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Bleaching your own skulls.........

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    Bleaching your own skulls.........

    I am not going to get into the cleaning part of the skulls, because there are many ways. The three most popular are boiling, emancipation (letting it soak in water for several weeks, and the use of dermitide (flesh-eating)beetles which is my prefered method (because I have a colony). All three require the removal of the hide on the animals head before starting.

    Here is a pic of the bugs starting in on a hog skull and finishing up a couple of deer skulls.



    Use Dawn dishwashing soap to degrease the skulls in hot water. It may take 2-3 trys. Once the skulls have been degreased you are ready to bleach. For skulls without antlers alls you need is a plastic shoe box that is taller than the skull and 20% peroxide in the liquid form (not the paste) from the beauty supply store. Probably will need 2-3 gallons. Set the skull in the plastic container and then fill the container up past the top of the skull with the peroxide. This process can take anywhere from 2 days to a couple of weeks. Just make sure you check it everyday. Also, make sure you use plastic gloves when messing with the peroxide. Once it is as white as you would like, rinse of with a water house and let it sit outside and dry off.....

    Here are some pics of a javi skull before it went into the peroxide.......



    And a picture of a whitetail skull unbleached next to one bleached



    And a pig soakin' in the peroxide. I like to use the smaller container for whitail skulls and the large container for skulls I can completely submerge......



    The basic same steps apply for the deer skull, with a few exceptions. You need to wrap the horns with a plastic trash bag taping them off at the base of the horns so none of the peroxide can get on them. You will also need a gallon bottle of the highest peroxide paste you can get. I think it is either 30% or 40%. After degreasing, set the skull in the plastic container with the horns resting on the sides of the container. Add the 20% liquid peroxide to the container and allow it to fill up just under where the base of the horns are. If you go past that you will end up bleaching the horns. This is where the paste peroxide comes in handy along with a squirt bottle. Fill the squirt bottle up with the paste and then spray on any bone that is left exposed out of the liquid peroxide. I do this once a day until the skull is as bright white as I want it to be.

    some finished products:
    My drop tine from last year


    My javi from my bachelor party


    Bones Bobcat


    Bones Bobcat and Hog


    My 8 pointer mounted on Xspots plaque


    My favorite Euro mount that I have done


    I also recommend that when you are done bleaching and are not going to use the peroxide for a while to put it back in the gallon container for storage. This will help keep it from evaporating.

    List of items needed:
    1. plastic shoe box
    2. 2-3 gallons of 20% liquid peroxide
    3. 1 gallon of 30% or 40% paste peroxide
    4. squirt bottle
    5. Rubber/Vinyl gloves
    6. Funnel (serves two purposes, 1. to get the paste peroxide into the squirt bottle and 2. to get the left over liquid peroxide back into the gallon jugs.)

    Here is a picture of the peroxides that I use


    I hope this helps those of you that want to save money an get the satisfaction of Doing It Yourself......Please PM if you have any questions.

    #2
    Works great!! I have done both sharks jaws, deer and pig skulls.

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      #3
      You are the man...thanks Will!!!!!

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        #4
        So just let the pig skull sit in 20% for a week or so and pull it out? No need to brush any of the 40% cream on it?

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          #5
          Originally posted by Fightinaggies View Post
          So just let the pig skull sit in 20% for a week or so and pull it out? No need to brush any of the 40% cream on it?
          As long as the whole skull is submerged you won't need to brush or spray any of the 40% cream on it. If the skull is too big, just flip it and submerge what didn't get bleached the first time.........

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            #6
            Awesome Will , a lot easier than the way I do mine , where did you get the bugs . How much for a pair ( male & female ) LOL

            Chad

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              #7
              Just holler at me when you need a skull done............

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                #8
                I also cheat a little and use white spray paint. You can't tell the differance. I then use clear coat.

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                  #9
                  I can always tell when someone has painted a skull white. It almost looks fake close up....from a distance they do look good though.......

