90% done my bear skull

[r106]

So I have my bear skull almost done and I have some questions.

There are some really tiny pieces left in the brain area, is it a huge deal to get every last little piece? or will the peroxide bath take care of it?

At the back of the skull there is something were the skull attatches to the spine. It's not bone and it will not loosen off when boiled it's very hard and would have to be carved off. It's almost like a hard plastic. Does it stay or need to be removed?

and peroxide bath. How long? what mix ratio? and wher do I get it? Do I just use the stuff from the drug store or do I get a concentrate?

Here's were I'm at right now
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/r_106/2011-12-28210453.jpg

[hunter1947]

Looking good just have to get it white and you have it beat..

[91Jason91]

ya looking good so far keep up the good work

[bowhunterbruce]

head to any hair salon suppy place and pick yourself up a bottle of salon care volume 40 creme.this is the strongest stuff available to anyone that isn't a hair dresser.
the plastic stuff you refer to is in fact cartilage abd should be carved away.
you apply the creme all throughouut the inside of the skull first and be very liberal with it.then move to covering the outside.once its completely coated,wrap it in a saran wrap type of plastic film.making sure that nothing gets out.place it near a heat sorce like a register in your house and walk away for a couple hrs. rince it off under warm water and wear some form of safty goggles,ya dont want this stuff in your eyes. again allow it to dry over the register.
i have yet to get the results first time around but i just keep re applying the creme and wrap until its wear it should be.
dont rush it but don't forget about it either.
if you dont wrap it after the creme is on it will dry out and stop working,this stuff works best wet and warm.its the same stuff hair dressers use to bleach hair only they can get stronger stuff.oh ya and its like 8 bucks for a big bottle.cheap.
have fun
bhb
here are a couple projects i recently finished
http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?77015-quot-billies-quot-bones-are-now-euros

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?76914-euro-bison-head

[bcfarmer]

Another way is 35% liquid peroxide with doubled up garbage bags. Place skull in bags and fill till completely immersed. Leave for 24hrs. Take out and do a quick rinse.

ALWAYS WEAR RUBBER GLOVES WHEN HANDLING PEROXIDE .....unless you like white burning/tingling fingers.
Peroxide can be found at most garden centers or feed stores.....get to know a farmer who used it. I get mine for $4 a liter verses 10-12 at garden centers.

bcf

[sherpa-Al]

I've always preferred a peroxide bath to do the initial whitening, Have you aready degreased the skull? Degrease first then whiten. A peroxide bath can be made of the 3% from the drugstore or if you can get your hands on some stronger stuff it'll work better. Immerse the skull in your "bath" and wait for your preferred time period (3% i'd go a few days, stronger go 1 day then see how it goes, if you need more then go another day and so on.) Take out the skull and rinse and dry. Then apply the paste if you'd like.

Al.

[jrjonesy]

Here's my before and after pics. I used the Peroxide from a hair salon and kept the skull fully submerged for I think at least 24 hours.

Notice on the finished skull how clean the jaw joint is. The lower jaw should be completely unhinged from the upper jaw and cleaned all up. It's not unusual for a lot of the teeth to fall out also and have to be glued back in.

Prior to peroxide, I soaked mine in a bucket of water with a degreasing soap for a couple of days. I will soak it for at least 3 or 4 days if I do it again.


http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/before.JPG


http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/skull.JPG

[r106]

no I never degreased yet How is that done?

[jrjonesy]

Soaking in ammonia or acetone can apparently work well and be fairly quick (be careful). I read in quite a few places to use dawn detergent and soak in warm water for 2 weeks, frequently changing the water. That's what I did but I was impatient and only lasted about 2 days. I have very little yellowing coming through but I will still soak it for much longer next time.

[r106]

ok I had a couple teeth fall out during boiling should I glue them back in before degreasing and peroxide? or just throw them in during that process and glue them after?

[bcfarmer]

ok I had a couple teeth fall out during boiling should I glue them back in before degreasing and peroxide? or just throw them in during that process and glue them after?

I usually glue them in before doing the peroxide. Put them back in place and take a hot glue gun along the inside of all the row of teeth.

Others may have a better way.

bcf

[sherpa-Al]

Degreasing is the toughest part to get right when whitening a skull. If not done properly a nice clean, white skull will start to show emerging grease spots as time goes on. IMO the best and safest way to degrease is with hot water and blue dawn dishsoap. The water should be around 125F and kept at that Temp until all the grease is out of the skull. The amount of time that the skull is degreased will be up to you. When I was doing skulls I'd degrease a mature bear skull for at least 4 months, but I was trying to get 100% of the natural oils out of the bone. For the average guy a couple of weeks to a month will be good. The teeth will fall out, keep your skull in a cheesecloth to keep from losing the little ones. When you peroxide the skull put the teeth in a 1/2 pint canning jar and add some peroxide to them, they will whiten as well as your skull. Hope this helps,

Al.

