
Warning! Peroxide of this strength is very dangerous. It will give you a terrible chemical burn if you get it on you. You should wear latex gloves while using it. I usually don't and end up with a few white spots on my hands. Last year, I turned the tip of my pinky finger white and it was sore for a few days. I didn't even know I got it on me. I just noticed it burning.
Today I put the rack in to soak in the peroxide. I use a square bucket with two notches cut out of the corner to allow the rack to sit in. It works really well. I keep slowly adding the peroxide until it is just below the bases.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10970.jpg)
To whiten the top of the skull that is not submerged, I mix the peroxide with baby powder to make a jelly.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10968.jpg)
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I use a small cheap paint brush to dob the jelly onto the skull. I put a good layer all over it and around the bases. I put it on real thick right at the center cap of the skull because it will very slowly ooze down into the liquid.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10973.jpg)
This is about an hour later. It is already starting to turn it white. The dark lines on top of the skull are gone. There is a layer of white bubbles on the surface.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10984.jpg)
I will let it soak over night. First thing in the morning, I will take it out and rinse it off. Once it dries, I will seal it and it will be done. I will also show how I attach them to a plaque.
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What you see in the bucket. I think it was about a gallon. It depends on how big of a container you soak it in.
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I took it out this morning and hosed it off really well. I let it soak for a few minutes in a clean bucket of water to get all of the peroxide out of the inside. I will let it dry overnight and seal it tomorrow. It is basically done, and has taken less than a week to do.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10993.jpg)
Bottom jaws.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10992.jpg)
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Someone earlier in this thread mentioned using "Basic White" and 30 weight Hydrogen Peroxide. This is where you can avoid bleaching out the antlers. Just like you are mixing the baby powder with the peroxide to get at the top of the scull where it is not down in the peroxide solution...except you paint the whole skull with the Basic White and the commercial strength Peroxide.
PatB, you are definitely right about keeping the antler bases out of the water if you are boiling. BUT if you keep it below boiling, like OsageOutlaw does there will be no problem with bleaching out the bases. A pro taxidermist taught me that trick. He also advised I use distilled water and NO detergents, soaps, lye, or other shortcuts. Just keep the water around 200 degrees, that's all you need.
I've done a couple dozen like this and the below boiling in pure water seems to work the best of all. I use a hotplate out in the garage and try to keep the pot as covered as possible with tinfoil and let 'er simmer all nite....gooshy, gooshy head soup!
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I like to soak them so it destroys any tissue up inside the nasal area that I couldn't get cleaned out. I am sure my wife would have a problem with a smelly deer skull on the bedroom wall. But if it was going in the garage, using the paste would probably be easier.
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It's tough to balance boiling long enough to clean out the sinus cavities and leaving the skull together. I have overboiled a few and had to glue the nasal bones and teeth back in place. Try sticking a garden hose in the back of the roof of the mouth and using water pressure to blow out the remaining sinovial tissues.
By the way, that is a really nice looking buck.
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Thanks! I cook it just long enough to really loosen all of the meat up. So far, I have never had a tooth or nasal bone fall out on me. I blast all of the openings with a hose after I cook it, but there is always some junk left in the nose area.
I sprayed it with the sealer today. I have been told this helps to prevent them from yellowing over time. I use Deft wood sealer in satin finish. I would rather use flat, but I haven't found it yet. I am going to epoxy the bottom jaw together tonight. I have the next two days off, so I will try to get it mounted on a plaque.
Here is the sealer that I use.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC10999.jpg)
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I made a great time saving discovery while skinning out a couple more deer heads. My knife was dull so I started looking around for something else to use and I found this hooked blade utility knife in my toolbox. It worked great. I skinned the second head out with it and it took half the time that it usually takes me. It also works great for slicing open deer legs for sinew removal.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC11039.jpg)
I still need to mount it to a plaque. I have been very busy lately. I will try to post pics soon.
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Great thread, O.O. - as soon as I master the FIRST first step,( getting a decent buck ;D) I can't wait to try. The hooked utility looks like a great way to open up a deer for dressing - like a wyoming knife. Anybody ever try this?
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Absolutely, we've been opening up deer and hogs with a folding boxcutter with the shingle blade for the last year or so. The only danger is that the curved blade is pretty pointed. A true Wyoming knife is blunt. Nothing is better than the shingle cutting blade for liberating the leg tendons on a deer. Just did four of them yesterday. It was also the first time I quartered a deer without field dressing it. That worked great too, even got the tenderloins. Now we keep 2 boxcutters next to the skinning frame all the time. My nice Kershaw rarely comes out of the backpack.
George
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Cool - gotta gift card for the Hdepot. Now i know what to get ;D
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I am going to buy one of those flip open pocket knifes that hold a utility blade. I think that would work even better than the standard utility knife. The hook blades stay sharp. I have skinned 2 heads and cut open almost 100 deer legs with it and it is still sharp. I still have the other side of the blade to use. Hopefully this weekend I will get it mounted to a plaque. I will post pictures if I do.
