euro mount prep?
 

I am planning on doing a euro mount when I get back from my next hunt and was wondering what methods everyone has had the best luck with. I have heard that boiling and peroxide is used but not recommended because it damages the skull. Any tips would be appreciated. I was thinking of burying the skull in a plastic tot with holes drilled in it to let the bugs take care of it. Does this sound like a good idea? I live in Florida and the bugs never really die in the winter so there would be plenty of them.

RE: euro mount prep?
 

I've done 4 deer mounts in the euro style using the following process. If you've got the patience and a fairly stout stomach, here's a really easy method that produces a very clean mount and it's good for any temp above freezing, and it gets everything out even in the most tiniest hidden areas. *The smell is not very bad but what you see dumping out is nasty.

Be prepared because this process cantakes months, depending on temperature,for all the unwanted tissue to slough off. But hey, it costs almost nothing and produces a pretty nice piece depending on your attention. Be sure to keep it where critters can't get to it!

Clean offas much meat/tissueas possible from the skull, or, as littledepending on how much time you want to invest. Now, find a bucket large enough to submerge the skull completely in water. Let this set for a couple weeks at a time, change water dumping the dirty water far from your house [:'(](This is where you find out how stout your stomach is). When the skull is free of all unwanted material, change the water and add some bleach, say half a cup. Let set for a couple hours or all day. When you dump off this last water your mount should be clean and bleached. Rinse clean with a low pressure water hose. The bone will become a brighter white as it dries.
When you first remove the skull you may notice some seams in the bone that are flexible but if you'll use some care handling the skull, as it dries it hardens and firms up.

Any teeth in the skull will probably have to be glued in place after drying for a couple days. I use super glue. Also, a dull white spray paintcan touch up spots that you may want whiter than they are.

Warning: If there is any part you don't want to bleach, such as antlers, keep that part out of the bleach. I know from unfortunate experience:(, the dark colors on antlers will bleach white as bone!!

RE: euro mount prep?
 

Here is one that I did last year using the boil system & 12% hydrogen peroxide & Basic White that I got from Van Dykes.

RE: euro mount prep?
 

Here's a link from the Taxidermy section talking about how they do it in their shops..

http://www.hunting.net/forum/tm.aspx?m=2394513

RE: euro mount prep?
 

From everything I've read, DON'T use bleach! It makes the bone brittle and yellows with time.

Hydrogen peroxide is the way most people get the skull white.

RE: euro mount prep?
 

thanks for all the replies. I was going to let the skull sit in a bucket of water but I don't think the neighbors would appreciate it. Also I have no where to dump the water away from any houses. which is why I planned to bury it. But all the tips help since there are so many opinions on the proper way.

RE: euro mount prep?
 

Believe it or not, the smell is not bad at all. It's the look of whatdumps outthat is tough for me!

RE: euro mount prep?
 

You're probably right, but my oldest mount is about 8 yrs old and it hasn't yellowed, yet.

RE: euro mount prep?
 

xk where did you get that plaque ?

RE: euro mount prep?
 

I actually have 2 whitetail skulls and a pig skull soaking in my barn right now and the smell isn't bad at all while they are soaking. If you disturb the water or dump it out it is pretty bad, but it goes away after a few days! :D

P.S. - Don't splash any on yourself or any clothes you want to keep!

RE: euro mount prep?
 

I made it. I make all my plaques.

RE: euro mount prep?
 

I do the boiling method with the peroxide and basic white from van dykes like xkmorris mentioned. here is a pic of the one i did a couple of weeks ago.
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp335/jklinkovsky/Joesdeer08.jpg
Hope this helps.

RE: euro mount prep?
 

I tried the boiling method but it left some bad residue in the pan and stunk up the house.

RE: euro mount prep?
 

Yes, nice plaque. I am having a euro done this year. The plaque sets it off.

RE: euro mount prep?
 

Hey All!

I'm an archer and a brain-tanner (meaning I make buckskin out of the hides that I take), and have learned a couple of things about the bones. The first thing is that peroxide and bleach with both deteriorate the bone some. Bleach more so than peroxide. The simplest method is the water method, but if I might make a suggestion, I would try throwing a twist in that is used for removing the hair on deer skin: add hydrated lime to the water before you add the bone to it. You won't need a lot, but it certainly speeds up the process.

RE: euro mount prep?
 

http://www.bowhunting.net/taxidermy/europeanskull.html

Try this link. It's pretty good.