boiled skull (pics)

Started working on my bucks skull today, I've boiled it once. Picked all the junk off and i think its starting to look pretty good.

These pics are from after dark so they are not the best.

Tell you what, it is not a small process to bleach a skull out, but it I can get it to work it will be pretty cool I think.
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DeadI
more pics
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a_bow_nut
Looking good. :thumb

Can't wait to see it when it's all done.
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HighLander
Looking good.
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MuleyMadness
Looking good is the popular thing to say. No it really is though. :)
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MULIES4EVER
Does look good. Did you inject the antlers first?
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DeadI
I didn't. I wasn't able to find the buck untile 5 days after I shot it. By that time the velvet wasn't looking real well. And has just gotten worse since then. The skull is basicaly sitting outside now and letting the sun and bugs do there job.
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"MULIES4EVER" wrote:Does look good. Did you inject the antlers first?
 Mulies4Ever inject it with what and what does it do?
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MULIES4EVER
The velvet on the antlers needs to be injected prior to boiling with formaldehyde to dry up all the blood and cure the skin. If this is done the velvet will last forever if not it may rot or begin to smell real bad. A taxidermist can inject them for you usually for a small fee. If boiling is done without it may be too late. Does it stink? I am not sure about injecting after a boil. The skull looks very nice though. If the velvet does rot you could always peel it off. Sorry I couldnt have told you this earlier.

Mulies
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DeadI
YEA I KNEW ABOUT THE FORMALDAHYDE. BUT YOU JUST CAN'T GO INTO A LOCAL STORE AND PICK THAT STUFF UP. ABOUT THE ONLY ONES THAT CAN GET IT FROM WHAT I HAVE BEEN TOLD IS TAXIDERMISTS. THERE IS A KNOCK OFF THAT SAPOSABLY WORKS BUT I DID NOT HAVE ANY ON HAND. I WILL NEXT YEAR.

YES IS DOES STINK. SO IT IS JUST HANGING ON A FENCE OUTSIDE. I FIGURE SOMEDAY I WILL GO OUT AND PEEL THE VELVET OFF. OH WELL.
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live and learn better luck next time #-o
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nice job. no you can do what i do. get some white paint or bleach and make him shine :thumb
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I was wondering how you were gettting by boiling a skull with velvet antlers, but since I know now that you don't plan to keep the velvet it doesn't matter.
I would personaly recomend scraping off the velvet as soon as possible, before it dries out and adhears to the antlers. In taxidermy of any kind "fresher is always better" when it comes to working on something.
Also, is it possible to boil a skull without damageing the velvet if it is properly preserved? Anybody have any experiance in this area?
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a_bow_nut
I've tried it a couple of times with no success yet. I think that if you were willing to paint the skull white so that you could wrap up the antlers tight to keep the moisture off of the velvet and just boil from the skull cap down you might be able to get away with it. On the ones that I tried I think that I should have let the velvet dry more before I started boiling it.
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MULIES4EVER
Actually you can boil as normal if you inject the antlers first with formaldehyde. I have done this several times. I do skulls for people every year. Velvet is tough but it can be done.

First, you must skin off the head right up to the burrs of the antlers. Then inject with formaldehyde. Let them sit for a day or long enough for the formaldehyde to do the trick. Then boil. No need to wrap the velvet but keep the water as clean as possible. This keeps the fats from soaking into the velvet. The trick is to only boil just enough to be able to clean everything off. Boiling only damages bone if it is done too long. Obviously keep the velvet as much out of the water as possible.

Here is a pic of one I finished today.
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MuleyMadness
MULIES4EVER

Thanks for the tips, that looks GREAT! :thumb
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MULIES4EVER
No problem. It may seem morbid but I like to do skulls and it brings in a little cash on the side. :thumb
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DeadI
VERY COOL. I WILL TRY THAT NEXT TIME.

HAVE YOU EVER USED THE SOLUTION 4 IN 1 THAT THEY SELL IN TAXIDERMY SUPPLIE PLACES. THE GENERAL PUBLIC CAN NOT BUY FORMALDAHYDE FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND. BUT THE 4 IN 1 IS SAPOSED TO DO THE SAME THING. AND NOT NEAR AS DANGEROUS.
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MULIES4EVER
Never tried or heard of it. I would like to know of an alternative. I will research it and let you know.
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MULIES4EVER
Ok been reading forever and this is what I found out. Touchstones 4 in 1 and Stop rot and Velvet tan. All chemicals used to replace the highly dangerous Formaldehyde. Dangers here are understood as if the Formaldehyde were to be accidentally injected into your own bloodstream you are dead. Even contact with the skin can cause serious problems. That is why it is not sold to the public.

However from all that I read tonight it still seams to be the best at curing the velvet and destroying any odor. I would like to experiment with the velvet tan. It seems to be the next best thing and safer. Taxidermists are skilled and can take care of injections for you for minimal prices. The only catch is they need it as soon as you can get it to them for a good cure.

Honestly I love to the hard antlered skulls because I dont need to worry about it. However, it is possible to do velvet skulls and if taken care of quickly they look great.

Here is another one of my older velvet skulls. Unfortunaly I rubbed alot of the velvet off by dragging the deer out. Note: For good velvet keep handling prior to treating to a minimum.
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Very informative . Thanks for the info MULIES4EVER.
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MULIES4EVER
No problem. I like to help.
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jersey boy
how do you make the skull so darn shiny?
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In place of formaldehyde, my taxidermist recommended using denatured alcohol...I haven't tried it yet but I make sure to have some if I'm hunting an early season.
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