I`m working on a couple of scull mounts from Namibia..
They have been partially boiled/cleaned before dip and pack, but the rest I do myself.
The biggest problem is a hartebeest scull. Because of the horn shape it`s impossible to remove the horns. And since they can`t be removed it`s difficult to clean inside the horns (naturally). How do you normally do this? I`ve never done this before. Does the dirt go a long way up inside the horns..? Smells a bit..
The other sculls are very greasy. I`ve tried to boil a bit, but am afraid of over-boiling and destroying them. Then I`ve tried to wash in soap water. It get`s better but takes a lot of time.. Especially inside the scull and nose were it`s hard to reach. Any shortcuts?
I`m using a blunt knife and a pair of tweezers. Am I being to accurate?? I`ve used three days (not full days, but...) so far... Help please! Puh...

I have washed bear skulls in gas. It helps with the grease, it is dangerous!!! so be careful. I use a dremmel with a small burr to clean the last shreds of meat and cartiledge from deer and goat skulls. It speeds the process a lot.

After boiling do you bleach them immedatly? I have normally let them dry in for a day or two. Does this matter a lot? Some people bleach immedatly when the sculls are wet.
I boiled them yesterday, and don`t get to bleach them until tomorrow. Is it better to wash them once more before bleaching, you think?

I usually bleach right away, but I'm just trying to finish and clean up. I don't think it makes any difference. I have used "frosting" cream and peroxide to bleach the outside surfaces of bears and deer. You get it at the beauty parlor. It's the stuff women use to bleach their hair it is way cheaper than the taxidermy stuff from the catalogs.

Hello;
There was an article in the March issue of Outdoor Life, that suggests boiling the skull with a handful of soda ash [washing soda] per gallon, letting it dry, and then soaking it for a week in laquer thinner to remove the grease.
I just did my wolf skull. I kind of overdid the boiling on the last skull I did, so I started out by carving off as much as much as I could, then carefully watched it boil and periodically scraped it off and then finished it with the pressure washer. I used a piece of wire to remove the brains and clean out all the little connecting tunnels, whatever they're called.
I skipped the solvent soak and bleached it wit that H2O2 lotion, previously mentioned, which I obtained from my wife's hair dresser, cost all of $1 for a jam jars worth. She claimed it was 40%, but I won't vouch for that. I just brushed it liberally on with a paint brush and let it sit for a couple of hours, washed it off, and did it again.
The only reservation I have is that there are still some gray undertones and I'm not sure if the lotion penetrates deeply enough. Anyway, it's good enough for me. Now I'm debating, what to spray it with. I have a can of Trem_Clad clear coat, but am not sure if that is suitable or best.
Grizz

I have normally used peroxid. I get it for free from a friend. He works at a factory that makes peroxid! It`s 40%, and I could even get stronger, but I felt it was enough.. I cover the scull in cotton or toilet paper soaked in peroxid and let it sit over the night. Might do it two times.
A major problem for me is getting the grease away, because it comes out as yellow spots after a while. It doesn`t normally smell, just not as nice to look at.
No my biggest issue is cleaning inside the hartebeest horns, because that really smells, and I`m afraid it will tempt the flies...

What did you mean with "frosting" cream, Elkman2?
The washing soda and laquer thinner sounded like a great idea as well. Thanks Grizz! The wire was my solution as well..

Frosting cream is a powder that beauticians mix with 40% peroxide to bleach hair. I make a paste out of it and paint it on the skull and let dry it beaches the bone white. A taxidermist friend told me about it. I can't help you with the horns, other than can you boil them like we do with goats? and then "tap" them off??

Thanks Elkman2! I know what you mean now. It`s a great idea!
Regarding the hartebeest horns, my taxidermist told me it was impossible to remove, because of their shape.. I might contact him anyway. He might have a few smart tips. Maybe I can use a wire there as well. If I just can find a thinner but solid one...
Thanks again!

This will sound silly, but I have had great luck cleaning skulls in the dishwasher - they come out great.
Be careful not to let your better half find out though.

P.

Great input Irish Paul! The only problem is that we don`t own a dishwasher..
If we did I don`t think it would be very popular to use it like this..

