deer skulls
12-23-2004, 06:21 AM
#11
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: La Grange, TX
Posts: 324
RE: deer skulls
Zrex
Sometimes it takes quite a bit of time for remaining grease to turn rancid. Often depending on the humidity and ambient temperatures.
It can often take years for it to start smelling and you then wonder whats going on.
Take it for what its worth. Was just trying to prevent problems later on for folks. Being that the brain is full of fat and it will melt as soon as the water starts to creep above 150 degrees or so, often, even with detergent, the grease soaks in the inside of the skull first, where you may or may not see it.
One could soak the skull in a cutting agent like Acetone to help, but it won't and can't get to all the affected areas. I suspect one might have decent luck if the skull was hot.
But why worry about it all. Just rot it off. I've found that there are reasons for lots of things. Reasons museums request things are usually very pertinant to the life of the mount.
Best, Jeff
Sometimes it takes quite a bit of time for remaining grease to turn rancid. Often depending on the humidity and ambient temperatures.
It can often take years for it to start smelling and you then wonder whats going on.
Take it for what its worth. Was just trying to prevent problems later on for folks. Being that the brain is full of fat and it will melt as soon as the water starts to creep above 150 degrees or so, often, even with detergent, the grease soaks in the inside of the skull first, where you may or may not see it.
One could soak the skull in a cutting agent like Acetone to help, but it won't and can't get to all the affected areas. I suspect one might have decent luck if the skull was hot.
But why worry about it all. Just rot it off. I've found that there are reasons for lots of things. Reasons museums request things are usually very pertinant to the life of the mount.
Best, Jeff
12-23-2004, 10:15 AM
#12
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 368
RE: deer skulls
I've done three skull mounts, thus I'm no expert, but every time, I soaked the skulls in acetone for 24 hours as an intermediate step between boiling and applying the peroxide/bleach paste. No oil what so ever, the skulls are pure white and have a nice "shine" to them. Very nice presentation. I'll have to wait for a couple more years to see if any smell shows up but...
One extra precaution I dreamed up was to spray a polyurathane into the brain cavity and nasal cavity. You can't see it is there and in my mind, it seals in the inner parts that I might have missed but can't tell.
Greg
One extra precaution I dreamed up was to spray a polyurathane into the brain cavity and nasal cavity. You can't see it is there and in my mind, it seals in the inner parts that I might have missed but can't tell.
Greg
01-08-2005, 01:22 PM
#14
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Texas
Posts: 33
RE: deer skulls
My first post here but I thought this was an interesting topic. I have boiled many skulls in the past. I first skin them out and remove the eyeballs and all lose meat I can. Then I take a close hanger to the brain and flush it all out. I then boil in borax changing the water every twenty minutes or so. It has been a while since I have done this but thats about the scope of it. All my mounts have turned out great also.
01-10-2005, 08:44 PM
#15
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,695
RE: deer skulls
ORIGINAL: DM1975
My first post here but I thought this was an interesting topic. I have boiled many skulls in the past. I first skin them out and remove the eyeballs and all lose meat I can. Then I take a close hanger to the brain and flush it all out. I then boil in borax changing the water every twenty minutes or so. It has been a while since I have done this but thats about the scope of it. All my mounts have turned out great also.
My first post here but I thought this was an interesting topic. I have boiled many skulls in the past. I first skin them out and remove the eyeballs and all lose meat I can. Then I take a close hanger to the brain and flush it all out. I then boil in borax changing the water every twenty minutes or so. It has been a while since I have done this but thats about the scope of it. All my mounts have turned out great also.
I dont even put that much effort into it and mine come out beautiful.
All I do is skin and remove the lower jaw, and boil for about 3 or 4 hours in water with dish detergent, take the head out and pressure wash it spotless, then dump the water and add fresh water with peroxide and boil for another 30 minutes, thats it. SIMPLE.