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I have made a little money doing some mounts for some coworkers. I decided to invest a little of it in some new equipment. I bought the folding utility knife at Lowes. I wanted to buy a slow cooker big enough to fit a deer head in, but couldn't find one. I picked up a double burner hot plate and a stock pot. Now it will be much easier to cook the skulls. I can set it up in the garage and let it cook. I won't have to check it every 15 minutes like I do with the fire. I won't have to put up with the bad weather now either, and, I can use the hot plate when I sinew a bow.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC11051.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC11052.jpg)
Here is my mount and my buddy's that I did for him. He killed a really nice buck.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC11049.jpg)
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Those look great! Now I wish I'd tried that with my buck from this year.
BTW, my hotplate won't go low enough to work for heating sinew. Hopefully yours will, but check it out before you trust it.
George
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Thanks for the tip. I might have to use a double boiler set-up.
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Yea, I should have said hide glue, not sinew. A double boiler approach is a good idea. It would be nicer to just sit a pan right on the hot plate. Last time I kept taking the pan off the hot plate to keep the temp down but that's risky. I also tried using a skillet but that needed more hide glue in it than I wanted to use.
Those Euro mounts are stunning.
George
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OK, I finally got around to mounting it to an old plaque. I reused one from a small skull cap. I cut a piece of metal about an inch wide and about 12 inches long and paint most of it white. I put the white end into the nasal cavity on the underneath of the skull. I bend it so it sits against it.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC11053.jpg)
I have already cut a slit into the plaque just big enough for the strip of metal to fit through. I put the metal into the slit, cut it to length, and then bend it down.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC11059.jpg)
I drill two holes in the back of the skull and feed some braided wire through. You will want to use strong wire since it will be holding the weight of the skull.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC11060.jpg)
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Next I put the metal strip and the wire through the board and tightly twist the wire with pliers. I also screw the metal strip down. Then I just push the skull down until I get the angle that I want.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC11067.jpg)
And it's done!
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC11062.jpg)
Painting the metal strip white makes it hard to see. I want to try this with a piece of worn barn siding. I think that would look great.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC11064.jpg)
Here is the peroxide that I use. It is the big bottle. I bought it at Sally's for $4.99 a bottle. I used 4 bottles, but I can whiten several skulls with one batch. I also just picked up the smaller bottle of cream on sale for $1.99. I used it instead of mixing the peroxide and baby powder. I just poured a little out and brushed it on the skull that wasn't submerged. It was much easier. The girl at Sally's got a real confused look on her face when I walked in and new more about the peroxide than she did. She eventually asked me what I was using it for.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC11079.jpg)
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When I went in and fumbled around asking for it, the saleswoman grabbed the necessary stuff and handed it to me saying, "This is what you need to bleach the skulls, be sure to keep it off the horn or you will have to re-touch them with brown stains."
Apparently she had been down that road once or twice before!
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This has been a great buildalong.I've done my share.This is perfect for someone starting out.
Thanks for sharing
Leroy
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Great build along. I seal my skulls with a mix of elmers and water. I have a had skulls yellow over time when using a clear coat. I never used peroxide though so maybe that was it??
Jon
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Fats in the bone are what cause the yellowing for the most part. The old school technique was to soak the skull in white gas to draw out all the fats and oils.
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How do you degrease? I know there are a lot of different methods.
Also, I got a cow elk skull that I am working on. My brother-in-law gave me his turkey fryer. I was really glad, that elk skull was too long to fit in any of my pots.
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I've washed with Dawn detergent with some luck, but the soak in white gas works best. I tried the technique of soaking in water with lye dissolved, but ended up eating too much of the cartilage matrix that the calcium bonds onto.
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So far, I have had good luck soaking and scrubbing with really hot water and dawn soap.
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Did I miss it or what did you do with the lower jaw bones???
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I didn't like the way they looked on the skull once it was done. I have been keeping the jawbones from different aged deer to use as a field aging tool. I am working on a cow elk skull and I am going to put the lower jaw back on it when I am done.
Another thing I have learned this year is that the warmer the peroxide, the better it works. When it got really cold, it didn't whiten the skulls as white as they should have been. I had to paint them with the cream and then wrap them in plastic cling wrap and sit them in front of a heater. That did the trick.
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Here is how the cow elk turned out. I used the bottom jaw on this one.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC11192.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/SDC11195.jpg)
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Do you ever paint/decorate your skulls up?
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Not yet. I thought it would look cool if I could draw and shade a knapped arrow head on the forehead of one. The metalized ones are interesting too.
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A friend of mine painted this one for me.
[(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/oneye/SANY0184-1.jpg)]
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Nice!
