Bear skulls

[MichelD]

I think there's still one more buried in the garden somewhere.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e369/Hublocker/April2009132.jpg

[No Tag Soup Please]

Nice skulls. That one looks pretty big

[pinebushman]

I have one in the freezer. What is the best way to get it all cleaned off?

[BlacktailStalker]

Nice collection !
Now, lets see all the pics and stories that go with them :biggrin:

[Tron]

Fastest is boil it for 3-4hr's. After it takes a bit of picking to get all the meat of the passeges and you need to break up the sinus's to get the meat of there. If you want it white you need peroxide and bleach mixes. Then it took some Krylon spray in a clear. Here it is start to finish LOL

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/Tron28/NewFolder.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff117/Tron28/023.jpg

[MichelD]

I didn't have a digital camera when I got most of those and haven't figured out how to use my scanner.

As far as cleaning them off, I don't use an approved method.

I've usually buried them for a year, dug 'em up in may, hosed them off and sun-bleached them over the summer. I lose lots of the smaller teeth that way.

[adamgarbett]

i still cant decide what i wanna do with my first bear. Rug or a cool mount??? any suggestions?

[bighornbob]

Fastest is boil it for 3-4hr's. After it takes a bit of picking to get all the meat of the passeges and you need to break up the sinus's to get the meat of there. If you want it white you need peroxide and bleach mixes. Then it took some Krylon spray in a clear. Here it is start to finish LOL


Dont use bleach!!! It may look good to start but it will eventually start eating into the skull. It will make it look all flakey and chalky.

Just use peroxide.

BHB

[Tron]

Using bleach is ok if you only leave it in the specific solution for no more than 10 min's. i can't remember what the specifics were but there are some, also for the peroxide solution.

[mmcleodk]

Boiling traps the grease in, so if your wanting to get it back to white it'll make your job a lot harder.

If its warm enough wehre you are just put it in a bucket with water and let it sit for a few weeks, it stinks but it'll come out nicely. You can hose off most of the meat and just wear rubber gloves and pick it off.

For bleaching, household bleach will decalcify the skull, so its not generally a good idea.

Hydrogen peroxide is generally the preferred method, volume 40 is usually the most recommended, but I have heard of people doing it with the weaker stuff you can buy at the pharmacy (forget the percentage). Personally I use volume 40 hydrogen peroxide with basic white powder.

[Sitkaspruce]

I will be digging one up this weekend. been in the ground sice last Nov. should be pretty clean and will need a good power wash to clean it up, then I use oxy clean, doesn ot get it super white, but does look good. I believe SSS brought it to my attention with Oxyclean.

Will post picts this weekend of how it looks

Cheers

SS

[MichelD]

Just dug this one up

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e369/Hublocker/April2009153.jpg

And washed it

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e369/Hublocker/April2009159.jpg