it was about time...

[st99]

I finally kick myself in the but to bleech the skull of my 2010 bear and the wolf I killed last october. My wife is happy, more room in the freezer, but sadly for her it means less room for her pictures in the living room.

[Tundra Monkey]

Wow...those turned out great!!!

Any chance you could throw a post together and briefly tell how you do it??

tm

[st99]

It's quite simple. I remove as much meat as I can while it's fresh, then boil with soda hash, between 20 and 50 minutes depending of the size of the animal. After that I make the kitchen dirty by scraping off all the meat, it usually takes 30 minutes to 1 hour. Let it soak in hydrogene peroxide in the dark for 5 days. Let it dry for 2 days, and then I apply 2 coats of spray clear lacquer, personnally I prefer satin, but this is optional according to your preference.

Rough measurement, they are both around 17", but the wolf looks bigger because it is longer.

[Tundra Monkey]

I think I will definately giving that a try Sir.

Thank you for the quick response and again....those look really good!!!

tm

[Samhael]

Must agree, very nice looking, any science teacher would love to show and tell them!

[st99]

Originally Posted by Samhael

Must agree, very nice looking, any science teacher would love to show and tell them!

I actually did at a science fare when I was 15 I think. My biology teacher heard about my hobby and ask me to work on one skull at my boot and have a few on diplay.

[Rockymtnx]

Looks great!

[mudbug]

Those are really good
One of these days I'd really like to try doing that.

[ww2269]

Yep, nice job.

[hayseed]

Man... they turned out great st..very nice!!

[Alberta Bigbore]

Nice job on the skulls.

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by st99

It's quite simple. I remove as much meat as I can while it's fresh, then boil with soda hash, between 20 and 50 minutes depending of the size of the animal. After that I make the kitchen dirty by scraping off all the meat, it usually takes 30 minutes to 1 hour. Let it soak in hydrogene peroxide in the dark for 5 days. Let it dry for 2 days, and then I apply 2 coats of spray clear lacquer, personnally I prefer satin, but this is optional according to your preference.

Rough measurement, they are both around 17", but the wolf looks bigger because it is longer.

Much better for matrimonial harmony, if you do it in the garage. I've got a dedicated propane camp stove and an old canning pot just for that purpose.

Grizz

[shayne]

Originally Posted by st99

It's quite simple. I remove as much meat as I can while it's fresh, then boil with soda hash, between 20 and 50 minutes depending of the size of the animal. After that I make the kitchen dirty by scraping off all the meat, it usually takes 30 minutes to 1 hour. Let it soak in hydrogene peroxide in the dark for 5 days. Let it dry for 2 days, and then I apply 2 coats of spray clear lacquer, personnally I prefer satin, but this is optional according to your preference.

Rough measurement, they are both around 17", but the wolf looks bigger because it is longer.

What is Soda Hash?

[Tundra Monkey]

Originally Posted by shayne

What is Soda Hash?

It's also called washing soda.

It's the stuff ya boil skulls in

tm

[st99]

Originally Posted by shayne

What is Soda Hash?

It helps to seperate the muscle from the bones. You can get it at some hardware store or any taxidermy store.

[shayne]

Very cool, I will have to find some. These skulls look great!

[ShawnM]

Has anyone tried those flesh eating beetles for cleaning the skull? It would be a lot less work and you could do small skeletons, etc easily.

I've been reading around on the net and there's dozens of mail order companies you can get them from.

[st99]

Originally Posted by ShawnM

Has anyone tried those flesh eating beetles for cleaning the skull? It would be a lot less work and you could do small skeletons, etc easily.

I've been reading around on the net and there's dozens of mail order companies you can get them from.

If you take your time, small skulls are possible. My mom did quite a few, like rabbit, musk rat and some very fragile like black bird and bearded dragon.

[simmered]

Would Borax be kinda the same thing as soda hash?

[rottie]

I dont know if its the same but I do use Borax with good results

[calgarychef]

Funny how a miss spelled word gets repeated on and on sometimes. It's not soda hash it's soda ash not a big deal until you actually try and buy some. You can find it at swimming pool/hot tub suppliers.

[CNP]

This is available in many grocery stores. It is washing soda......the same thing as soda ash (sodium carbonate) and what you want for boiling skulls in.



Borax is not the same thing. Borax is typically used on skins/hides (not skulls) to dry and preserve them.

[st99]

Originally Posted by ehntr

This is available in many grocery stores. It is washing soda......the same thing as soda ash (sodium carbonate) and what you want for boiling skulls in.



Borax is not the same thing. Borax is typically used on skins/hides (not skulls) to dry and preserve them.

No that's baking soda, not the same thing as soda ash. Huge difference soda ash you need to use gloves cause it burns on contact while baking soda you can eat it

[CNP]

Originally Posted by st99

No that's baking soda, not the same thing as soda ash. Huge difference soda ash you need to use gloves cause it burns on contact while baking soda you can eat it

No. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate.

Washing soda is the same as soda ash (both are sodium carbonate).

Wikipedia

Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda or soda ash), Na2CO3 is a sodium salt of carbonic acid. It most commonly occurs as a crystalline heptahydrate, which readily effloresces to form a white powder, the monohydrate. Sodium carbonate is domestically well known for its everyday use as a water softener. It can be extracted from the ashes of many plants. It is synthetically produced in large quantities from table salt and limestone in a process known as the Solvay process.

In taxidermy, sodium carbonate added to boiling water will remove flesh from the skull or bones of trophies to create the "European skull mount" or for educational display in biological and historical studies.

[Fisher_man#1]

Originally Posted by ShawnM

Has anyone tried those flesh eating beetles for cleaning the skull? It would be a lot less work and you could do small skeletons, etc easily.

I've been reading around on the net and there's dozens of mail order companies you can get them from.

The lab at Lethbridge College has a live display, quite interesting to watch...tho it takes 2-3 weeks but they come out great. I buddy of mine wanted to get his whitetail Euro mounted, so he asked and they were glad to take it as those beetles always need to eat. Talk to Shane Roserman or Terry Eliot if interested, their numbers are on the Lethbridge College website i believe.

Cheers,