I honestly rarely need to degrease anything because it gets mostly taken care of during maceration. Degreasing is a step in bone processing that is purely for preference to the bone collector. The lower jaw is typically easily removed by spreading the mouth open as long as the tissue and mussel have had plenty of time to soak.After you’ve removed 70-80% of the meat from the skull re-submerge it into your boiling water and leave it for another 20-30 minutesOne the jaw has been removed now it is time to remove the brain matter. Depending on your thoroughness, it may take anywhere from one to 12 hours to get it fully clean.Mount and display the skull to your taste and budget. When your soap water mixture turns cloudy or yellow, its time to change it out (roughly once a week.)
The water should be about 1/2″ above the base of the antlers.Leave the skull in the boiling water for about 30 minutesRemove skull and begin spraying it with a high-pressure garden hose .If the tissue can be easily removed you can start pulling it off with pliers. Take the head out of the freezer about 24-hours before starting the cleaning and whitening process to give the meat plenty of time to thaw.Fill a large pot of water; it should be big enough to completely submerge the deer’s skullAdd one scoop of Oxiclean into the water, this will act as a degreaserDe-flesh the skull; you want to clean off the head as best as possible, removing all excess meatOnce you’ve cleaned the skull as best as you can, place it into your pot of boiling water. Make sure that you have removed all tissue from the skull. The J hook will help grab on to brain mater and pull it out.Wash off the remaining meat (including any meat you might have missed in the nasal cavities and brain)Repeat all processes until you are sure that all tissue has been removed.
Use either a concentrated powder form or in the form of Borax powdered detergent, which contains boric acid. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Louisiana State University and is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in writing at the University of Arkansas. Fill a large pot of water; it should be big enough to completely submerge the deer’s skull However, shoulder mounts are expensive, costing anywhere from $400-500, and aren’t necessarily suited for every deer. Borax Crystals: How to Grow Giant DIY Borax Crystals | Dans le Lakehouse Learn how to grow bigger, denser and realistic looking DIY borax crystals with this tutorial for how to grow crystals at home. The acid soaks up moisture and dissolves left over cartilage, tissue, blood and organic matter. Borax (used in removing smaller, more stubborn pieces of meat that’s stuck to the skull) (You also have the option of using our Skull Bleaching Kit; Pro-Tip: Never use bleach when whitening a skull as it could cause serious, irreversible damage to your trophy. 2020 © Three Rivers Archery Supply, Inc. Three Rivers Archery Supply, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The skull on the right is still mildly greasy to the eye & touch but not so bad that I feel the need to degrease. Ensure the water covers all the meat on the back of the skull. Once the skull starts to cool down the tissue and fat will start Harding up.
The acid soaks up moisture and dissolves left over cartilage, tissue, blood and organic matter. Once you've skinned the deer and removed the head, you can boil the skull and wash it with boric acid to remove leftover tissue, blood and fur. Use either a concentrated powder form or in the form of Borax powdered detergent, which contains boric acid. While washing and cleaning the deer skull does take some time, it is cheap and fairly easy labor.Skin the head and remove as much flesh and fur as possible with a knife. Simply pour it out, wash off the bones, and refill with fresh Dawn and water. Rather than spending a lot of money paying a taxidermist to mount a deer head, you can make an attractive and inexpensive skull mount yourself to commemorate your hunt and display your trophy. Wear rubber gloves while handling the skull with acid to prevent skin irritation.Rinse the skull with scalding water and scrape off the remaining boric acid. In fact, it’s a good idea to keep your apron on as well as a long sleeve shirt, just in case.Pour about 1/2 a cup of the 40 volume peroxide into your plastic cupUsing the baster, completely coat the skull in peroxideYou can apply as many as four applications, but you will probably only need twoLocate a stud in the wall where you want to hang your new mountSlide the resting arm into the back main, natural opening in the skull (the spinal cord cavity)Straighten or angle your new European wall mount to your likingIf you only whitened the trimmings, instead of using the 2020 © Three Rivers Archery Supply, Inc. Three Rivers Archery Supply, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Mix in bleach or household degreaser detergent to remove grit and oils from the deer.Remove the skull from the water periodically to check its progress. There are many home-mounting kits available, or you can simply hang the skull on the wall or on a board.Ricky Andromeda has been writing since 1999. If this happens place it back in the water and wait half an hour before removing more.Be sure not to get to close to the nasal cavity, as high pressure water can blow right through it.Once all tissue is easily coming off you can remove the lower jaw bone. gtm_cleanup: , gtm_trigger: , l.settings:gtm_trigger: Be the first to know about sales, upcoming events, and happenings at 3Rivers Archery!To order your 3Rivers Archery catalog, please fill out the catalog order form here and we'll send you our latest catalog FREE!How to Clean, Whiten, and Mount a Whitetail Deer SkullHow to Clean, Whiten, and Mount a Whitetail Deer Skull
Avoid using detergent of any kind (including borax, baking soda, oxyclean, or anything similar) as they are not effective degreasers or can damage the bone. Use tongs and be careful as the skull may contain pockets of boiling water.Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until the skull is white and free of any organic matter that may attract insects and bacteria.