European mount - 12/03/10
Well, I must admit that in the past I never cared for European mounts. That started to change a while back, and when I took my buck this year I knew the second I walked up to it I was gonna do a European mount.
I did a lot of research, both here and on numerous other taxidermy sites. There is a TON of varying opinions out there concerning how to do it "best". I took what I thought made sense and gave it a shot.
First tip I got was to detach the lower jaw, and cut off all the meat you can. The brains can be a real pain in the a$$ and unless you're a serial killer it's really gross, but it's got to go! I heard some people say to let the meat rot off for as long as the weather allows. It may make it somewhat easier for the remaining meat to come off, but it makes for a putrid, disgusting, chore. Next time I'm going to do all of this ASAP.
On the plus side if you're a dog lover, you'll attract every dog within a 5 mile radius once you start boiling.
I soaked the head in a water/powdered laundry detergent solution for 3 days prior to boiling. I poured the water out of the tub before I decided to take a pic.
A long flexible blade will help.
A 9 dollar turkey roasting pan gets the job done on a deer. One scoop of powdered detergent per pan seemed to work well. I would simmer for about 1 hour then change out the water. 4 total changes did the trick. Some foil around the bases going up the beam protects during boiling.
Yum yum...
After the first simmer. While warm it's a good time to get out the knife and pick off anything you can. A small wire brush works too, a 1/4 inch chisel was the ticket for me. Several people said they used pressure washers at this point, but I was skeptical about using one because of how fragile the nasal bones are. YMMV
After the skull was totally free of all tissue it was time to get it white. Lots of opinions here too. Regular store bought hydrogen peroxide, industrial strength peroxide from hair salon's, mixture's of the two, and a hydrogen peroxide calcium carbonate mix that I believe Brad suggested. I couldn't find any calcium carbonate for sale... No one carried it except a concrete company, but they wouldn't sell it to me. When I tried to buy some peroxide from a beauty supply store I was told that I needed a license to purchase it... So I went with regular hydrogen peroxide. A .97 cent foil container was perfect for a deer head. 5 large bottles of Wal Mart's finest hydrogen peroxide and 3 days later my buck was white as a ghost. I think it looks great next to my other mounts.
I love the contrast between the mounts. It might be my first Euro, but it won't be my last.
Total cost involved.
Turkey roasting pan - $9
Hydrogen Peroxide - $5
propane - $5
foil "bleaching" pan- .97
Total cost $19.97 (and a few hours and elbow grease)
I did a lot of research, both here and on numerous other taxidermy sites. There is a TON of varying opinions out there concerning how to do it "best". I took what I thought made sense and gave it a shot.
First tip I got was to detach the lower jaw, and cut off all the meat you can. The brains can be a real pain in the a$$ and unless you're a serial killer it's really gross, but it's got to go! I heard some people say to let the meat rot off for as long as the weather allows. It may make it somewhat easier for the remaining meat to come off, but it makes for a putrid, disgusting, chore. Next time I'm going to do all of this ASAP.
On the plus side if you're a dog lover, you'll attract every dog within a 5 mile radius once you start boiling.
I soaked the head in a water/powdered laundry detergent solution for 3 days prior to boiling. I poured the water out of the tub before I decided to take a pic.
A long flexible blade will help.
A 9 dollar turkey roasting pan gets the job done on a deer. One scoop of powdered detergent per pan seemed to work well. I would simmer for about 1 hour then change out the water. 4 total changes did the trick. Some foil around the bases going up the beam protects during boiling.
Yum yum...
After the first simmer. While warm it's a good time to get out the knife and pick off anything you can. A small wire brush works too, a 1/4 inch chisel was the ticket for me. Several people said they used pressure washers at this point, but I was skeptical about using one because of how fragile the nasal bones are. YMMV
After the skull was totally free of all tissue it was time to get it white. Lots of opinions here too. Regular store bought hydrogen peroxide, industrial strength peroxide from hair salon's, mixture's of the two, and a hydrogen peroxide calcium carbonate mix that I believe Brad suggested. I couldn't find any calcium carbonate for sale... No one carried it except a concrete company, but they wouldn't sell it to me. When I tried to buy some peroxide from a beauty supply store I was told that I needed a license to purchase it... So I went with regular hydrogen peroxide. A .97 cent foil container was perfect for a deer head. 5 large bottles of Wal Mart's finest hydrogen peroxide and 3 days later my buck was white as a ghost. I think it looks great next to my other mounts.
I love the contrast between the mounts. It might be my first Euro, but it won't be my last.
Total cost involved.
Turkey roasting pan - $9
Hydrogen Peroxide - $5
propane - $5
foil "bleaching" pan- .97
Total cost $19.97 (and a few hours and elbow grease)