another first time euro attempt

sorry for starting another thread, but i had some different questions and didnt want to hijack someone elses thread. so i just skinned out my bull head, removed the lower jaw, eyeballs and most of the meat. i've got a little trimming left to do and need to get the brain out. so here are some questions i've got:
what is the ideal temp to simmer the skull?
is it best to let it go for a few hours before working the meat off, or pull it often?
does using a wire brush to scrape the skull mar it up at all?
i'd like to have a more natural looking skull and i'm wondering if anyone has just used a sealer after the cleaning and degreasing? if so, i'd love to see some pics.
also would taking it to the car wash for a final clean up damage anything with the high pressure sprayer? any other tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated. heres a shot of the bull this afternoon, after the hide was taken off.

after it boils foa a bit using a high pressure washer works great, but take you time. it dont take much to break of the nose or blow teeth out.

air compressor helps to get brains out and meat after it has boiled for a awhile

I haven't done one in about 10 years, so there are a lot more experienced people to help you with the overall process.

The last one that I did I left it completely natural. No bleach, no whitening agent of any kind, no sealer afterwards. Just simmered and cleaned until I was satisfied. I really enjoy the natural look, its a little off-white, with a little bit of color in the joints in the skull. The teeth still have color on them, much the way a deadhead would. I wish I had a good camera to get some good up close pictures to share. I think you will really like that look.

That ain't a camel toe, that's a moose knuckle!

dont use a high pressure sprayer! It destroys the bones in the nose and can break other small bones or loose teeth.
dont boil the water! it softens the skull too much and can crack it.
dont use a wire brush! you would think self explanatory because it scratches the bone.
dont use an air compressor to blow the brains out! It gets all over you.
Dont use a wire and just push out the nose! It destroys the small bones in the nose

Do simmer the water with a degreasing soap like dawn. Do change the water quite often.
Do take your time and get a dental pick and a knife to get the meat off!
Do get a wire about 8" long and bend a small L shaped bend in the tip. Insert the wire in a drill and insert it into the vertebra and tund on the drill to turn the brains into mush and then shake out!
Do take your time with the nose and try not to break any of the small bones in it.
Do save all the teeth and glue them in after you have whitening the skull.
Do put a clear coat on after you are done whitening the skull.
Glue in the teeth.



who farted?

What buckmaster said. +1
good post

its all trial and error... hundred guys and hundred ways....

for my nice heads i have a pro do it or elk since i dont have a big pot . when i find dead heads i do it myself for practice. for one i dont like the nasal cavaties, it a pain and i dont look up the nose when its up on the wall so i dont need it.. and i dont care for the bottom jaw.. i like them on elk but on a antelope it looks pretty dumb in my OPINION.

the power washer does work but like i said earlier it can be your worst enemny so be very careful. i found an air compressor works better for getting stuff to peel off.. in other words i quit using the power washer after blasting the fron nose piece off.

over time i am getting them to look pretty darn good. i just got my elk back from a pro that uses beatles and boils. i am happy with it..



this whitey was done by best of the best.. he gets them so super white. all the taxidermist use this guy then they do a mark-up price. also takes any hunter for a customer



one that i did, i kept the nasal cavites in this one. i put a secret clear coat on it...


and here is an elk i did, as stated before dont over boil. i walked away from this one and got side tracked. my solution to was to cover my mistake with flec-stone in a can

well, i chickened out and took it in. actually it's a fellow mm'er that's doing the work.

son of a gun, my photobucket account lost everything.. not sure what happened