Service · Skull cleaning
European skull mounts — done right, or a how-to so you can do your own.
These instructions are for those of you that, for whatever reasons, want to clean your own bear or deer skull or any other bones. It may be for a school project; it may be because you want to save some money. Either way — here's how to do it without wrecking it.
Before you start
No ant hills. No garage roofs. No "old timer" tricks.
I have heard all the "old timer" ways to clean a skull — stake it on an ant hill, toss it on the garage roof, wedge it in the fork of a tree, and so on. Given enough time (5 years +), many of these methods will get you a clean skull. They will also get you broken teeth, lost teeth, and bones bleached unevenly by the sun.
If you'd rather just bring it in and let me handle it, that's the easier path. If you want to do it yourself, here's the method I recommend.
Step by step
The DIY method, in order.
01 · Getting started
Strip the meat, drop the jaw.
If you have a fresh skull, begin by cleaning as much meat as possible. Remove the tongue and tissue from the lower jaw, separate it from the skull, clean out the brain cavity, and remove the eyes.
02 · Boiling
Outside, with a breeze. Trust me.
A nice warm day with a breeze blowing towards a neighbor you dislike (the smell of boiling bones is not nice). Place the pot on your heat source and bring to a boil; add about 1/2 cup washing soda per gallon of water. Reduce to a simmer.
03 · Degreasing
Patience pays off.
After the meat is off the bone, the skull still holds grease. Soak in a degreasing solution; refresh as needed. Skipping this step is why DIY skulls turn yellow after a year.
04 · Whitening
Hydrogen peroxide, not bleach.
More properly called "whitening" since no bleach is used. Common household bleach will damage bone and cause it to flake. Use hydrogen peroxide and magnesium carbonate per the supplier's instructions, with safety equipment on.
That's it — you're done. Now don't you wish you had just paid the money and had somebody else do it?
Recent work
European mounts from the studio.
Ready when you are
Drop it off — I'll handle it.
Skull cleaning is a small line item next to a full mount and saves you a weekend with a soup pot.