Tips on European mount

[HunterHads]

This spring I found the skeleton of a doe that had been shot last fall the skull was still there and in great shape so I took it and put it in my garage. Over the weekend I took it off the wall and now I would like to clean it up and make it look like a nice European mount. There is no meat on the skull But it is dirty. How do I clean it and make it the bright white that European mounts are? Thanks, Hads

[H-man]

I did this a couple years ago. Make sure you've got all the little bits of meat off and that the brains and nasal tissue are out first. I used 40% (I think) Hydrogen Peroxide. It pretty thick and looks like white hair conditioner. You have to get it from a beauty supply shop. It's powerful so don't get it on your hands! The exact way to do it can be found if you do an internet search, but I poured the entire bottle into a large pot and filled it up with water. You'll want a pot that's big enough to submerge the skull. If you don't have one big enough you can just make sure the exposed area is always wet with the solution for as long as possible. For a buck, don't let the antlers in the solution. You can take an old toothbrush and work the solution in the crevices or scrub any extra dirty areas. I let mine sit overnight after putting it in the pot around 5pm. I then rinsed it off in the morning and let it dry outdoors. It turned out pretty good. Not pure white, but a good natural white color. I'm no expert but if it doesn't get as white as you'd like you could paint it white... I know a guy who did this and it looks good as well...just not as natural.

[Ebowhunter]

HH hit the nail on the head.

There should be more ideas available in the Taxidermy Forum. I will have this moved.

[jmoser]

Clairol Basic White bleaching powder mixed with the 40 vol peroxide makes a paste that you can brush on. You can get both from any beauty shop / supply house or order from VanDykes taxidermy supply. Also try boiling the skull first in sal soda [VanDykes] which will help remove the hard to get bits of meat and tissue. Dremel tool with wire brush helps get the brown stains off the teeth if you want.

[MGV]

The overnight makes me nervous. When i do the peroxide soak i sit and watch it. I leave it in about 1 hour max depending on the progress. You want to be careful that the solution does not eat the bone by the eye sockets and the nose cavity. Also the teeth can start falling out. But that is a easy solve with some glue.

[pike man]

If you go to http://mucc,org you will find a link to MOOD TV. From there you will find a heading Quick Links ( as well as a very nice photo of Kelly Gotch :D ). Under that heading you will find a topic, Skull Mounts. Click on that. This is the best information that I have found on the subject.

Good Luck

pike man:fish:

[MGV]

One thing they are missing on the MUCC site. Wrap the Antlers in tin foil. It will stop them from bleaching out from the steam. If this does happen take some stain to them.

[john warren]

i just put mine in an old bird cage to fend off the squirrels and set it behind the shed in the spring. by hunting season the bugs have it clean and ready to take to hunting camp as a project and remembrerence of last years hunt.
freeze it till spring.oh,,, you remove everything you can first.
aand i brush on peroxide , not soak. you can cover it with saran wrap to keep it moist, add more if needed, and clean it off when its right.

[mich-hunter]

what about the smell? i have done a few.becareful with sal soda .not to boil too long.

[Capt Hook]

Van Dykes has a product called Magnesium Carbonate order #BM108214 that can be mixed into a paste with plan old Peroxide from the drugstore. It will do a good job of whitening that skull. It cost $4.59 for a pound and that is enough to do the job. Van Dykes 800-843-3320 ask for a catalog while your at it.

[MGV]

The smell does get over bearing. The best i can offer is do it in a well ventilated area so the stink blows away.

[MGV]

Forgot this part....Anyone ever use chickens to clean the skull????

[BuckJohnson]

The Michigan State University Museum raises funds by cleaning deer/bear/etc bones using their resident population of beetles. They use to charge $30-$60 per deer head as I recall, depending on lenght of skull. They don't use any chemicals which can damage the natural color or structure of the bones. Generally only takes a few weeks to have done depending on their backlog. They do such great work that I wouldn't even think about cleaning or scraping any skull considering the work involved and their low prices. I can't remember her phone number but the contact person at the museum is Paula.

[MGV]

Thanks for the info. That would be worth the donation. What do you do after the beetles get done. Do you still want to hit it with peroxide to get the white look?

[det07]

How do you get the brains out? Drill them out?

[Liv4Huntin']

The smell does get over bearing. The best i can offer is do it in a well ventilated area so the stink blows away.

We've boiled skulls with celery stalks added to the water.... helps with fighting the 'yucky' smell. Best, still, to do it outdoors if you can. Even then, keep the antlers out of the water when boiling.
~ m ~

[MGV]

How do you get the brains out? Drill them out?

I tried the drilling, that sucks to do. The stink of the pot boiling is bad enough then add burnt bone on top of it. Once the brains are boiled long enough. I will take a wire and the garden hose and spray and scrap inside the brain cavity. The spraying will also clean the sinus's out the nose area. Be careful when spraying into the nose that you do not spray to hard. You will break bones in the nose.

[tackle hound]

WASCO (wildlife artist supply company) out of Georgia has a Skull Cleaning Kit that costs about $10, and will do about a dozen skulls. They can be found at www.taxidermy.com The kit includes Sal Soda for cleaning the meat off the skull, an aeresol can of fungicidal sealer (keeps the cleaned skull from discoloring from mold and bacteria growth) and an instruction pamphlet on step by step instructions. the order number is HK14 for the kit, and the phone number is 1 (800) 334-8012 .

I used to be a Commercial Taxidermist , and bought this kit for my Dad for Christmas a few years ago. He has done several skulls and with very good results!!

WASCO was one of my favorite suppliers and always provided very good survice and supplies.........you may want to ask for a catalog while you have them on the phone.

Hope this helps.

[RiverKat]

I've done about a dozen bleached skulls this season and several more over the years.Kind of a hobby of mine. I like to find neat looking pieces of wood in forest and place the skulls on them. Maybe add a piece of old rusty barbed wire.To make brain removal a little easier I make a diagonal cut across the opening to the brain cavity with my bone saw. This doubles the size of the cavity opening and makes removing the brain matter alot easier. I use a knife to scramble the boiled brains and to loosen the membrane which lines the cavity. This membrane is hard to remove but sometimes comes out in one piece. I usually stick a finger in there and try to hook it and pull it out. It helps to remove all the tissue you can from the back of the skull before trying to remove this membrane. There are several holes in the back of the skull through which nerves attach to the brain. The optic nerve is one, it's the hole inside the eye socket. These areas are tuff to get cleaned out until the brain lining is removed. Also remove the ear bones on the back of the skull. They have holes in them and are about an inch and a half long. I pry them out with a screwdriver. Hard to explain but once you do it you'll remember how they lay against the back of the skull. Nasal tissue is the hardest part to clean. Don't worry about breaking the paper thin spiral shaped bones up in the nasal cavity. You have to break them or you wony get the tissue out. Theres alot of meat up in the nose and its wrapped in these paper thin bones. I use a thin knife to jab up the nose and loosen the bones. Then I use a coat hanger to try to hook the tissues out. You can also do this from the backside of the skull. Sometimes it's easier to pull it out from the back. You'll need to cut the cartillage apart too, it will stink if you don't. A pair of needlenose pliers will help to pull it out. Hope some of this helps.


Dan