6 hour skull mount.

[Firstblood]

Hey y'all, I posted my story about my biggest muley buck yet last week and just finished my european skull mount. I tried a different method that I usually see with bleach or hydrogen peroxide so I thought I'd share my experience. Its not my method just one I found on youtube.
All in all it took about 6 hours from skinning the head out to putting it on the wall and I'm not kidding.

Step one was to skin the head out and remove the bottom jaw to make it fit in the pot.http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a627/firstblood69/photo_zps29c59d1a.jpg (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/firstblood69/media/photo_zps29c59d1a.jpg.html)

Step two was getting a pot up to a good simmer and putting the head into the pot. (I used a 13 quart stew pot)http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a627/firstblood69/photo13_zpsc1598fe3.jpg (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/firstblood69/media/photo13_zpsc1598fe3.jpg.html)

step three. I found this stuff on youtube and though I'd try it out and man Oh man did it work well. Its called SO CLEAN! super washing soda from A&H, says right on the box its great for blood and grease and I would have to agree. 7 bucks for a 3kg box of which I used less than 3 cups. Home hardware was the only place I could find it in the loops. I added about a cup at the same time I put the head in to begin my head stew then simmered for 2 hours. Its not bad for your skin or clothes and it didn't discolour the antlers one bit, just whitened the skull pretty darn well.
http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a627/firstblood69/photo1_zps7a181a36.jpg (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/firstblood69/media/photo1_zps7a181a36.jpg.html)

step four. after 2 hours of simmering it I got to work scrapping off all the meat and grime and it basically fell off, I used a spoon to get the hard stuff but it wasn't too hard. I gave the brain a good mix with the spoon handle and got ready to keep simmering.

step five. I changed the water and added another cup or so of SO CLEAN and simmered it for another 2 hours after which I removed it form the water and rinsed it with boiling water and pretty much every crap of meat fell off including the whole brain after a good mixing and washing the brain cavity with hot water. The nasal cavity and bones were all intact the teeth still intact and almost no meat left

step six. I took a cloth and warm water and wiped the skull and the antlers to clean off whatever was left and let it dry. 6 hours after I began it was ready to hang on the wall, its nice and white, doesn't smell and its bone dry. I bought a little hooker skull hook at wholesale sports (30% off for three more days) and here it is hanging on my wall.
http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a627/firstblood69/photo32_zpse76ccfc6.jpg (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/firstblood69/media/photo32_zpse76ccfc6.jpg.html)http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a627/firstblood69/photo24_zps0713f547.jpg (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/firstblood69/media/photo24_zps0713f547.jpg.html)

Ive done the boiling method with a bit of dish soap but it does not compare, and I couldn't find anywhere that sold either volume 40 of the white base powder that I've seen used many times in many different videos. this stuff just plain works and now i have enough for multiple more skull mounts, just need to find a few whitetails with some good bone or anything really, its just that easy.

Cheers to the Hunt, the Hunters and the Hunted, hope everyone else has a great hunting season.

[Rob Chipman]

Nice work! You got better results than I did with my bear. I'm trying this next time.

[Ferenc]

Looks good !! Crazy glue for the teeth if there loose...did ya cut the back of the skull cap or leave it

[Firstblood]

teeth are all good, and I left the skull as is. the skull hooker hold better with a full skull.

[spear]

Looks awesome, Euros are wicked.
Thanks for the heads up on the product ill check that out

[kennyj]

Nice job! Look awesome. Thanks for the tip, I'm going to try that stuff ( soon I hope ).
kenny

[shelg]

Nice work. I did my wild boar last week. I wish I had the A&H tip. I used dawn, it was ok....the formula 40 can be picked up at any Shoppers, Walmart or a hair salon. As it happened I asked my wife and she had the 2 part kit.

[boxhitch]

Just did some searching on that stuff , have always used baking soda , looks like it might work better with the higher ph . Will have to try it . thanks

[Rich_D]

Try Sally's Beauty Supplies in Aberdeen (by Milestones) they wold be best bet for the Formula 40.

[Tīɡ]

that looks wicked! definitely a method I will try when I finally bag a deer, thanks for the tips!

[dd3boss]

Nice deer and thank you for the tip! I will definitely try it out next time.

[jjsachmoe]

After you do the boiling and the removal of all the meat, brains etc... you should try to dip it in industrial strength peroxide. It kills all the bacteria left in the bone and nasal tissue. Then it won't stink :-D My buddy on here (IPA) has done this and can probably let you know where to buy some since I forget where he bought his supply. Plus it'll make your skull brilliant white too.

[Firstblood]

its pretty darn white already, just a little wet when i took the picture, I compared it to a bleached skull and it is almost the exact same. no smell either so not worried about that. SO CLEAN left it pretty darn clean and white.

[celticwolf]

U have any pics of the deer before the skull cleaning, and is there a story to go with it? Im hoping to try ur technique with my skull

[Firstblood]

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?112077-big-kamloops-buck-down&highlight=kamloops+mule+deer
definitely a good way to do a skull mount, quick easy and cheap. throw it on a skull hooker and its good to go.

[BiG Boar]

I'll be the first to say, it looks sorta dirty still. That crack down the forehead, is it because it's still wet?

Sanitary.....sure
eat off it? Nope

that being said, some people like that picked up dirty and wild look.

Maybe it's just the pics though. No offense meant. Just not what I would call museum quality.

[Wentrot]

I'll be the first to say, it looks sorta dirty still. That crack down the forehead, is it because it's still wet?

Sanitary.....sure
eat off it? Nope

that being said, some people like that picked up dirty and wild look.

Maybe it's just the pics though. No offense meant. Just not what I would call museum quality.

I agree. Perhaps just the photos but it appears to have that dark and stanky look.

[Firstblood]

ill post some more photos then, but ive compared it side by side with a bleached skull and there is little difference, the crack in the skull is a natural growing partition in the skull not a crack, and you can come smell, look and feel and eat off of it, no grease, no smell no anything. so do whatever you like, this mount cost me less than a few dollars and took a total of 6 hours in one step. the choice is yours.

[Jagermeister]

I like those Euro mounts. Nice job.

[Rackmastr]

Only tips I would add are to watch that you don't boil too long and generally just summer for a short period. You won't end up with the bone loss that you have in the nose and below the eye sockets in your pics. I find that the least amount of time I can simmer a skull will result in less deterioration or loss of thin bones etc.

A quick peroxide would look great as well, but the more rustic look does add some different appeal to some for sure.

Thanks for sharing, looks good.

[jtred]

Looks good, I'm considering doing the same to my whitetail(the biggest deer I've shot so far) to hang on the wood shed.