I have a deer skull, it is a whitetail, seven point, young buck from Kentucky killed in 92. The head was stuck in a closet for seven years until I got it. I don't know if that would make any difference in answering the questions below. It was my first attempt at skull cleaning and from what I have learned I did everything wrong.
To start with I bleached it to get the dried tissues and hide off, what should I have done instead of bleach? The skull started to flake, someone told me it was because of the bleach. They gave me some vinac crystals to mix with acetone and then paint it on the skull to stop the problem, does anyone have any suggestions or information on this?
I use the skull as a tool to teach children, and I would like to recreate the ear and add eyes. I have no idea about where to start on the ears, any suggestions? As for the eyes, is there a specific color I should use? Are deer eyes available on wires? I looked in the Van Dykes catalog and did not find any.
Should I stain the rack or leave it bleached white? Finally after cleaning the skull I had four extra teeth that could not be placed and were smaller than the others, are these baby teeth?
Thank you for your time, and I appreciate any and all of you suggestions.
Return to Beginners Category Menu
First you should have taken the skull and soaked it in hot water for a while (not boiling) then try to attempt to remove as much as possible. Then take the head and boil it in a pot for about 15 minutes then check for any lose or missing teeth. There is a solution in Van Dyke's catalog called Basic White it is used in conjunction w/ 40 volume hydrogene peroxide. My suggestion would be to stain the antlers after it has completely dried then seal with a sealer or leave as is.I do not know of any deer eyes.
I think you could use an ear liner for your ear, and an off-wire eye. van dykes sells several different eyes for whitetails, and you could "set" one in a sculpting compound to keep it in place. if you set the eye in sculpting epoxy, make sure you have it right. you wont be able to change it later.
You don't say if you have any modeling or sculpting experience, but you should use good reference regardless.
Hope that helps.
Dave