Taxidermy Tips
Better than Boiling
I've been making my own European mounts for 30 years now, and the way Michael Hanback suggested doing it in the February '08 American Hunter is the way I used to do it.
Boiling a head always makes a mess; you never get to it as early as you'd like, and it stinks; and once it's cooked you stand there in the stench for hours paring meat and gristle from the bone—if you do it right, with dental picks. You destroy the delicate, fascinating turbinate bones in the sinuses "getting the gunk out." You never get all the gunk, and though it may dry and not smell, eventually it will attract a tiny beetle that will also eat the feathers and tanned hides of your bird and head mounts. And heat makes bones, antlers, and especially teeth brittle. I have a cougar skull that cannot be handled at all, the teeth flake and chip so easily.
Immersing the skull in water must work better is some parts of the country than others; it may have something to do with the local species of microorganisms or how heavily the water is chlorinated. I use it as a finishing step, but I let soil bacteria do the dirty work. I bury heads in the garden for several months (time spent in frozen soil doesn't count). It only takes an inch of living soil over a skull to absorb all odors, so you can keep the antler bases out of the dirt. I wrap non-rusting window screen or wire mesh under the skulls to catch teeth. Once everything is clean, bleached and dry, I glue loose teeth back in with wood glue. I also build a little enclosure around the burial with steel fence posts and chain-link fence to keep dogs out.
Once the soil bacteria have eaten every visible scrap of flesh—six or eight months over winter, in my climate--I rinse out a white residue with the hose, then immerse the head (but not the antlers—they turn green) in water for a few weeks, being careful not to breed mosquitoes. This lets a different set of bacteria eat any remaining protoplasm out of the mineral matrix of the bone. When I have a worthwhile batch ready to bleach, a final hose rinse and stiff-bristle brushing knocks the algae off. I then soak each skull for two hours in a half water, half household bleach solution, being careful to keep the antler bases out of the bleach. I built a 9x10x24-inch plywood box for this: big enough for an elk skull. I line it with plastic for use.
Bleaching kills any remaining microorganisms and leaves the skull clean and sanitary, but it doesn't produce a bright white finish- in fact it can leave a rusty stain on the surface. That's where the hydrogen peroxide and a final brushing comes in.
I suggest cleaning the occasional lower jaw, too. The way the jaws hinge and the muscles attach, the way different species evolved very different teeth to process different foods, is a fascinating lesson in biology.
Preservation of the Species
I'd like to thank Mr. Michael Hanback for writing the article in the February American Hunter magazine on how to "make a Euro mount." Several years ago I went boar hunting in Oklahoma and brought home a really nice Russian boar head mount along with the cleaned skull from the animal. Skull Unlimited from Oklahoma City (skullsunlimited.com) cleaned the boar skull and they said to use water-based floor wax to preserve the skull, which is impossible to find. Does Mr. Hanback have another treatment method to preserve skull bones after they have aged to keep them from cracking?
Take it Outside
As a taxidermist, it is with great interest when one of my subscriptions has an article about taxidermy. Your February '08 article was no exception.
If I may, I'd like to offer my ideas to yours. You had it going until your suggestion of just placing the skinned skull in a bucket of water, stink is not the word for this step. Avoid it if at all possible. Boiling is the easiest method. Of course, hot water, propane, and such should be handled with care. Remember, the person doing this just killed a deer with a firearm or a bow; this will be the least dangerous step. Boiling the skull should be done outside. I use a 3 leg "turkey cooker" and a #2 galvanized washtub. The most trouble is removing the brains (brains are largely fat), no joke. If they are not completely removed, the skull will stain and develop a "wet" look. After skinning the head, remove the lower jaw. Then, using a 3/8" drill bit, drill a hole in the bottom of the skull forward of the spinal column exit. This allows water to enter and exit during the boiling process. When boiling, keep the skull submerged and use powdered laundry soap; it will turn the flesh into jelly and help remove grease. Change the water in your boiling pot when dirty, and add more soap. Air pressure works for blowing out the small crevices and nasal passages. Avoiding knife work around the skull is a good tip; those marks look nasty. The nose bones should be removed, as there is a membrane connecting them to the skull, and the teeth will fall out- save them (6 per side).
After you have boiled, used air pressure, and rinsed the skull, both nose bones and 12 teeth (15 parts in all), place them somewhere to dry. Depending upon the weather, this can take as much as a week. Closely inspect the skull for "wet" spots. This is a result of fat escaping during the boiling process; if this is the case, the skull goes back for more boiling. If the skull appears clean and dry, you are ready to reassemble your project. With the skull upside down, resting on the antlers, replace the teeth and reattach with some quickset epoxy. The same goes for the nose bones.
Now you are ready for the final touch. Because unprotected bone is very dry and porous, I recommend this step. Mask off the antlers first. For a 1 time job, model paint in a "Bug Bomb" can will work. Coat the skull with a light spray of clear lacquer and apply a coat of white paint. Make sure you get all the angles and passages. Let dry and recoat with a clear semi-gloss. This paint step seals and protects the bone, as it will stain with household dirt and fingerprints. Remove the masking and apply a coat of paste wax to the antlers.
I've had great success with this process.