There still some yellow spots left. Just can`t remove it. I guess it turns out like this sometimes. I mean, it`s over a year since they were shot. Some grease might be too stuck..??

Hi Anders.
You could try water masceration to clean the horns up. Bacteria will get in there and clean them out.(put them in a bucket of warm water for a few weeks)
Some people drill a tiny hole on the backside of horns that dont remove to help this.

Later - for the skull -

You need to get all the grease, fat and globulin out before using peroxide or frosting creams as they wont degrease, only whiten.
Soak the skull (only) in acetone for at least 24 hrs to remove the grease (museums use trichloroethyleen).
When completely cleen (not sticky) use your 3%peroxide for 24 hours.

You can seal the bones with a diluted mix of wood glue, gloss flattener and water. It should be thinner than milk. Paint it on thinly so it penetrates into the bone.

Thanks shehuntz!
A few weeks! Do I need to replace the water so it`s warm all the time.. Just sounds like a lot of work..
Is there a chance the colour of the horns will fade?

Regarding the sculls, do they have to be completely soaked in aceton? Then I will need a lot of aceton. The only bucket I found appropriate for the biggest sculls is like 40 liters.. Is the aceton "re-usable"?

When the sculls are dry they`re not sticky, just a bit yellow/grey here and there.. Again I might be a bit to over-careful here..

Did you really mean 3% peroxid? Is that enough? I guess the strength doesn`t matter to much, as long as the scull is clean...
Thanks for your help!

Hello;
I don't think I would want to go into a chemicalsupply store in the foreseeable future, especially in Europe, and ask the clerk for a large bottle of acetone and some high strength peroxide!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Grizz

Hi anders.
Horns -
Just replace a third of the water if it gets too yucky. (it will stink)Keep it someplace where it will get sun to warm it or sit it on a hot water heater. (heat just speeds it up)
Not hard - just put them in and away you go.
No the horns wont discolour - that can happen when you boil skulls.

If you dont want to do all that you can just drill a small hole on the back side of the horn, about where the "handle-bars" bend.Turn the horns - points down and inject some type of preservative, (formaldehyde usually - get at chemist and yes, its deadly so wear a mask, gloves and goggles), all around the bases until it penetrates the bone core and exits the little hole.Leave it half a day, then turn upright for the other half.
I forgot to mention you'd have to apply this or metho, (denatured alcohol),anyhow.

Skulls -
I soak all the skull (only) in acetone and it does evaporate a bit. You could try dipping a quarter of the skull at a time to keep quantity needed of acetone down.
You can probably strain whats left when your done and use it for cleaning brushes or whatever. (its pretty cheap here)

A 3% solution is how peroxdide is sold here - i dont dilute it or anything.

Buy 1 from a chemist and the other 1 from a paint or car product store to avoid suspision - lol.

I've got a yellowed hog skull that needs some whitening. Just stopped off at the beauty supply store today and picked up some 40% peroxide. It was on sale for half-price, or about $2.50 per quart. May go back tomorrow and get another plus a couple of packets of the powder to mix it with.. I'll post before/after pics when done.

If your skull has been sealed with a spray or brush on sealer, the peroxide mixture wont penetrate the sealer. If you know for sure that it isnt sealed the peroxide may help it, but if it has been sealed be sure to dip it in some acetone or lacquer thinner before you peroxide it to try and remove the bulk of the sealer, if not the peroxide will just puddle up on the surface and not do anything.
Most likely (most probably with hogs) the skull wasnt properly degreased. If it still has some yellow to it afterward, soak it in some regular household ammonia for a week, let it dry and then apply the peroxide. Or better yet, soak it in some coleman fuel for a week. Both are wonderful degreasers and will not stain the bone itself. Quite often with a skull that has already been whitened but is turning yellow, you need only to degrease it again and it will go back to its white state.
I have a skull cleaning business and have processed more skulls than I want to count and this method has always worked with a greased out skull.

Thanks for your input deertanner!
I did soak the scull in some acetone and water (had to mix in a lot of water to have enough).. It sure looks better. Will try and boil it a bit more, wash it thouroghly and try the peroxid again..
Don`t know about sealer, but doesn`t look like it.
I`m not sure what a coleman fuel is?

