European mount

[clintb]

I have buck head that my son killed a couple weeks back. Its in my deep-freeze and the wife says it has to go. Anyway, local taxidermist wants 250.00 to do a European mount and i felt that is just hwy robbery. I see and hear of a lot of guys just doing there own but i have never really done one. I know you need to boil it(skull only). We have skinned it but it stills has the eyes, brain, tongue and some meat on it. For you guys that have done your own, how do you remove the brain and stuff? Do you just boil with all in the skull? if so, for how long do you boil? After all mater is removed with the boiling do you then soak in peroxide? Or do you put peroxide in with the boil water?
Please help
This is gonna be a father son project and want to do it right.

[clintb]

Thanks for any and all help

[JHanchera]

$250 is definitely way too much. Never done one myself, but have heard it is trial and error. You may mess up the first few times you try. If you still want to give it a go though, check youtube for some how to videos. They're pretty helpful. I'd post one for you but can't because of the server that I'm on. Good luck!

[Reaper]

this is a good thread to start with: http://discussions.texasbowhunter.co...ght=euro+mount

and here are a few more with good info: http://discussions.texasbowhunter.co...archid=3384973

[gonzohunter]

I did a search here and found a ton of good information. i am in the process now and will let you know how it goes.

[teamluhnacy]

You will need to remove the eyes as well as all the meat you can get off it prior to simmering (not boiling). You will also need to get the brains out. I just use a coat hanger. Stick it in the base of the skull scramble the brains real good and use a water house with a nozzle to flush them out. Simmer for a while until you can scrape the remainder of the meat off. Once all the meat is off i mix a Peroxide paste (40%) with a little bleaching powder which makes a fairly thick paste. I wrap the base of the antlers in tin foil and tape them off then using a painters brush i just paint on the paste getting it in all the crevices and cover the entire skull. I then wrap it in saran wrap and let it sit for a day or two. If its still not white enough I will repeat the process but it usually works the first time. When I unwrap it i just hose it off with a water hose real good and let it dry.

[team obsession]

$250!!!! dang i do em for 75 with a plaque! thats way over rated!!!

[Redneck Archer]

$250!!!! dang i do em for 75 with a plaque! thats way over rated!!!

yeah my guy does em for 50 with no plaque.

he does like 20 at a time... and I have had no problems with anything he has done. been a few years and everything I have so far has held up very well.

[Blue Tick]

You will need to remove the eyes as well as all the meat you can get off it prior to simmering (not boiling). You will also need to get the brains out. I just use a coat hanger. Stick it in the base of the skull scramble the brains real good and use a water house with a nozzle to flush them out. Simmer for a while until you can scrape the remainder of the meat off. Once all the meat is off i mix a Peroxide paste (40%) with a little bleaching powder which makes a fairly thick paste. I wrap the base of the antlers in tin foil and tape them off then using a painters brush i just paint on the paste getting it in all the crevices and cover the entire skull. I then wrap it in saran wrap and let it sit for a day or two. If its still not white enough I will repeat the process but it usually works the first time. When I unwrap it i just hose it off with a water hose real good and let it dry.

Pretty close to what I do here. If you can find someone with beetles, go that route. Simmer the head, do not boil. If your going that route, mix in a little sal soda, or dawn dish soap to pull out the grease, as much as you possibly can. The whitening procedure is good. I use baquacil oxidizer and baby powder to make a pancake like batter to paint on. Wrap it in saran wrap and place it in the sun when it's warm or a heater when it's not. Don't melt the saran wrap. Good luck.

[clintb]

Thanks for all the ideas and help. I appreciate it. now to do the deed. Where can i get beetles and what kind?

[kmitchl]

I've done a few. As others have said get as much of the meat off before you boil as possible. I get the eyeballs out by grabbing them with some hemostats I picked up at the gun show. Otherwise they just roll around and you can never get them out. I boil in sodium carbonate. It is available where pool chemicals are sold as PH increaser. Read the labels to get the right stuff. I use a pressure washer to remove the brains and some of the remaining meat during the boil. The bleaching procedure is well described above.

We have started doing them at the camp so you don't have the mess at home.

[Blue Tick]

Thanks for all the ideas and help. I appreciate it. now to do the deed. Where can i get beetles and what kind?

Dermestid beetles are the kind you need. If you don't know anyone with them, I don't think I'd invest the time or money to get a colony started. Beetles are my preferred method and then masceration.

There are a couple places on the web you can get the beetles. 1 in California and the other Alaska.

[32drawlength]

1. Boil for 5-7 hours & pull tissue off
2. Soak on 4:1 bleach water for 45 mins (h20:bleach)
3. Go to Sally's hair supply chain & buy their 40% hydrogen peroxide creme--$7-8....wash off & reapply 5-6 times
4. Rub used motor oil on antlers where bleach water cane into contact
5. Spray with non-yellowing clear laquer from Walmart--$4
6. Display & enjoy your work
6. Display

[Texastaxi]

1. Boil for 5-7 hours & pull tissue off
2. Soak on 4:1 bleach water for 45 mins (h20:bleach)
3. Go to Sally's hair supply chain & buy their 40% hydrogen peroxide creme--$7-8....wash off & reapply 5-6 times
4. Rub used motor oil on antlers where bleach water cane into contact
5. Spray with non-yellowing clear laquer from Walmart--$4
6. Display & enjoy your work
6. Display

I've heard some weird ways to clean a skull, but some of your steps are even new to me!

Boiling for even an hour, will damage the bone. Bleach will damage it even further.
Used motor oil? Really? Who taught you that?

[johng]

Take 'em to that taxidermist in Sealy, forget doing the work and go have fun