Getting the sinuses clean?

[Hemingway]

I've had a whitetail skull that I simmered most of the flesh off of, and has been macerating in heated (90 degrees) tub for 5-6 days.  Tonight I took the skull out and cleaned off what tissue I could and it seems to be coming along nicely, but I do have a few questions.  The maceration process seems to loosen the bones some, the two small bones that form the tip of the nose have come off, the teeth are loose, etc.  I would assume that this is normal and that when I'm finished degreasing and whitening I can simply glue these bones, teeth back in (I hope)?  Is there a maximum time for maceration?  Can a skull macerate for too long?  Secondly, I noticed two main areas that still seem to have tissue in them, basically where I have circled on the pics below.  Will the maceration process eventually get rid of this?  Or, will I have to resort to other means to get it out?

This isn't my skull obviously, but I'll use this pic for reference.  The first area I'm having trouble with is just above the nasal sinuses, in the area shown below.



Secondly there is an area at the base of the skull, around where the spinal cord enters the brain cavity that has turned a redish color.  I can't see any tissue there, but it also appears that there may be a cavity or a sinus of some type there. 

Thank you in advance for any info/suggestions...

[Bone Painter]

Hello
I macerated a whitetail skull this summer for the first time. When I got it it was practically mummified, with all of the hide dried hard to it. I set it in a tub of water in my my shed with the hopes of softening up the hide for removal. I then forgot all about it when a member of my family fell ill. Four months later, after leaving it stewing in a tub of water in my stuffy, hot shed, I suddenly remembered the deer skull. I was certain it would be ruined, but when I emptied the water, it was in near perfect shape. Several areas of the skull had just barely separated, which was easy to fix with a few tiny drops of super glue. I'm not sure of the proper time for maceration, but after four months my skull was fine (I am sure my temp was lower than 90 though, probably more like 75-80). Right now I have a whitetail I am cleaning via simmering & I am having problems in the exact same areas as you are; I can't use maceration now because it's 0 degrees out and I don't have a tank heater. Darn sinuses!

[bulldog4949]

I was fixing to say, this is my pic!!  I was starting to get a little upset.  Anyway.....enjoy!

[Hemingway]

I was fixing to say, this is my pic!!  I was starting to get a little upset.  Anyway.....enjoy!

I hope you don't mind me using it for reference, I just didn't want to have to dig my skull out of the gunk and your's was the first one I came across...

[Hemingway]

Hello
I macerated a whitetail skull this summer for the first time. When I got it it was practically mummified, with all of the hide dried hard to it. I set it in a tub of water in my my shed with the hopes of softening up the hide for removal. I then forgot all about it when a member of my family fell ill. Four months later, after leaving it stewing in a tub of water in my stuffy, hot shed, I suddenly remembered the deer skull. I was certain it would be ruined, but when I emptied the water, it was in near perfect shape. Several areas of the skull had just barely separated, which was easy to fix with a few tiny drops of super glue. I'm not sure of the proper time for maceration, but after four months my skull was fine (I am sure my temp was lower than 90 though, probably more like 75-80). Right now I have a whitetail I am cleaning via simmering & I am having problems in the exact same areas as you are; I can't use maceration now because it's 0 degrees out and I don't have a tank heater. Darn sinuses!

Great, thanks for easing my mind...  I just didn't want to let it go "too long" if there is such a thing.  Sounds like it will be fine though, does the tissue in those sinuses eventually just rot away or did you have to do something else to it?

[EM]

Sinuses suck.  Here is a thought I had.  Would beetles first and then maceration yield a cleaner skull in a shorter time than any other method?  Currently, I simmer.  It leaves a lot to be desired sometimes.  I like that beetles are quicker than maceration.  But the beetles don't get into the bone like bacteria does.  It seems most people prefer only one method.  Would combining the 2 methods just be making more work for myself? 

[Bone Painter]

When I took it out of the bucket I used my garden hose with a semi-high pressure nozzle to clean it out. Most of the tissue had dissolved in the tank and what was left washed away easily with the hose. For the one I'm doing right now I'm going to try using an air compresser since our outdoor water is shut off for the winter. I get deer jawbones from a local taxidermist who uses an air compresser to clean out skulls, but I've never tried it myself. Do make sure you check on you skull often during maceration, I've read a couple stories on here about the skull joints separating (though mostly on young animals). I didn't have any major problems with separation, but I only did it the one time. Here's a step by step for maceration, it's a long post but has lots of good info & can probably give much better advice than I can: http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,33562.0.html
:)Good Luck!

-I think that sounds like a good idea, combining the two. My only thought would be, will there be enough flesh left to kick off the bacteria process after the beetles have cleaned it? I hate simmering, but I'm stuck with it right now because the first cold snap damaged my colony. Their comming back ok now that I have my heater set up, but there's not enough to clean a skull yet.

[Hemingway]

Thanks bone_painter, I read through that thread and I think I'll try to use the garden hose since I don't have an air compressor handy.  The bones have definitely loosened some, but nothing like a complete separating... I'll definitely keep an eye on it though.  Thanks again!!!

[ashx2]

What about discoloration to the antlers from maceration.  Did you experience anything like that?

Thanks!