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Looks good. Somethings I do, if you dont mind me mentioning, is to use 3% peroxide and simmer it. I wrape the antlers, real tight with innertubes to protect them from the peroxide. That way you do not have to touch up the antlers when you are finished. I have also burshed on 30% peroxide to better controle it so it does not disolve the bones too much. When Im finished, I like to seal it with kilz oil primer.
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I bought a Buck Boiler and it worked GREAT.........twice.....no worky no more. goin back to the hot plate.
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another way of attaching the skulls to the plaques is get your self a three inch bolt and nut . mix up some bono and place it in the brain cavity then stick the head of your bolt into the cavity, you need to hold it for awhile while it sets up. then run the threaded part through plaque and add nut.
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Thank You outlaw,
For this thread and the information in it.
I've got some bones soakin' in Hot water and dish soap even as you read this. ;D
As far as mounting skull to plaque, I've had decent luck using a piece of Oak dowel, one end epoxied into the hole in the back of the skull and the other
epoxied into a hole drilled in the plaque.
-gus
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My taxidermist mentioned for his sealer..using regular white elmers glue mixed 50-50 with water. It looks natural on my brownie skull.
I have a black bear and a grizzly skull to do, thanks for the how to!
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Super how to segment.Done some myself years ago.Kind of makes you maybe want to be a taxidermist ehhhhh.
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Thanks!
I was given a turkey fryer and started using it for cooking the skulls. It works perfect. I can even cook two skulls at once. I set it up in the garage and let it simmer away. If anyone is planning on doing several euro mounts, I would highly recomend getting a turkey fryer set up.
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I've done three bucks this year, all whitetails. I'm using a stainless steel 5 gallon pot on an electric hotplate out in the garage. I use tinfoil to cover the pot as best I can and hold them at a simmer juust below boiling all nite long. The meat just shakes off in the morning and there is little scraping to do. Then it's a trip outside to the pressure washer to knock everthing loose from all the nooks and crannies. A half hour back in the garage mixing up and applying the heavy peroxide and bleaching powder from the beauty shop and let it rest until the next day.
About 2 hours all told for actual work. I've been getting $50-75 a pop for them.
But then a guy just brought me an elk head he found dead in the woods. Must have died in late summer, most of it is rotted off. I can tell you right now that 5 gallon pot ain't cutting it!!!! Someone is bringing me the bottom half of a 55 gallon barrel. Pretty sure the ol' hotplate ain't up to this job either, so I'm planning on packing the skull, barrel tub, firewood, and my bowmaking stuff up to a public campground in the Hills and building a fire under it in one of the fire pits.
Maybe I should bring along my Rendezvous cooking gear and a nice venison roast to cook over the fire and make a small festival out of it. Head boilin', bow makin', meat roastin' festival.
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That sounds like the Ticket JW...
What time should we stop by?
:)
-gus
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Head soup oughta be done about half an hour before sunset.
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Head soup reminded me of the time I took an old crock pot to work and cooked a beaver and otter skull. Now when I take my good crock pot in to cook a deer roast, I have to swear to them that there aren't any heads in it before they will eat any.
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Alright, I'll bring the Tequila...
Cause I'm thinking we're gonna need it to eat soup from a found head... >:D
-gus
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Alright, I'll bring the Tequila...
Cause I'm thinking we're gonna need it to eat soup from a found head... >:D
-gus
It's gonna take a tanker truck of Mexican Migraine Maker to get me to ladle up a bowlful!
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Sally's beautify supply sells this peroxide powder called Simple White. Mix that with the 30% peroxide to make a paste. Paint it everywhere and wrap in saran wrap. Place it In front of a heater for 30 mins. That stuff is heat activated. Ever wonder why women at beauty salons sit under the heat hoods? Rinse It off and let it dry. Cuts down on the peroxide soak and comes out whiter!
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I've done my past 2 bucks by boiling/simmering the head. It takes about 6 hours and is a bit gross but it's a finished mount in a day so it's worth it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upv2rnG-F80 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upv2rnG-F80)
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Since its deer season I thought I would bring this back up to the top. And I wanted to post a picture of the turkey fryer setup. It is so much easier than a wood fire. I cooked and cleaned a couple deer skulls today. It was windy so I built a box around it to keep the flame from blowing around.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Bows%202014/SDC17003.jpg)
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This was so helpful! Thanks! I've got one simmering away right now. This sure beats paying someone $100-125 and I like doing as much as I can myself.
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Glad it helped you Adam. Post some pictures of your finished skull.
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I sure will. I got most of the meat cooked off yesterday. The next few days will be pretty busy for me, so it's back in the freezer for now.
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Ok, finally got it finished up. Having a 2 month old takes a real dent out of workshop time. I'm very pleased how it turned out, but I still have a little residual smell that I'm hoping will go away. I'm pretty sure I got all of the meat out of it, but there may be a little cartilage way up in the nasal cavity. Anyhow, thanks again for the how to.