Anders coleman fuel is another name for camp fuel...and that is the fuel used in coleman lanterns. It is somewhat like car gas but I believe it evaporates quicker. Its made in the same process that gas is, but when it dries it takes the oils with it. Acetone is just about the same with the oil cutting ability, just a bit more expensive. Kerosene works nearly as well and isnt as expensive. If you still have some greasy spots soak it in kero for a couple of days then rinse it with acetone and bleach again.
Good luck.

Hello;
the generic chemical name for Coleman fuel is Naptha.
Grizz

Anders,

I think Colemans Fuel is just a particularly pure form of "white gas/petrol"...

Are you having problems getting acetone? I ask because cheap Nail Varnish Remover is basically acetone with a few additives and does not work out too expensive, at least here in the UK anyway..

Deertanner,

For best results, does it matter when you degrease the skull?

I haven't tried a seperate degreasing step yet, but was thinking that for best possible results to soak it in acetone right after it has finished being boiled and cleaned, and then bleach it with the perxoide, maybe a few days later???

Also, do you recommed adding anything to the boiling water to help degreasing?

I tried caustic soda (Draino) but it caused pitting of the bone..Washing (sal) soda doesn't seem to damage pitting, but I wondered it household ammonia would be a better degreaser?

Regards,

Pete

Hello;
Naptha is also sold over here as white gas or camp fuel. It is more volatile than gasoline, hence more flamable, but it doesn't leave that unpleasant after smell that gasoline does. It's probably the most readily available solvent and since I'm in the middle of a similar project, I may try this. The generic stuff is generally about half the price of the Coleman brand.
Kerosine doesn't make sense to me. Has an unpleasant lingering smell and is basically oily and we're trying to remove the oils. They don't call it coal oil for nothing.
if you mix water with acetone , you are only diluting the solvent effect .
Household ammonia is chemically active and like household bleach you have to be careful what you mix it with, or unpleasant things will happen.
Grizz

Have no problems getting aceton, it just cost about 10USD per litre. I used 1 litre and mixed with a few of water.
The scull seems to be much better now, but still the smell of old milk. I did bring it to a taxidermist, and he hadn`t seen anything like it. He doesn`t mount or deal much with african trophies though.. It seems like the scull itself is partially rottening. ???
More boiling, bleaching and then seal the deal. Will use some formaldehyd to kill all bacterias first..

Anders,

That smell seems really strange..If you've had the horns off to clean the core or even just injected the core with something suitable, there just should not be anything left to rot..Have you checked all the fine bones ect in the nasal cavities? Sometimes "gunk" and soft tissue is missed in there...

Regards,

Pete

Pete E

The best time to degrease is before whitening, but it can also be done after whitening if the skull greases out again. But your best bet is to do it right after boiling the skull. Also, let the skull dry before you degrease it. The skull is saturated with water from boiling and whatever degreaser you use wont penetrate as well on a water soaked skull. Dont speed dry it, like out in the hot sun or in front of a heat source, this may cause it to crack where the bones have fused together. After it is reasonably dry then go ahead with whitening.
As to adding anything to the water to help degreasing, maybe some dawn dishwashing liquid or some other grease cutting detergent would help. I use dawn to clean off skulls fresh from the bug tanks and it helps in the final degreasing.

Deertanner,

Thanks very much for the advice...now all i need to do is take a buck to practice it on!

Regards,

Pete

Pete,
I picked up the horns and scull from a taxidermist who did the shoulder- and fullmounts. The outfitter had cleaned the horns for me, and done some work on the scull, but not good enough. I was just supposed to make the last finish. Seems like they have done a mediocre job, or something.. But it can`t be anything left to rotten now.. I`m afraid not to get rid of the smell though..

How do you guys clean the horns? Is there anything regarding the horns I should look for? Maybe they haven`t done them properly either..
What about the skins? Something to look for? I remember telling my PH to have them prepared for shouldermounts. But I might not make it clear that the skins would not be used in some years. I have put them in my freezer though. Probably shouldermounts as soon as I have money for it.. Can I trust that they are properly salted? Are the skins ok as long as they`re in the freezer, even if it they were not treated right. I might be a bit overworried here, but..

