European mount help!
- Thread starter dropper10
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muleyhunter413
Active Member
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- 422
I would suggest soaking it in a bucket for a day or so. That will soften up the hide and you will easily be able to cut it off. As fr as the smell, you are screwed I believe. A 50-50 mix of water and vinegar may help but mostly you need to get rid of the hide first.
C
Chiefs
Guest
Buy a European Mount kit from Mountain Mike's and avoid all that boiling crap, eay to do and no mess. I am a taxidermist, this is the best way to go.
MULEYSTAND
Active Member
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- 136
A presure washer works the best.
H
habitat
Guest
The cabelas/van dykes kit works great and theres enough to do a couple
Pooner
Active Member
- Messages
- 312
I did one on my own last year just to say I did it. It turned out great, but it was not the most pleasant experience. We boiled the heads and would scrap them every hour or so, it does stink. Make sure to keep the antlers out of the water, it will change their color. Then I got hydrogen peroxide. Not the kind you clean wounds with but the stuff you buy to bleach hair. You mix it up put it on and let it sit for a day. I bleached mine once for a bit more natural look, and my brother did his twice for a whiter look. They both turned out great.
BuzzH
Long Time Member
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- 6,063
Easy...
Buy some washing/sal soda...if you cant find that you can use baking soda...but the sal soda works best.
Put a few cups of the soda in with your water...dont boil, but simmer for a few hours, hide and all.
After about 3-4 hours most everything should be loose enough to scrape off. Scrape off what you can and if needed simmer longer.
After the meat and hide are off the skull, I'd simmer again in a mixture of dawn dishsoap and water. The dawn will draw out any grease that may be present in the skulls.
Last step is to put tin foil around the bases of the antlers. Next buy some magnesium carbonate (or basic white) and 40 volume peroxide creme developer from a beauty supply shop. Mix the basic white and peroxide together to form a paste. Paint the entire skull with the paste, paying attention to not let any of it touch the antlers. Wrap in a plastic sack and leave it for about a week. Then, wash off the peroxide paste and let air dry.
I did about a dozen this year, including these from the animals my wife and I shot in 2009:
Buy some washing/sal soda...if you cant find that you can use baking soda...but the sal soda works best.
Put a few cups of the soda in with your water...dont boil, but simmer for a few hours, hide and all.
After about 3-4 hours most everything should be loose enough to scrape off. Scrape off what you can and if needed simmer longer.
After the meat and hide are off the skull, I'd simmer again in a mixture of dawn dishsoap and water. The dawn will draw out any grease that may be present in the skulls.
Last step is to put tin foil around the bases of the antlers. Next buy some magnesium carbonate (or basic white) and 40 volume peroxide creme developer from a beauty supply shop. Mix the basic white and peroxide together to form a paste. Paint the entire skull with the paste, paying attention to not let any of it touch the antlers. Wrap in a plastic sack and leave it for about a week. Then, wash off the peroxide paste and let air dry.
I did about a dozen this year, including these from the animals my wife and I shot in 2009:
B
bucksnorticus
Guest
It looks like BuzzH has a great method. We use a hair salon item as well peroxide and powdered bleach. Mix both together to make a paste. Spread it over the entire skull.(stay away from the antlers) Leave for a few hours and rinse with water. Repeat if the first time doesn't seam to have done the job. If you purchase these hair items you can bleach many skulls. Use Rubber gloves when working with these chemicals.
When boiling... Boil for 1 hour pick skull as clean as possible. Replace water this time use some lemon dish soap in the water to help break down the grease. Boil again picking the head clean from time to time. A good stiff toothbrush can help alot.
We stay away from using bleach in the water. We have found that it will yellow the skull and can bleach the base of the antlers. I'm sure many of these methods work. This is what we have found works the best.
P.S. Make sure you try the skull soup you make, its something!!!! MMMMMM!!! Especially after it builds a skin on the top. Throw a few taters in and a couple carrots and thats one heck of a stew. MMMM!!!
When boiling... Boil for 1 hour pick skull as clean as possible. Replace water this time use some lemon dish soap in the water to help break down the grease. Boil again picking the head clean from time to time. A good stiff toothbrush can help alot.
We stay away from using bleach in the water. We have found that it will yellow the skull and can bleach the base of the antlers. I'm sure many of these methods work. This is what we have found works the best.
P.S. Make sure you try the skull soup you make, its something!!!! MMMMMM!!! Especially after it builds a skin on the top. Throw a few taters in and a couple carrots and thats one heck of a stew. MMMM!!!
B
bucksnorticus
Guest
LAST EDITED ON Apr-15-10 AT 11:41AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Apr-15-10 AT 11:37?AM (MST)
How long do the beetles take to clean a deer skull? Are they a problem to have around? Do the beetles clean the skull well enough that you don't have to remove any of the meat by hand?
How long do the beetles take to clean a deer skull? Are they a problem to have around? Do the beetles clean the skull well enough that you don't have to remove any of the meat by hand?
LAST EDITED ON Apr-17-10 AT 06:49PM (MST)[p]they take about 2 days to clean them, but i usually leave them in for a couple days after it looks good to make sure that all the nasal and brains are gone. I usually can have a deer done in 2 weeks, cleaned, degreased, and whitened, all at a very reasonable price. One thing about boiling them is it ruins the bones and makes them very brittle, usually destroys the nasals and also shrinks the width of the antlers more than with beetles
Quality European Mounts at affordable prices
Quality European Mounts at affordable prices
