what about cleaning/preserving fish skulls? I've read the messages about game skulls and I am curious to know if these same technics work on fish skulls (in particular saltwater/offshore species like king mackerel, wahoo and other toothy critters) Any help would be great, I've got a few skulls that the maggots have finished with, and I'm ready for the next step!
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A fish head is mostly cartilage It'll dry up all twisted..You take a deers nose..It Is all cartlige
Lots of info in there. The big problem with fish skulls is the number of bones that make them up. Very hard to get a thorough cleaning and keep it fully intact. If you already have the flesh cleaned off from maggots the bones are most likely displaced as as fly larvae are very messy eaters and can disturb bone placement far more than dermestid beetles. If the bones are in place - use a spray bottle and apply rubbing alcohol or ammonia to it frequently to dissinfect it. Then use a spray bottle to apply 3% hydrogen peroxide to whiten it. I recommend the spray bottle for fish skulls and thin skulls like some birds as full immersion in liquid can cause the cartilage to let go, leaving you with numerous teeny bones which are a nightmare to rearticulate. A few coats of clear acrylic spray will help keep all the bits in place and seal it to the level that 'most' customers find pleasing.
I have a book in German that has pics. and the how to do it.
Basically clean of all soft tissue the best you can.
Soak the remaining pieces in 20% H2O2 50% diluted with tap water.
You may wish to do this in a few jars, to help keep the parts of certian pieces together.
You may have to change the solution a few times, there will be some interior pressure on the glass, so always wear softey goggles and GLOVES.
Once the part is cleaned rinse in clear water and pin in the natural position to dry.
Assemble using a drop of Super glue gel at each connection.
DONt get excess glue on the bone structures.
Thats the basics and should get you started, Pike, walleye, bass all work pretty well. I have never tried a trout but feel it can be done with some practice.