I've searched the archives and cannot find an answer. I am doing a europoean mount on a bighorn skull. I have simmered, degreased with Dawn, etc. The skull still smells. Should I remove the long tube looking deals from inside the nasal cavity? Any other ideas on getting rid of the smell would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike
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Did you remove the horns? and clean them out real good?
You have to also take off the outer horns and clean out the cores. The inner cores are full of a nasty, bloody material that you have to get out. Put the whole skull into a heavy, black plastic trash bag with a cup of water. Tie the bag tight and get it up onto the roof if you can. You have to protect it from animals and it's a very warm spot. Leave it there for at least several weeks. A whole month would be good. Take it down and open the bag. Hose it off real well and the outer horns should now come right off or with little effort. The bone cores should be cut off to about 4 inches or so and the whole skull cleaned, degreases and whitened well. Scrub out the inside of the outer horns well too. Get the horns back on the cores and let it now dry. Should be no smell at all.
the horns off and cleaned them and simmered the skull for quite a while. The horns don't smell too bad but the skull kind of stinks. Seems to be coming from the nasal area. Do you remove the tube like deals up in the nasal cavity?
Thanks,
Mike
Mike, I would NOT cut out any of the nasal bones. A big horn skull is rare in the world of skull cleaning and should be left intact. That odor will go away with time. You can buy a bag of cedar shavings like dog bedding and pack the skull in a box covered with the cedar and after a couple of weeks it should be pretty fresh smelling. Long term that odor will go anyway. Enjoy, Aaron H.
Those tube like deals go deeper than you think. A big horns skull is designed to take those terrific head clashes. Between the skull and the other bone is the neatest layer of bone springs you will ever see. Hollow between and connecting the skull bone with the other bone. If cars used this design it would be rare that anyone ever would be killed in a car accident.