What do you boil your antlers in?

[Seeker]

I just volunteered to do a Euro mount on my nephew's 4 point Mule he just shot(his biggest to date). I have done a few in the past, but have not found a great "pan" to boil them in. The pan or basin is either too narrow and you fry the antlers or its too big and requires huge amounts of water to get enough water to cover the skull. I am just curious what "pan" some of you guys or gals use for the initial boiling?

[Wentrot]

Large pot.....

[buckshot]

A small turkey roaster or oval shaped pan.

[Ironbutt]

Large canning pot on BBQ. Wrap/bag antlers and don't get them wet. Simmer don't boil. Pressure washer works great too just use caution on delicate eye area etc wear goggles / face shield. Some peroxide / bleach to help degrease. Then whitening process.

[Geo.338]

turkey roaster as mentioned and also used a pan made from the bottom of a steel barrel to boil moose head while in camp

[Ourea]

Do not "over cook" so to speak.
Too much on the boil will result in the skull being dry and brittle.
Nasal cavity and nose will be prone to fragmenting which will take away from the overall aesthetics.

[RambleOn]

Wife's pot. Which is now my pot and I even got to buy her a new one. I can also pack my stuff and move out if I "boil dead things heads in the kitchen again". Also bought my self a new Coleman stove to match my pot. Oh ya!

[tomla1]

I find this works well. Make sure the garbage can isn't soldered or it might melt.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f148/tlmlazgar/LifeAsWeKnowIt495_zpsb122af76.jpg (http://s46.photobucket.com/user/tlmlazgar/media/LifeAsWeKnowIt495_zpsb122af76.jpg.html)

[fuzzybiscuit]

I usually finish mine off with a pressure wash at the local car wash. No fuss, no muss...

[monasheemountainman]

^ ^^^^^^ cool

[Seeker]

WOW! Impressive tomla1. Thanks everyone for the pointers, I have tried the turkey roasters, but find the antlers hit the sides and then of course the water does not get high enough up the skull! I have also tried it on the barbeque and watched moose antlers crumble to dust(good thing it was small and just a practice skull). I HAVE NOT tried a whole garbage can...haha... but I admire the enthusiasm. I saw a contraption at Harley Whites (local Jedi taxidermist!), but I have neither the access to nor the 'skill' to weld the steel to make such a custom pot. I went to Buckerfields today, but did not feel like forking out $60+ tax for a galvanized utility tub, only to use once every three years. Maybe I'll have to bite the bullet..Thanks again folks. Any more pointers are welcomed.

IronButt - do you put bleach in the water while boiling/simmering or is that a second separate step in the process?

RambleOn- Too funny!

[tomla1]

Try not to use bleach use 40% peroxide instead, bleach can weaken the bone and can yellow, peroxide is the way to go. You may have to sweet talk the lady at a salon to get some.

[sillybear]

I use an old stainless pot. I simmer in a solution of baking soda to degrease. Do not submerge the antlers. If the whole skull plate will not submerge I soak a rag in the solution and drape over the skull plate. If it does not sit right in the pot I will suspend it from a sawhorse or something of the right height.
I try to this on sunny day. After it is cooked and cleaned I put in the sun and brush on hydrogen pyroxide.
The pyroxide reacts with the baking soda and sunlight to whiten. Dry in a sunny window for several days.
This works good for bear skulls as well.

[M.Dean]

I use a real big pot I saw in a friends yard years ago, lots of begging and a few bags of jerky and it was mine! What I did to help protect the horns from the heat was to cut two pieces of half inch plywood a bit smaller that the top of the pot, I put the Moose or Deer head in then side the plywood pieces in tightly against the skull and hold them in place with small bricks, works bloody awesome! I crank up the heat to get the water near boiling, then turn it down to a simmer, I use Sunlight soap to cut the grease, and I also take the head out two or three times and go over it with the pressure washer. When all the meat is off the skull I cover it with rags and pour on Peroxide until it's nice and white, works good for me!

[coach]

http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/yy154/coach108/20141026_180113_zpscb76ede9.jpg

Works great for deer.. but I like tomla's idea for the moose euro I need to complete.

[boxhitch]

A drum that make a good size pot is the grease drums used in vehicle repair shops . Usually free and easy to modify

[huntcoop]

Whatever ya use DON'T pinch it from the kitchen then try and slide it back in the cupboard thinking you cleaned it really good.

[scembalf]

Go to your local Sally Ann thrift shop I have bought numerous canning pots see what theyhave and I have always used a cup of borax that an old timer once showed me then down to the car wash or your own pressure washer

[sherpa-Al]

Garbage can idea works the best, restain the antler bases when done.

Al

[MRBucks]

I guess boiling is the way to do it, if your in a hurry..
I found that simply burying the skull in a pile of leaves, for a few months, left the skull clean as a whistle. The insects, worms, beetles or whatever, completely cleaned it brains, gums, eyes..all gone. This was in the cooler months so there was no stink emanating from it at all, but you might want to cage, or fence it off first if you have dogs.
It wasn't antiseptically white when I dug it out, but a brush with bleach helped lighten it up a lot. Did a bear skull that way as well.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

WOW! Impressive tomla1. Thanks everyone for the pointers, I have tried the turkey roasters, but find the antlers hit the sides and then of course the water does not get high enough up the skull! I have also tried it on the barbeque and watched moose antlers crumble to dust(good thing it was small and just a practice skull). I HAVE NOT tried a whole garbage can...haha... but I admire the enthusiasm. I saw a contraption at Harley Whites (local Jedi taxidermist!), but I have neither the access to nor the 'skill' to weld the steel to make such a custom pot. I went to Buckerfields today, but did not feel like forking out $60+ tax for a galvanized utility tub, only to use once every three years. Maybe I'll have to bite the bullet..Thanks again folks. Any more pointers are welcomed.

IronButt - do you put bleach in the water while boiling/simmering or is that a second separate step in the process?

RambleOn- Too funny!

I just bought a new pot at Superstore on the westside for this very purpose. Didn't brake the bank. Of course, it is a pot so you will have a lot of water to heat but it works.
Wrap the bases of the antlers in tinfoil to protect them.

Oh ya.......don't soak a deer skull for ten days before boiling. Don't ask me how I know this or I'll have to lie.

[sherpa-Al]

I have also used a rectangular crock pot, Hamilton Beach I think, it is big enough for the deer skulls and keeps the temp low enough to not damage the bone structure. Add 1/4 cup of blue dawn dishsoap at high heat and change water once every 2 days, when the water doesn't have floaties add peroxide to the mix for whitening. When the skull is white enough remove from the water and dry under construction halogen lamps, this will improve the whitening process.

Al

[gwes2003]

I use my canning pot. Its the perfect size for deer skulls and fits nicely on the side burner of my bbq

[ravensfoot]

You can find Peroxide at any local pharmacy but sweet talking the salon girls is more fun.
See also this thread on coloring and finishing the antlers (http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?99460-antlers&p=1387679#post1387679):

[Seeker]

Off to the superstore! With any luck I can do two skulls this year. Thanks guys!

[fuzzybiscuit]

Peroxide is good for after the skull is cleaned out.

Throw a handful of 100 mule team borax in while the skull is simmering to help clean it out.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Make sure you give the brains a good stir first with a screwdriver or you will end up with hard boiled brains inside the cranium.
Again don't ask me how I know this.

[stsfld66]

My buddy just used an old beer keg with the top cut off. Worked mint for elk.