cleaning flesh from dried skull ?

[-Rebecca-]

I'm new to taxidermy, and I've been digging through the archives but haven't found much regarding this.  My uncle brought me a deer head from this past season that he would like to have cleaned.  (He found out I had beetles) Well, planning to clean this himself, he cut the major flesh off with a pocket knife and left it out in the sun for the past several months.  What was brought to me now, is a mummy with a good deal of meat left to be dealt with.  I don't think my bugs are going to care much for it in its current state.  Is my best bet to boil this one in some sal soda?  Or is maceration the way to go?  Can it be re-hydrated enough to entice the beetles?  Any advice greatly appreciated!

[HWF]

I got a few like that from another taxidermist to do.  I put them in water for 2 weeks then cut off meat and put in beetles.
Hunter

[jonscut]

I've done a few animals brought to me in a similar condition. I've had good luck re hydrating them in water with some chicken broth added to the water. It probably sounds funny but it works better to entice the beetles. Good luck

[RD Martin]

Ammonia added to water breaks down hardened tissue faster. Be sure to rinse ammonia throughly from all cavities of the skull before introducing to colony.

[Roadkill]

Watch out when using the knife on the old skulls. I got a terrible infection in my hand once from jabbing my hand wiht the knife while cleaning an old dryied up skull.
It could happen, Not just to me, even though I seem to be accident prone.

[-Rebecca-]

Thanks for the help folks. It'd headed to the bucket today. I'll watch out for the knife too, I was never blessed with the best coordination 

[Wolfwoman]

Roadkill, I agree with ya there, I had the sae thing happen to me... except I didn't jab myself with the knife I poked my finger with a sharp part of the bone. Was pretty nasty there for awhile til I went to the Doc and got antibiotics.

[wacbravo]

Ouch! I've nicked myself a few times with the blade but nothing ever that serious. I did, however, give myself a nasty hydrogen peroxide burn more than once back when we used to dilute it from high concentrations ourselves. Were the only skull cleaning related injuries I've had. Keeping my fingers crossed that it's the last as well!