[r106]

Thanks guy's for the tips. i guess i'm not as close to done as I thought LOL

[Mr. Dean]

Thanks guy's for the tips. i guess i'm not as close to done as I thought LOL

You really,,,, only got started. :lol:


Keep it up.

[sherpa-Al]

The hardest thing to do when deciding to whiten a nice bear skull is to be patient. The skulls are so impressive when properly whitened, a guy can't wait to get it done and on display. If proper time and care isn't taken to properly degrease you will be dissappointed with the results. Search the internet, particularily Taxidermy.net, there is a ton of really good info on skull whitening there and a lot of "tricks" that people openly share to get professional results.
Oh yeah almost forgot, I glued my teeth in after whitening, I'd set the teeth in and hold the upper and lower jaw together while they set to get a nice even fit.

Al.

[jrjonesy]

Degreasing is the toughest part to get right when whitening a skull. If not done properly a nice clean, white skull will start to show emerging grease spots as time goes on. IMO the best and safest way to degrease is with hot water and blue dawn dishsoap. The water should be around 125F and kept at that Temp until all the grease is out of the skull. The amount of time that the skull is degreased will be up to you. When I was doing skulls I'd degrease a mature bear skull for at least 4 months, but I was trying to get 100% of the natural oils out of the bone. For the average guy a couple of weeks to a month will be good. The teeth will fall out, keep your skull in a cheesecloth to keep from losing the little ones. When you peroxide the skull put the teeth in a 1/2 pint canning jar and add some peroxide to them, they will whiten as well as your skull. Hope this helps,

Al.

Great post! How did you keep the water that hot for 4 months? Or did you just heat it multiple times over a 4 month period...and let it soak inbetween?

[Mr. Dean]

Great post! How did you keep the water that hot for 4 months? Or did you just heat it multiple times over a 4 month period...and let it soak inbetween?

Aquarium or wwaterbirdheater would be the ticket.

[r106]

You really,,,, only got started. :lol:


Keep it up.

haha no kidding. Here I am thinking i'm almost done. LOL. 90% done more like 30% done LOL. Oh well it's not like I have a time limit Thanks again for the tips.

[sherpa-Al]

That takes a lot of doing. There are lots of ideas on how to do this, bucket heaters, water trough heaters etc but I made a "soak tank" out of aluminum and a hot water tank element and controls. This worked very well but is probably not feasible for the average guy doing his own skull. I would think that you could refresh your degreasing bath once a day or even every 2 days changing out at least 1/2 of it every time with preheated water and soap. This should do a pretty good job of degreasing.

Al.

[green machine]

when i did my blacktail euro mount last season i boiled the skull with multi purpose deageaser similar to simple green. i would boil for half an hour then pull it out and pick off the bits that were loose then back in to boil again. i did this 7-8 times untill very clean. then when done i used a tooth brush and normal houshold peroxide and brushed and scrubbed all over. it came up very white and was done the hole thing and had it mounted on the wall in the same day. i think the key was to have te deagreaser in the boiling water.

[Nautilus]

University of Arizona Article on skull cleaning is really good. Here is the link:
http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/natresources/az1144.pdf

I used this method (peroxide) on a mule deer skull and it bleached out very nicely...clean and white. Finding the peroxide was a bit of a challenge, but I found a health food/pharmacy in North Vancouver on Lonsdale who sold it in 1 gallon jugs (not cheap from what I recall) but I used about 1/2 of a gallon to finish my skull.

Being no expert at this, I would probably save the teeth and glue them in after...this peroxide is pretty strong stuff and may attack any glue you use.
An excerpt from the link states:

Air-dried skulls may be bleached by soaking them in an approximately 3% to 6% solution of hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide solutions that are used to bleach hair can be purchased from beauty supply stores. The concentration of hydrogen peroxide in these products is usually expressed as "volume." 20 volume is approximately 6% hydrogen peroxide, 30 volume is approximately 9% and 40 volume is approximately 12%. These products can be diluted with water to the desired concentration. The time required to bleach the skull will vary with species and the whiteness desired. When using hydrogen peroxide, most of the bleaching process will have been completed when the solution stops bubbling. After the skull is bleached to the desired whiteness, it should be rinsed with water and allowed to dry completely. Hydrogen peroxide can cause serious damage if it comes in contact with your eyes. If this occurs, flush the eyes with plenty of water and contact a physician immediately. Hydrogen peroxide can irritate skin and rubber or latex gloves should be worn when immersing hands into the peroxide solution.vChlorine bleaches should not be used because they can dissolve bone tissue. Skulls may also bevbleached by simply setting them out in the sun.

[hunters union]

you will get great results with 29 percent peroxide available at any gardening center and its cheap . you should never boil a skull it breaks down the bone and causes it to shrink you will also destroy the nasal lace dermestide beetles are the way to go

[brew16]

right on looks good

[MOUNTAIN MAN - TOYOTA/ATV]

good luck with your project. Nice Bear skull.