Boiling out skulls
04-30-2010, 10:11 AM
#11
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Iowa
Posts: 1,583
Some have used a heated pressure washer to blast the worst off, but I'd rather take my time by hand--or at least soften the meat up with a boil beforehand. 8 hours seems awfully long...You can cut off a lot of stuff before starting the boil, including sawing off the lower jaw and opening the base of the brain cavity more. You can add some borax to the water. Aside from being persistent, you could always try maceration or dermestid beetles. Not faster, just--perhaps--easier. A 3% peroxide soak will lend bleaching effect but will also do wonders in loosening up any leftover pieces on the skull.
We also take the air hose to it to get some of it off. It might now be as powerful as your heater pressure washer though.
So will putting borax into the heated water make it come off faster? Will it make any color changes?
Our taxidermist also tries burrying the skulls in the ground but he was saying that takes a long time to do and the skull is stained from the dirt when you take them out.
04-30-2010, 05:04 PM
#12
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: West NE
Posts: 1,455
Borax...grease cutter. Peroxide is your friend for color.
If dermestid was your fancy, you could kill something (sparrows for example), bury em, and dig it up for a free colony. Not fast, but they'll clean stuff up.
Maceration...never tried it. Always been too cold when I needed to do it, and you better believe I'm leaving it outside
If dermestid was your fancy, you could kill something (sparrows for example), bury em, and dig it up for a free colony. Not fast, but they'll clean stuff up.
Maceration...never tried it. Always been too cold when I needed to do it, and you better believe I'm leaving it outside
05-02-2010, 01:24 PM
#13
Spike
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 18
i second what big Z said if you really want to get more into it i would look in to the dermistid beetles they are a little tough to keep but they work better than trying to boil and do not have to worrie about discoloring. i myself have been looking at setting up a colony once i am out of college.
05-12-2010, 09:53 AM
#14
Fork Horn
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 472
I did the boil/scrape method, but I never let it boil for very long before pulling it out and scraping, and I had it fleshed pretty good before the boil, doing one wasn't bad but I wouldn't want to do more than one at a time. I didn't use any type if whitener, when I was done I soaked it in borax water for a few hours.
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05-12-2010, 10:58 AM
#15
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: central and east texas
Posts: 4,894
I did the boil/scrape method, but I never let it boil for very long before pulling it out and scraping, and I had it fleshed pretty good before the boil, doing one wasn't bad but I wouldn't want to do more than one at a time. I didn't use any type if whitener, when I was done I soaked it in borax water for a few hours.
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05-21-2010, 08:10 PM
#16
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: MN
Posts: 1,260
I'm no taxi but I became good friends with some in CO. You do risk damage with an 8 hr boil. I suggest boilin in water with dawn dish soap, arm and hammer powder cloths det. If you boil that long you have to let it dry before you start diggin into it to clean it off. i just finished a bobcat skull. It turned out amazing. Also when ur done boiling use a 80 peroxcide / 20 Water solution and let sit 24 hrs. Once again the skull will be brittle when u pull it out. Set aside and let dry. I've done numerous skulls all are on the wall and the one I let a taxi do himself isn't figure it out follow my instructions. Good Luck!!!
05-21-2010, 08:12 PM
#17
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: MN
Posts: 1,260
I missed a part I didnt read. Go out to wally world and pick up a big soup pot, and sit on a propane burner outside. No wonder you had to do a 8 hr boil. You'll cut ur time in half by doing this.
Last edited by deernutz; 06-05-2010 at 11:40 AM.
05-22-2010, 07:25 AM
#18
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Southern Illinois
Posts: 650
It's time consuming, but sit down with a knife and a pair of pliers and get as much of everything off of the skull ahead of time that you can, and then the boiling will be much quicker. I usually try to do it as soon as the butchering is done while my knives and hands are still messy. While everything is still fresh it is easier to get it all off. I have one of my wife's bucks that I just stuck in the freezer a couple years back...I'm never in the mood to thaw it out and start on it! Wish I woulda done it fresh!
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