Ok, I popped off the horns and am ready to boil the skull. how much of the arm & hammer do i use? my pot is a 2 gal., and how do I clean out the meat in the horns?
Thanks in advance.
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Dave,
You've confused bicarbonate of soda with hydrated sodium carbonate. Arm and Hammer is bicarb while you need to use sal soda. Bicarb may get rid of your indigestion but will lead to headaches if you're looking to boil the skull. It isn't the cleanser that sal soda is.
I would like to caution you. Be VERY carefull boiling skulls. Adding sal soda quickly removes the flesh, but if left unattended will also erode the bone structure. With a Dall sheep, unless you have an unlimited supply, you don't want to lose any bone. I suggest boiling it in plain water if you must and hose it off when the meat has cooked. Another way is not to boil at all. I clean bear skulls by submerging them in a bucket of water. I dump and refill the bucket once or twice a week and refill. The water is a horror, but the meat sloughs off nicely and there's less separation of skull plates than by boiling. When it is completely clean, I use a slurry of 40% hydrogen peroxide and Basic White. Wash it off after 20 minutes and let dry. Then I paint the skull with Elmers White Glue.
If you're gonna use baking soda, just use the whole box, and add a box of salt.(it's not something that has to be precise)
a dish-washing brush works good to clean out horns( one of those scrubby things for cleaning glasses with a wire handle that you can bend)
you will only need a couple inches of the horn core, cut the rest off.
before you bondo the horns back on, soak the horns in a borax saturate solution, then make sure they are completely dry on the inside before you re-attache them.
Good Luck
Dave
Where is sal soda bought, your local market? I must do the boil, because I live in an apt. complex..
when boiling, do I use a hard boil the whole time it's in the water?, and what are some tell tail signs that it's done?
thanks,
Dave
OK, other Dave, here's more info for you.
You can get the sodium carbonate from many supply companies--try Van Dykes or WASCO (they cal it Sal Soda).
but I wouldn't make an order just for that.
go ahead and try your baking soda, it's not gonna hurt anything and it's cheap. the salt alone will do a fine job on your skull. and the baking soda might help it come out cleaner.
if you DO decide to use sal soda,be careful!
George is right, the Sal Soda can quickly erode the skull, so you have to be careful if you do use it, and don't over-boil.
Boiling a skull really isn't a precise operation, boil for about 30 minutes(hard boil), cool under running water, and then remove meat chunks, then do it again. Just don't boil until the skull falls apart. (if any teeth or bones DO come loose, save them and glue them back later.)
Good Luck
Dave
hmmmmmm, so, box soda, and box o salt.. now are we talking the big A$$ box or the sm. hand sz.
I'm so sorry if this seems to just go on and on, but this is quite a trophy..
Thanks,
Dave
Dave:
We (Hide and Beak Supply) also carry sal soda. It's a comparitively inexpensive product. If you don't have our current catalog #119, and would like a copy, visit our web site at www.hidebeak.com, e-mail, or call us at 1-800-777-7916, and ask for one. You can also check out our products on our web site. Hope to hear from you.
Larry
Don't worry so much!---like I said, it's not a precise operation,
just use the medium box (lol). one carton of salt for 2 gallons is fine, and the baking soda really doesn't matter anyway.
Some times you should "just do it".
Dave
Thank you!
Ref: Boiling Skull
Step 1: After animal is shot, cut head off at base of skull. Cut and peel hide off, take eyeballs out (use exacto knife), take out lower jaw, clean as much meat as possible off skull. Be sure to get brain out with hooked wire. You don't have to be 'perfect' as a lot of gristle and such is difficult to remove. Place in bucket of water for a day, change water, soak another day -- change water, etc. I usually boil after 2 days.
Step 2: Boil skull, depending on size of animal -- usually 45-60 minutes for deer. Boil in plain water -- you can use a small amount of dishwashing liquid mixed in. Use a coat hangar bent around antler bases to suspend skull in pot of boiling water -- clamp wire to pot with vice grips.
Step 3: Rinse off with cold water -- let cool enough to handle, and then scrape off all meat, gristle, etc with knife -- most of it peels right off. It is easier to clean before it dries. Use pick to clean antler bases, cut cartilage out of nostrils -- basically just get it clean.
Step 4: Let dry a couple days or so, don't matter how long. I usually wait til I have 3 or 4 to do before getting the hydrogen peroxide out. Use rubber bands to secure cotton balls to cover entire skull, in eye sockets, between antler bases, in nostrils -- entire skull should be covered in cotton. Put skull in shallow pan and (best to put rubber gloves on when handling hydro. per.) I use a 30% solution of Hydrogen Peroxide and pour on skull. Works even better if you place in the sun. Every few hours use a tablespoon to keep cotton wet. 12 hours is plenty of time -- remove cotton, etc, let dry. It is now bone white.
Step 5: Cut directly under nose bone -- above upper teeth -- a line towards base of skull -- band saw works great. Put on whatever type base board suits your taste and you are done with the classic European Skull Mount.