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                    #10
                    [quote=bowhuntertex;998233]The three most popular are boiling, emancipation (letting it soak in water for several weeks, and the use of dermitide (flesh-eating)beetles




                    Emancipation?...Really???

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                      #11
                      When degreasing, it helps to keep the water warm. I use fish tank heaters.

                      Also, the more you degrease the less effort it takes to whitene a skull.

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                        #12
                        Not spraypaint - try white plastic primer from home depot, I have used this on some old skulls that were left outside for a period of time, tape off the teeth & horns, looks like real bone.

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                          #13
                          Well done Will. Finished products look outstanding!

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                            #14
                            [QUOTE=Chance Love;999700]
                            Originally posted by bowhuntertex View Post
                            The three most popular are boiling, emancipation (letting it soak in water for several weeks, and the use of dermitide (flesh-eating)beetles




                            Emancipation?...Really???
                            Thanks for making fun of me Chance ......I had a major brain fart I guess.......the correct method is called Maceration and I found some good information on it's process as well on the web that may help some folks out on that method....

                            Maceration is just one technique used for stripping meat from bone by bone and skull collectors. It is easily done by placing a skull in a bucket with enough water to cover and let it sit for several days. Variables to this method of cleaning skulls are -
                            Length of Time - the amount of time you leave it soaking.
                            Size of Skull - the bigger the skull, the more to remove, the longer it takes.
                            Temperature - outside temperature in which your operation is taking place.
                            Freezing weather does not help the process.
                            Smell Factor - a consideration for your neighbors.


                            The length of time you leave a skull in the water is dependent on the size of the skull and how hot the climate is - warmer weather tends to speed up the process a bit. Now if you are good at putting together pieces and love puzzles then time is not a problem. Your smaller skulls can turn into puzzles when all the flesh has soften and the water begins to loosen the paper-thin seams where the cranial bones are joined. Although this makes it easy to remove the brain rather than trying to pick it out through that tiny hole the need to reassemble itty-bitty pieces of bone is not something most skull enthusiasts look forward too.

                            To solve the time problem because there are so many variables, make sure you check on your skulls daily.

                            A helpful hint for ease of checking is to use bags. Use a mesh bag (pillow cases work too) with larger skulls placing them in the bag then into the container of water. For smaller skulls instead of a bucket use a gallon size resealable plastic bag in a bucket. Use enough water to thoroughly cover the skull. Remove almost all of the excess air leaving lots of extra space for the bag to expand. Remember that as the maceration is in full swing gases (nasty smelly gases) are let off and can explode a sealed bag. Check that bag daily and release excess gases from it to prevent any mishaps.

                            Once the flesh of your project falls away from the bone (with a small amount of swishing in the water) remove the skull from the water and rinse it well. Some species, such as deer, in some areas might carry unwanted bacteria/diseases you might want to do the safe thing and soak each finished skull in a bucket of bleach water (ratio 1 to 10 parts respectively) for a short period of time (an hour or so), then rinse them thoroughly. Don't forget to check for lost teeth at the bottom of the bucket (or bag) before dumping the original water or any other container you used to soak your skull. This is where the gloves come in very handy. Skulls look so much more professional with most or all of their teeth.

                            Here is a list of items that might be useful and handy to have before starting:
                            Skull(s) - roadkill is a good source for these.
                            Buckets - various sizes depending on the size of item to be macerated.
                            Elbow-length rubber gloves - for the big jobs.
                            Surgical gloves - for the small jobs.
                            Apron - personal choice but handy for splashes.
                            Tweezers - to get the little bits off that are left.
                            Vicks Vapor Rub - helps to put a dab on your upperlip to cover some of the smell.

                            Maceration is a couch potato's way of cleaning skulls and bones - the water does most of the work for you.
                            I found the above information at the following website:
                            http://everything2.com/e2node/Cleaning%2520skulls

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Good information - I've been wanting to do one myself. Thanks for posting.

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