Whats your method for skull mounts
 

I have done the dirty deed of scraping and boiling and hate it. Thinking of just scraping what I can, and let nature do its work in a wooden box in my back woods. Then bleaching the crap out of it. Some put it in water for several months. Whats the best way for an amateur.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

BC,
Easiest way that I have found without the scraping and boiling is to triple bag it with plastic grocery bags just around the skull (let the antlers out). Fill it with water and put it somewhere that critters cannot get to it, the sun doesn't bleach the antlers and you don't have to smell it. A wooden box in the woods is probably good. It will take several months but when it is done all you need to do is go to Sally's Beauty Supply and get some 40 vol. peroxide and soak the skull only and you will have a nice european mount. Works well for me. It takes longer than you want it to but it is better than paying $100. Or you could buy the dermistid beetles and let them do the work for you. If you buy the beetles, let me know because I would like to feed them my skulls too. Good luck.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

Here is one that sounds bad but works good. CAR WASH use the car wash to cleen most of the meat off and brains out.Than do the bag,beatals,boil.

He has hit the nail on the head with the 40%peroxide.BUT do not soak it.Make a past it is way cleener and it will never bleach any horns.There is more peroxide you can buy to make a past you mix the 2 togeather.You can allso just mix water with powder or flower with liqued.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

wow, I wonder if my old lady will hold it while I spray:D

I have looked into the beatles before, but they say they smell pretty bad. And you got to check the heat constantly. Figured I would leave it for the experts.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

I use the dermestid beetles. I have a heat rock in mine, and the aquirium has wood and wire-mesh on top, and it really doesn't stink unless you put your nose right up in it. The key is getting the skulls really dry before you put them in there, and it seems to help a lot. Plus it's pretty cool watching those beetles eat the flesh clean off the skull!

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

Ks, are they in your house? Or a shed?

How do you feed them in the off season? Also, do you buy more every year or upkeep the original colony? How long have you had them.

Sorry for so many questions. Just your the only one i Know with them. Appreciate the info.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

I went through boiling & scaping, then tried soaking (whew!) Easiest and faster than soaking was burying in the backyard up to the antler bases. Takes awhile, but completely painless. And very little stink.
Touch up with bleach or peroxide as above. If the color is not what you want you can touch it up farther with spray paint. I use an airbrush and bone colored paint. I'm sure aerosal would work if you do it very lightly.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

Wow, when you bury it, don't mice and things eat on the horns?

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

I've only had my beetles for about 3 months. I actuallly have them in the corner of my bedroom. They need to be in a temperature controlled area(around 70-75). The shed in the summer would get too hot. I got a small colony but they are reproducing really fast. I have a rack from last season which still had a lot of meat on there. I've had it in there for about 3-4 weeks, and it's about completely clean. Here shortly I'll put a coyote skull in there. I'm sure once the colony gets bigger in size, it won't take long for them to clean a skull. If they stunk I wouldn't have them, but since they have a top on them, you have to put your nose in the aquarium to smell some stink.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

skin the head, remove the lower jaw, boil the head, then pressure wash it clean,then re-boil the head for 30 minutes in water with 1 big bottle of peroxide, your done.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

No offence kshunter but from one kansan to another if your have beetles eating deer heads in your bed room you must be a red neck! My kind of neighbor.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

Well, Zrex as the origianal post says, I have done the dirty deed of boiling and hate. This discussion is looking for other means.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

Haha... If I were still dating girls mode I'd guarentee I wouldn't have them in there, but now with my current girlfriend, she seems to put up with anything :D Heck it's her deer rack that she shot, which is currently in there. If it benefits her, then she's cool with it.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

kshunter where did you get your bettles to start with?.....i havent had any luck up here in Canada

as for boiling.......i just did a Bear skull.........along with the boiling water I put in 250 mills ( 1 CUP ) of 50% peroxide in the 10 gallon pot.helps keep the foaming down and starts the whiting process......just dont over due the peroxide or you'll land up with a powdery skull.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

Yes this is the nastiest way to do it but it is effort free....

I have a big old ice chest that is just big enough to fit a big set of antlers in with a head attached, I just toss the head into the ice chest, prop the lid open with a small rock, just big enought to let the fly's in.... after a two days I take the rock out and shut the lid , five days later is get a GOOD set of rubber gloves and open the lid and get the VERY clean skul out and get the lower jaw out also if you need it. Then wash with water and bleach...

Smelly and gross but Very effective , turns out the cleanest skulls I have every seen new to the Dermistead beetle colony's

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

I think I seen them(the beetles) on ebay for sale one time.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

Send it to these guys

http://www.skulltaxidermy.com/

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

I'll have to do some digging to find the reciept. I did a search on the interent and couldn't find their website anymore. Usually it comes right up, so maybe they stopped selling them. I paid less than $20(shipping included) and got around 40 beetles and larva, which was a fair price. After looking at http://www.skulltaxidermy.com/ I guess it wasn't a bad price. That place isselling agroup of 25 for $55 + $12.50. Talk about a rip-off. Heck here in a couple months, I'll have more than I need,and I'll starteithergiving them a way to letting them go. I probably have about 150-200 now, and they way they're multiplying, I'll have twice that many in 2 months. I better get too killing a lot of animals! :D

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

Boiling with soda ash is the best method, if you have to scrape you didn't boil long enough,
Use a sift or mosquito mesh to collect loose teeth.

Alex
Advance Taxidermy, Miami Fla.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

Here's the place I bought from:

www.dermestidbeetlecolonies.com

Currently they're runing a good deal. They include 50% more than the kit as shown. So you'll get 60-80 beatles for $19.00 and that's shipped.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

My kid found a nice rack on a skull, buried in the mud in a creek. The skull is broken off just below the brain cavity and above the nose. It looks to have died last winter. The hide is mostly off but there are still brains inside. I hung it outside to let the maggots clean out the brains first, then I guess I will do the peroxide thing. The rack is not sun bleached yet, so I will cover it with something to keep the sunlight off of it. Any other suggestions?

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

One word of caution about "letting nature do its thing".....I have left a few hanging outside so the flies/beetles could go at it, and left one for many months before I finished it up, and found the skull got discolored to different degrees where ever tissue was left, despite soaking in bleach. Don't let them sit with meat and tissue to long or you may get very uneven colorings and stains that won't go away.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

I bury mine in the backyard as well.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

I sat mine in the turkey roaster andcranked it up. It's just deep enough that the antlers stick out of the water. I let that baby slow roast in steaming water/slow boil for about 3 hrs. The gunk just peeled right off after that. I used a hose to get the brains out. Tip: when spraying thehose into the spinal cord opening, turn your face away. Boiled brains might be a delicacy in some neighborhoods, but I think it tastes like . . . well . . . boiled brains.

Turkey dinner will never be the same.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

I have two large colonies that I clean several heads a year with and when I dont have anything to feed them I feed them dry dog food. I'm getting ready to do a couple of rattle snakes for myself.I'm sure once bow season gets into full swing I'll have plenty to feed them.

RE: Whats your method for skull mounts
 

Save yourself some time,buy a reproduction skull and attach your skull plate.You don,t have to worry about the teeth or it flacking or becoming brittle.