Degreasing deer skulls

[osage outlaw]

I'd like to have more professional quality skull mounts.  Grease removal is an area that I need to improve on.  I'm experimenting with this set up.  I have a heating element controlled by a thermostat set to 120⁰.  I mixed some ammonia and dawn dish soap in the water.  It didn't take long to see some results.   There was grease on the surface and you could see it coming out of the bone.  I changed the water on day 3.  I'll probably do 3 more water changes until it stays clear.  I forgot to take before pictures but you could see yellow areas on the skulls.  These are from last season.  They were cleaned but not whitened yet. 

[bjrogg]

Hope it works for you outlaw.

I have problems sometimes with bones for handles and such.

I try to get the marrow out if it’s possible.

I’ve had them seemingly really clean. Put them in a bucket and a year later they are oily from the marrow inside I think?

Don’t know how much marrow a skull has but probably not as much as a leg bone.

Bjrogg

[osage outlaw]

That's what I'm trying to get rid of BJ.  That oily yellow look

[Pappy]

I always use dawn and a little bleach on the final boil, seems to dry them out and degrease them pretty well, but only cook for about and hour and then take out and let air dry.

[JW_Halverson]

The pros are avoiding boiling altogether as it seems to set the grease deeper into the bone and cooks the collagen out of the bone and joints. More and more are going to straight maceration. Maceration is where you remove as much soft tissue as possible and then submerge it in water to rot it out. Most of them are doing like Clint shows by adding heat to speed up the process. Near daily water changes and a little pressure-washer action cleans them up really nicely. Once the flesh is off they go into warm buckets of Dawn and water.

When done properly, the bone will not yellow with age no matter how long it sets on the shelf. Museums have been doing this for well over a hundred years and it seems only recently taxidermists and bone collectors are figuring it out.

[osage outlaw]

The pros are avoiding boiling altogether as it seems to set the grease deeper into the bone and cooks the collagen out of the bone and joints. More and more are going to straight maceration. Maceration is where you remove as much soft tissue as possible and then submerge it in water to rot it out. Most of them are doing like Clint shows by adding heat to speed up the process. Near daily water changes and a little pressure-washer action cleans them up really nicely. Once the flesh is off they go into warm buckets of Dawn and water.

When done properly, the bone will not yellow with age no matter how long it sets on the shelf. Museums have been doing this for well over a hundred years and it seems only recently taxidermists and bone collectors are figuring it out.

That's the process I'm switching too next year.  I need to get a maceration set up ready.  I've seen where they use old non running chest freezers.  I'll order a few more heating elements and thermostats.  The smell is the worst part.  It won't bother me too much due to my profession.  My wife will probably not be too fond of it. 

My goal is to produce museum quality skull mounts.  I thought about using dermestid beetles but you have to keep them alive year round and that can be a hassle.  The maceration process seems like the best route.  I saved my step sons doe head to use as a test run. 

[JW_Halverson]

Yup, that's the drawback I saw with the dermestid beetles. You go all in all year or you go home. Well, that and you better keep them in a building far from your house in case of escapes. They will go after mounts on the wall, and any other leather or animal-based products available, like sinew-backed bows.
 

[White Falcon]

I us Dawn and NO bleach! Bleach will cause the skull to yellow over time. I rinse with Dawn 3 or 4 times. Rinse in clear water 3 or 4 times and let dry. I then paint on 40% peroxide, let set 24 hrs, rinse and paint again. I do thes 2 or three times. Rinse and let dry in the sun if possable.

[Pappy]

man them wing calls are beautiful.
 Pappy

[White Falcon]

Thanks!

[BowEd]

I use Van Dykes degreaser while boiling the skull.Then after everything is removed and while the bone is moist I apply magnesium carbonate and house hold hydrogen peroxide into a paste and paint the on the skull to dry.It will be and stay snow white for years to come.
Doing this while the head is fresh is the best.To find an old timer whitetail that's been dead for months and months are the hardest to do as the fat and oils have dreid in more so then,but still doable the way I described.

I've done many many skulls of all kinds.Bobcats,otters,coon,coyotes,and beaver.They all come out white as fresh snow.Here are just the deer skulls.






Here's some buffalo skulls.The first just boilded with only bleach.The larger second one I bought as is already done as it is a grayish color.Not sue how it was done.

[bjrogg]

Nice Ed

I really like the buffalo skull that you did. Looks great.

I received a longhorn head in a trade.

It was separated from the longhorn steer about three months before I got it and already had some bugs working on it. I took it back to our woods and left it there for about a year and a half.

It had a little hide left attached to the jaw mostly. I took our  hot water pressure washer and washed it really good. Got in the brain cavity and any openings I could. I really like how it came out.

I didn’t really want it Snow White but its nice and clean. I didn’t really have space for it inside but I had a spot in mind right next to my man cave.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

I have the lower jaw yet to but I didn’t glue it back together yet. I might even use it for some other projects. Not sure yet.

Bjrogg

[archeryrob]

Wow, that looks like a lot of work. My buck head from last year is covered in the compost pile waiting for the bugs and worms to clean it by next September.