I had a quick question about cleaning bird skulls (I have no experience with taxidermy). Im working with waterfowl heads right now...I know that I have to peel the skin back over the head, just up to the beak. I've also removed most of the flesh, brains, and eyes. I've rubbed borax into the skin and poured it into all the cavities of the head. How long should I leave the skull in borax? Is there anything else I should be using to dry the skull and skin out? Will the borax (or other products?) be effective in drying the remaining bits of sinew attached to the skull, or should I scrub the skull clean to the bone (if so, what instrument is useful for getting the remaining bits of flesh off)? I would greatly appreciate any advice that can be offered. Thanks.
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If you are using the real skull, then get every little piece of "stuff" off of the skin as well as the skull. It is heart-breaking to do all that work and enjoy your finished mount only to have it start to smell or leak grease later on. Borax is great and you can proceed immediately after applying it. My favorite tools are a spoon, you can use the edge to scrape away the gunk and a pair of forceps which can grab and pull junks of gunk off. Make sure you wash the bird really well after you finish cleaning the entire skin and use the borax as part of the drying process. Maybe check into artificial heads in the near future but for now keep up the good work and remember, cleanliness is next to Godliness.
for years I did it the hard way which you just described
cause I was too dumb to do it the easy way!
I used to spend lots of time diggiging out the brains and mess
now I can clean a head in 15 minutes
after you skin out and invert the skull make a cut along both sides of the mandible, take your hemostates or needle nose pliers and pull out the lower jaw and tongue in one peice
pull away the musculls(sp) on the eye brow and
pop the eyes out
cut along the skull with snipps or scissors
all you need to keep is TOP of the skull that is still connected to the bill
scrape the skull good and be sure to dig all the stuff out of the nasal passage.
pack the nasal passage with borax untill it dribbles out of the nostril holes
the skull will clean up in the wash
good luck
Many thanks for the helpful advice...I have one follow up question...what sort of solution do you use to wash the skin? Soap and water? Something else? Thanks again for the help!
Alittle dishsoap and water is all it will take. Degrease the skin thoroughly with a wire wheel, scissors or similar device and then really work it in the water and soap. I use warm water with a squirt or dawn and then rinse. Then cool water with soap until no more grease comes off that skin. Also a good time to look it over really good for blood, poop, mud or other problems. Some birds need to be washed many times, some only one or two. Then rinse in clean water and proceed...The squirter on your kitchen sink is great during this process, just don't let your wife see!
Thanks Sumner and Rich for all of the advice and encouragement. Cheers, Dave
You can get a fake head and it will not shrink.