I wouldnt be putting a salted cape in a freezer regardless.
(but thats just me )

I agree with Samantha...putting a salted cape in the freezer can sometimes lead to problems.
The salt draws moisture and after a while can rehydrate an entire skin... and if you have moisture you can get bacteria and hair slippage. I've had it happen to me already and I never freeze a salted hid now. Just a bit of what happened to me.

What should I do since they`re already in the freezer? Take them out? What happens then with moisture?
Thanks!

Anders

What happens with the salted capes in the freezer is that the salt draws moisture from the air around it and then turns it to saltwater which freezes at a much lower temp than plain water. If their is enough moisture in the freezer over time this process can compleatly rehydrate a hide. The problem is that even in a high saline solution bacteria can live and reproduce, and when you have bacteria you get hair slippage.
I had a fox that was salted and dried hard but I couldnt get to it for a while so I bagged it and put it in the freezer thinking it would be easier to keep. About 9 months later I pulled it out and it was totally rehydrated and actually dripping water. I rinsed it and the hair fell out with no effort. I have talked to other taxidermists and they all reported similar stories with rehydration and hair slippage. One had salted and froze 12 customers deer capes during the first week of the season and lost them all due to hair slippage.
As for your hides I would get them out and check them for excess moisture. If they are bagged up tightly (maybe several layers of bags or maybe vacume sealing them) they may be safe. If any are wet or even moist I would take them to a taxidemist and see if he(she)could tan them right away.
If they were my hides I would yank them out as soon as possible and sent them off to be tanned. When they are tanned they can be frozen for several years without worry. It may cost a bit for the tanning but it wont be close to the cost of replacing them.
Sorry to be the bearer of possible bad news, but dont panic. Some people do salt and freeze without any complications, but I personally dont advise it.

Hides in a freezer will "freezer burn" like any other meat. Salt the hides using non iodized salt. Do it several times, the hide will get as hard as a board. It will keep for years that way.

TJ,

What exactly is non iodized salt?

There is not much call for stuff like this in the UK, so if ever I wanted to salt a one-off cape cape I think I would go to the local "Cash n Carry" and buy some catering packs of stand table salt...So would common table salt be ok?

Regards,

Pete

I really appreciate all the help presented during this topic!
I`m a bit confused though about what to do with the skins. I talked to a norwegian tanner the other day, and he told me to keep the skins in the freezer, or else the bacterias will start working in a year or two. I just needed to pack them well in plastic bags, wich I`ve done. But your advice sounds very good as well. What to do?
I think I will keep them in the freezer for a while now, and check them regulary for moisture. If they have any signs I will send them of to tanning immidietly..

The scull is getting better thanks to your sound advice! The scull have been soaked in aceton water for a couple of weeks now and are looking better. I will boil a bit more, soak in formaldehyd, then use peroxid for the last time.. I can`t wait to finish theese trophies!

What does Borax contain dogcatcher223? Haven`t heard about it but will check today!

Hi Anders.

If they were my clients hides brought to me salted and frozen i would, (after the usual lecture - lol), leave them to thaw and as soon as they were pliable enough (not long), i would dry the hair side with a towel or put them in my tumbler, (converted xlarge clothes dryer), with sawdust for a few minutes to take off the moisture, re salt over 2 days and either let them dry hard or throw them in the pickle.

Good to see yopur making progress with the skull.

wow im so glad I found this thread, I read through it, and I like the initial poster (Anders) have a question about removing greesy spots, I was told by a local Tax'derm guy that a bucket with dawn and water would help to lift and separate the fatty deposits and they would float on top of the bucket, I culd then skim and dump out the water and repeat as needed, does this hold true with some others?

Also, what would be a good way of coating the skull for preservation? I believe that Anders asked that as well but I couldnt find an answer.

quote:

You can seal the bones with a diluted mix of wood glue, gloss flattener and water. It should be thinner than milk. Paint it on thinly so it penetrates into the bone.

The scull is much better now. Actually ready for mounting any day..
I placed the scull in a bucket of aceton and water and left it there for over a month.. Then boiled some more and soaked it in formaldehyde.. Then cleaned well with soap water and bleached with 50% peroxid. It`s white for sure and the smell is gone (some smell but there will always be some, I guess)..
Thanks for all the help I got!