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Looks great. You can't get all of the junk up in the nasal passages out unless you use the beetles or the maceration process. The peroxide should have burnt anything that is left.
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You can use the patented JW"s Nasal Blaster Maneouver! That's when you sneak down to the carwash late at night after a nice boiling time....tip the head upside down and use the wand to blast it out! It also works a charm to get rid of lots of little nubbly bits that stick to the back of the skull!
Well done, Adam. Both on the mount, and on bringing home a very fine looking buck!
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Thanks JW, it was my first deer and I'm glad I was able to do this to honor its memory. Does the JWNBM damage any of the delicate bones in there? I used my garden hose, but was nervous about a pressure washer. I know they won't be visible when it's hanging on the wall, but I wanted to leave it as intact as I can.
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If you are careful, you can leave all the tissue thin turbinates within the nose.
This one was your first? Niiiiiice!
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I'll keep updating this thread as I figure out better ways to do things. This year I found a way to keep the peroxide warm so that it works better. I bought a cheap aquarium heater and put it in a tub of water. I put a plastic case in the bottom of the tub to set my peroxide bath on. The important thing is to have the water levels just right. You don't want the peroxide bath to float around. The heater keeps the water in the tub warm which keeps the peroxide warm. So far it is working nicely. Even in my cold shop the water stays warm. The heater is on the back side of the tub in the pictures.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Snapbucket/22DAE8CD.jpg)
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Snapbucket/EF149CCC.jpg)
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To quote Charlie Sheen, "WINNING!"
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Here is another hint. If you don't want the bleached out skull, put the skull in a tub and pour in enough black coffee to cover it. Let it set over night and then hang it and let it dry. For a splotchy look, instead of soaking, cover the skull with used coffee grounds. Thick in some spots and thinner coverage in others. Oh yeah, the grounds need to be wet.
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Madcrow, can you post a picture of a skull dyed with coffee grounds? I would like to see how they turn out.
Here are a few I finished up today.
(http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/clintanders/Snapbucket/E28AA58E.jpg)
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Thanks o o here is my go at it
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j380/thadsoy/IMG_20150202_233336_228.jpg) (http://s1082.photobucket.com/user/thadsoy/media/IMG_20150202_233336_228.jpg.html)
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Nice looking skulls Soy!
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Lessons I learned today: do not wait for the skull to be semi-dehydrated and half frozen before skinning...or attempting to skin. Fresher's better.
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You should have known that one JW. If I can't get to them for a couple of days I'll throw them in the freezer or put them in a bucket of water.
I brought home a coworkers deer head from work today. Got a friend dropping off 3 deer and a couple coyote tomorrow. Wednesday is going to be a busy day for me.
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You should have known that one JW. If I can't get to them for a couple of days I'll throw them in the freezer or put them in a bucket of water.
I brought home a coworkers deer head from work today. Got a friend dropping off 3 deer and a couple coyote tomorrow. Wednesday is going to be a busy day for me.
Sometimes a lesson needs re-learnin'. First skull I tried doing was a roadkilled coyote. He was pretty "high" by the time I got to him! It was August and he'd been there a day or more. There was plenty of dancing rice on him, but I wanted a skull, dangit!
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I set up a coyote trap with deer scraps this fall. I caught 4 possums :-[
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Something new to check out for the European mounts, great for birds also. Check them out on Face Book, do a search for BoneMotion. They bring the mount back to life. This is a brainchild of one of my next door neighbors. Hope you enjoy. Ed
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Dancing rice, haha ;D
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Bring your mount back to life with. This is the brain child of my next door neighbor, hope you enjoy it. Ed
just take the space out of you tube to check it out.
https://www.you tube.com/watch?v=6sYUk8LPy1U
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I've figured out a better way to heat up the peroxide so it is more effective and whitens faster. I bought a water heating element from ebay for $11. Last year I tried aquarium heaters and I burnt 2 of them up. They didn't work at all. The new element gets the tub of water steaming hot. I would leave it on for a while and then turn it off so it didn't get to hot. It was advertised as being capable of boiling water and I believe it. It would be nice to have a thermostat on it but for $11 I'm not complaining. When the water heats up it warms the peroxide bath. It starts to foam up. That's how you know its working good. I've also quit using the gel peroxide on the top of the skull that isn't submerged. I cut up a white shirt and covered the skull with that. I wrapped strips around the base of the antler below the burr. I would take a plastic spoon and wet the cloth with peroxide a couple times a day. It worked good and I didn't have to mess with the gel.
(http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv22/Outlawstaves/20160117_212357_zpsxlqslpqv.jpg) (http://s666.photobucket.com/user/Outlawstaves/media/20160117_212357_zpsxlqslpqv.jpg.html)