What is your preferred method of skull cleaning/whitening?

I've been skin, eyes, strip as much meat, boil, pressure washer, dry, and coat with 70/30 Elmer's glue and water

I see some recommend mop and glow for a final sealer

Pretty much what you do without the elmers glue but I've seen people use 40% peroxide to whiten skull.

My in-laws just hang it from a tree for 6 months and hope the coyotes don't drag it off.

I skin out the skull as best I can, cover the antlers in duct tape to prevent discoloration, and soak the skull in water for a few months in a sealed plastic bin. I change the water every 2-3 weeks. Seems to work pretty well.

My son got his first deer last year.  Decent 8 point.  Butcher sawed it head off and we brought it home.  It spent the winter, spring, and summer in a contractor garbage bag in the backyard.  Ended up boiling it labor dady weekend.  It was darn near cleaned off by bugs by the time we took it out of the bag.  

Then slathered it with 40% peroxide creme, wrapped in plastic, and let it sit for a few days.

I have done several by boiling with sal soda, and then using 40% hydrogen peroxide.

Lately, I've been selling my cape to a taxidermist for $50, and paying the guy down the street that charges $60 to do euro mounts.  Net cost $10.   Well worth my time saved.

I'm going to try the paste. Forgot to add that I add peroxide to the boil.

Its an interest for me and possibly a future venture. Theres a buck, coon, and rabbit skull on deck with more coming if 3 of my relatives get deer.

50 bucks!? We get a pair of gloves from the fur guy here

Look into Dermestidae beetles if you are thinking of doing more delicate skulls for business.

Boil in dawn for an hour, start scraping and picking with knives and needle nose. Then coat with peroxide 40 and rinse.

I also Start by cutting them lengthwise just under the eyes with a hacksaw or bandsaw to make them a true euro mount. It makes cleaning the skulls way easier and they sit better on the wall.

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Make sure you have a separate building.  I'm told the smell from this process in overwhelming

I'll look into those. Not just for delicate but for large scale skulls.

Yeah, didn't think you need to tell someone that a container full of bugs and decomposing parts would stink. Either they already know it or deserve to smell it.

Ha!  Never been anywhere near that process, but watched a couple of videos on it.  From what I understand it the bug stink that is horrible, not the potentially decomposing animal parts.    Did you see mt post about leaving a deer head in a garbage bag for 10ish months?  I thought that was bad, especially when I moved it and the chocolate death milk poured out........but apparently those beetles are far worse?

Buy a Black Friday deal crock pot only to be used for the following. Trim off as much fur & tissue as possible. Set to low for 12 hours

Remove everything you can by hand.  Cover the antler bases to protect them throughout the whole process.  Cook it in a turkey fryer, water bleach and baking soda.  Don't get it above 160'ish or some of the smaller bones nasal bones will separate.  Use a cheap electric pressure washer to blast off everything not bone.
Don't use a good gas washer, 1400-1800psi is plenty, anything more can damage the bone. Pick at the insides with pliers, screw drivers, wires bent into hooks, you name it. Back in the cooker then the pressure washer, repeat as necessary.  Let it cool and add the frost and tip stuff ladies use to highlight their hair.  Buy the cheap shit from walmart, $6-10.  Coat it and keep it wet as long as you can.  Water in a spray bottle every hour for as long as you can.  A few to several hours.  Let it dry for a few days and apply several coats of mop n glow allowing to dry between.  Warm and dry is best.

I have yet to find a wall mount I love.  Most work well enough, I just want something better less than $20

These are much much brighter white than they appear in the pics.  

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I tried the peroxide paste and i gotta say, I'm impressed. Thanks for all of the replies

I've been using a fitted dowel in the atlas joint. One end formed to it and the other 3/4 diameter that i tite bond and pin in whatever plaque I'm using

I've been using these from Amazon.

Looks good.  I'll give the dowel a try too.  





Nice, I had those in my cart already.  Thanks for the pic, I'll give them a try.