A few years ago I read about a guy who buried a deer skull in the ground and a few months later dug it up and the bugs in the ground had cleaned it up pretty good. Anybody ever tried this or heard of it being done. I took my bear skull out of the freezer a few weeks ago and buried it next to a ant hill think this might work? would be cool if all I had to do was bleach it
bear skull
- Thread starter coyote
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foundation
Very Active Member
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I have read about that also . I tried some thing similar with a antelope skull last year , but it still needed a lot of cleaning after the bugs where done .
Any more I just pony up the cash and have the skulls done with bettles .
Any more I just pony up the cash and have the skulls done with bettles .
B
Bullelk1
Guest
>I have read about that also
>. I tried some thing
>similar with a antelope skull
>last year , but it
>still needed a lot of
>cleaning after the bugs where
>done .
>
> Any more I
>just pony up the cash
>and have the skulls done
>with bettles .
Me too. Beetles are the way to go.
>. I tried some thing
>similar with a antelope skull
>last year , but it
>still needed a lot of
>cleaning after the bugs where
>done .
>
> Any more I
>just pony up the cash
>and have the skulls done
>with bettles .
Me too. Beetles are the way to go.
pookiebar
Active Member
- Messages
- 580
Where do you live? If you are in south or central utah, or similar climate area you can find a red ant hill, and dig about halfway into their hill then bury the skull there. They do a fantastic job of cleaning them up. You will want to move fast though cas those little suckers bite, and lots of them biting gets pretty uncomfortable really fast.
But if you just dig a hole in your backyard it aint gonna come out too pretty.
Short of that I would just pay the money to do the beetles.
But if you just dig a hole in your backyard it aint gonna come out too pretty.
Short of that I would just pay the money to do the beetles.
P
preacher
Guest
Send me your next skull and I'll clean it with beetles.
T
thebuckstopshere518
Guest
dude just get a pot and simmer it (not boil) for a couple hours with a couple drops of clear dawn dish soap add some borax too (should find it at walmart with the laundry detergent). Pull it out and stick a hose nozzle in the brain cavity to blow all that brain matter out and do a little scraping. you can get 40% peroxide and a packet of hair bleach at any beauty supply store. either make a paste or soak the whole skull in the mix. Anybody can send their skull out to be done but i always find it alot more cool to do it myself...just my 2 cents
The problem with simmering them, the grease will not come out of the bone, and will show up later. To keep the bone white and looking good it needs to be fully degreased, which takes time. simmering cooks the grease in the bone same as boiling it, also it takes the calcium out of the bone which makes the bone brittle. It is worth it to have it done right. And it isn't all that much $ to have it done, and not worth pissing your wife off with the stink!
Skull Designs: Quality European Mounts at affordable prices
Skull Designs: Quality European Mounts at affordable prices
G
GTOUTDOORS
Guest
I boil it just til the meat starts to fall off, then I fire up my pressure washer (dont go to the local car wash, they get kinda mad about it) and blast the remaining meat off it. I agree with the air hose and nozzle in the brain cavity...makes one hell of a mess if you aren't paying attention to what you are doing though. I was going to experiment with my sand blaster some but am afraid it will damage the skull. I have the most trouble getting the meat off the back of the skull where the spine meets the head.
I find it ironic that Dawn dish soap is the best degreaser for hides, skulls, and just about anything involving dead critters, and they are a supporter of animal rights activists.
I find it ironic that Dawn dish soap is the best degreaser for hides, skulls, and just about anything involving dead critters, and they are a supporter of animal rights activists.
You need Sal Soda... Google it, it works great..
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Disclaimer:
The poster does not take any responsibility for any hurt or bad feelings. Reading threads poses inherent risks. The poster would like to remind readers to make sure they have a functional sense of humor before they visit any discussion board.
gznokes
Very Active Member
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- 1,322
I have a question along these lines. If I send a bear skull to a professional is it possible to specify that I don't want the teeth bleached? I kind of like the look of a bleached predator skull with the natural color teeth .
I had a cougar skull done recently and the skull and teeth came back completely white. It was well done but it occured to me when i got it back that I would have liked it with the natural colored teeth. When I asked the guy with the beetles he said it is typical to do the process with beetles, then degrease, and bleach the whole thing. Is that the way it has to be done or can the bleaching process be skipped or only applied to portions of the head so as to leave the teeth a natural color?
I had a cougar skull done recently and the skull and teeth came back completely white. It was well done but it occured to me when i got it back that I would have liked it with the natural colored teeth. When I asked the guy with the beetles he said it is typical to do the process with beetles, then degrease, and bleach the whole thing. Is that the way it has to be done or can the bleaching process be skipped or only applied to portions of the head so as to leave the teeth a natural color?
