Pressure washing elk skull

[Cstangle24]

Anyone do this? I like the way it looks better then boiling and bleaching.

My question is what to do to get all the meat in the hard to get places to avoid the smell of rotting flesh.

Small places such as the brain cavity, teeth, some of the small holes.

Appreciate any insight. I have pressure washed and it is out side letting the ants get some of hard to reach meat.

 

[justinspicher]

I did this for a mule deer skull a few years back. Boiling helped me with the hard to reach areas.

 

[KClark]

I did it with a moose but the skull wasn't complete, just a big hunk of the cap to hold the antlers together. From that I think it will blow all the small fragile pieces around the nose and eyes to hell so it depends on what look you're after. It did remove all the flesh and sticky bits nicely though.

 

[Krieg Hetzen]

I soaked mine for a long time in dawn soap and water. Then a combo of needle nose pliers, a Havalon, flat head screwdrivers and some needle nose flyfishing (clamp style) pliers to get everything out that the pressure washer couldn’t. This was with a moose skull by the way. Took some effort to not destroy the small nose bones. I did about 4-5 hours of simmer and spray with oxiclean and dawn soap but I don’t think it did as much as just leaving the skull in the water for a week with soap.

 

[Cstangle24]

Thanks guys for the feedback.

Are we talking removing the teeth then gluing them back in?

Going to try the dawn and water soak and see.

It smells like rotting flesh right now and I don't want to stink up the house.

 

[rbljack]

Go on youtube and search for Whitebones Creations. He has lots of videos on how to do Euros, and they come out very well. its a combination of boiling, pressure washing, and whitening. Its the best method I know to do them. The stuff he uses is readily available too.

The method it sounds like your using is Maceration....and damn it stinks SO bad. I did that, I also had beetles for a period of time to do the work....and messed with many different methods of degreasing and whitening. After trying the whitebones way, I found it to be much simpler, and quicker.

 

[Krieg Hetzen]

Once again for a moose but the teeth never came out. Also I used the whitebones video to get started. The soaking was due to work (week on/week off) and trying to get all the fats/grease out cause I didn’t remove the brain

 

[Cstangle24]

Thanks guys I'll check out whitebones.

 

[30338]

This guy was in 90 degree water for 9 days and all the meat just melted off of him. Gentle hosing then back into dawn dish soap water for a bit to degrease. Now doing some sunbathing with peroxide. All bones intact.

For the OP at the stage you are in right now, I would submerge head with a fish tank heater and let all the small pieces of meat rot off. I would not add any kind of chemicals to the water at all. After maybe a week or so, take it out, hose it off. Put it in the dawn water and let it degrease. Then coat on Peroxide 40 volume and let it go to work. Keep it off the bases.

Final result on another bull.

 

[Stiffy11]

I do exactly as 30338 does. Works great.

 

[JP100]

done quite a few skulls from heaps of different animals.

I normally boil for short time, only around 10 mins, then water blast away, then a quick soak in a degreaser.

Something big like an elk will handle alot before you loose and teeth or bones, smaller species you have to be more careful with.

too much boiling will loose your teeth and bones, just go for quick boil and more water blasting.

Get some cheap PVC over alls and sone glasses, brains dont taste that good......

 

[menhaden_man]

Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda is by far the easiest I’ve tried in a few dozen skulls. Wouldn’t even try anything else after being turned onto that. Do an internet search and you’ll find a few more details.

BLEACHING A SKULL

www.missouriwhitetails.com

 

[missjordan]

Yes i do it every year and works great! If you have access to a Hotsy brand pressure washer and can turn the heat on high it helps blow the meat right off. Simmering the skull in hot water also isn’t a bad idea either to get everything loose. The pressure washer won’t de grease it either so you’ll need to soak it again for that if it bothers you


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[tntrker]

I had heard about doing this and asked my guide last year. He said "just take it to the car wash and pressure wash it". I couldn't fathom the thought of no one getting upset about that, but he reassured me everyone does it. I was to skeered to stop and brought it home to boil and use my own pressure washer..No brain matter was in the skull for the trip back East..

 

[muddydogs]

What do you guys do if you still have some yellow in the skull? This years elk skull has been simmered in Borax while removing all the meat then simmered in dish washing liquid to degrease. Once done I noticed that between the antlers right on to of the skull cap the bone was almost a burnt brown color. After 3 treatments of Vol 40 I still have a yellow spot between the horns and a little yellow on top of the nose. I'm figuring its got to be grease still in the bone and probably needs another degreasing?

 

[jmez]

Soak it in white gas, Coleman lantern fuel, for a few days. Best degreaser available

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[Jordan Budd]

Boiling plus the pressure washer is what my euro guy does. We did a podcast on it too.

https://www.rokslide.com/diy-european-mounts-plus-velvet-and-hide-care-with-dalton-wolkow/

 

[Go Pokes]

Bury in the dirt, cover the rack pull it out after a couple months. Rinse it off. Peroxide if you'd like.