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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,090
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OP
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Joined: Sep 2010
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Has anyone used one of the services where they use beetles to clean a skull? Who to you recommend? How much does it cost? Do you just cut off the head and send it or is there more preparation needed?
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 12,156
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 12,156 |
Yes, find a local taxidermist that has them. Just cut off the head and take it to them, they should do the rest. My local guy charges $100 to clean, bleach, and seal the skull and put a wire hanger on the back, $125 if he mounts it on a plaque. I usually have him do the skull then I mount them on a plaque I get from Walnut Hollow, I save a few bucks and it's a much nicer plaque than he provides. https://www.walnuthollowcountry.com/panels/euro-plaques/
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 132
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Jan 2016
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Local guy charges $85 if you remove the hide, $100 if you don't.
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 10,953 Likes: 3
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2009
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I just use a bucket of water. I have too many mounts to trust someone cleaned and killed all those bugs out of all the nooks and cranies. Get those bugs in your house and kiss your mounts good-bye.
They say everything happens for a reason.
For me that reason is usually because I've made some bad decisions that I need to pay for.
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,090
Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,090 |
Yes, find a local taxidermist that has them. Just cut off the head and take it to them, they should do the rest. My local guy charges $100 to clean, bleach, and seal the skull and put a wire hanger on the back, $125 if he mounts it on a plaque. I usually have him do the skull then I mount them on a plaque I get from Walnut Hollow, I save a few bucks and it's a much nicer plaque than he provides. https://www.walnuthollowcountry.com/panels/euro-plaques/Thanks for the link to the plaques.
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,090
Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,090 |
Local guy charges $85 if you remove the hide, $100 if you don't. Sounds reasonable.
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,090
Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,090 |
I just use a bucket of water. I have too many mounts to trust someone cleaned and killed all those bugs out of all the nooks and cranies. Get those bugs in your house and kiss your mounts good-bye. How do you use a bucket of water to get a euro mount?
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,966
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2001
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Just finished two heads last week.
Had a 8 pointer and a spoon rack 9 pointer, neither were super large trophies.
The technique I use is as follows:
1. Cut the head off at the base of the skull and as close to the C-1 vertebra as possible.
2. Skin the hide off the skull. Cut the lower jaw bone out, it can be tricky. Some time I'll just cut the jaw bone with lopping shears to speed up the process.
3. I use a propane gas Turkey fryer or a single eye burner in my shop.
4. Slow boil or simmer the head in Oxyclean. (one scope for couple of gallons of water).
Do not over boil it will loosen the skull joints and the skull will collapse.
I'll simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hrs then remove and cut away as much soft tissue as possible. Then re-cook another 2 hrs and repeat the process.
You have to spend a little time digging away as much tissue as possible. Using needle nose pliers, screw drivers and small scrape blade.
5.Once I've remove all soft tissue, I'll slow boil in hydrogen peroxide added to clean water for an hour. This is a whitener and bleaches the skull. Make sure you use cellophane wrap the horns (rack) or they will turn white.
I'm a do it your self guy but sometimes the time involved just isn't worth the process. This is not a quick job. I'll wait and do two at a time just to make it more efficient.
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,090
Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,090 |
Just finished two heads last week.
Had a 8 pointer and a spoon rack 9 pointer, neither were super large trophies.
The technique I use is as follows:
1. Cut the head off at the base of the skull and as close to the C-1 vertebra as possible.
2. Skin the hide off the skull. Cut the lower jaw bone out, it can be tricky. Some time I'll just cut the jaw bone with lopping shears to speed up the process.
3. I use a propane gas Turkey fryer or a single eye burner in my shop.
4. Slow boil or simmer the head in Oxyclean. (one scope for couple of gallons of water).
Do not over boil it will loosen the skull joints and the skull will collapse.
I'll simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hrs then remove and cut away as much soft tissue as possible. Then re-cook another 2 hrs and repeat the process.
You have to spend a little time digging away as much tissue as possible. Using needle nose pliers, screw drivers and small scrape blade.
5.Once I've remove all soft tissue, I'll slow boil in hydrogen peroxide added to clean water for an hour. This is a whitener and bleaches the skull. Make sure you use cellophane wrap the horns (rack) or they will turn white.
I'm a do it your self guy but sometimes the time involved just isn't worth the process. This is not a quick job. I'll wait and do two at a time just to make it more efficient. Thanks for the detailed explanation.
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,352
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,352 |
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/12412113/1Beetles do great work typically and a buddy has a good business using them. I would only do beetles or maceration. Have boiled dozens of heads over the years. They are very average. Am on my 3rd and 4th head doing maceration now and it is really an amazing process. Will post pics of my whitetail when it is done, getting close now.
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Joined: May 2011
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 57,485 |
boiling is goign to get grease in the bones that you can never remove.
I"ve sped up the maceration by putting a pot on the burner and just warming the water now and then, but I never boil. Tried boiling in the 80s and those skulls are still horrible even after soaking in acetone/ laquer thinner trying to get the grease out...
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 7,132
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2005
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I've boiled dozens of them over the years and found that if you use auto dishwasher detergent it really helps cut the grease. If they are kept inside the house afterwards, they stay white, but the ones I've kept in the garage did eventually get some grease yellowing on the surface with time. Most of the local taxidermist boil with a detergent added. One of the locals spray paints with off white flat paint and it actually looks fine. I tried maceration on one years ago and still had yellowing, so hit it with flat white paint and it looks ok.
La has a crazy new law where we can't bring heads back unless they are skull capped and cleaned, so I left my TX buck with a Tax there. He said he boils and then bleaches(I assume with peroxide).
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 18,170
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 18,170 |
Fireants and yellow jacket nest with a bucket over the top.
TRUMP- GABBARD 2024
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 10,832
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 10,832 |
I do the bucket/water rot off method
It preserves the small bone detail but is stinky nasty work
Maker of the Frankenstud Sling Keeper
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 23,034 Likes: 6
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 23,034 Likes: 6 |
Barm: Over the last 15 years or so I have taken about 25 Mule Deer, Antelope and Whitetailed Deer to have them processed by the Beetle method.
I greatly prefer the Beetle method to "boiling"!
I have taken both fresh and frozen "whole" heads (with skin and flesh still on) to the taxidermists that I have used for their Beetle's to clean.
Try it - you'll like it.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 7,198
Campfire Tracker
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Joined: Feb 2002
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If you have fire ants in your area,, it maybe worth a shot trying on a small deer, even a doe. Guys are doing it with hog heads here.
Put the hog or deer head on the fire ant hill, cover with a tin tub or trash can with a cinder block on top.
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 13,413
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2002
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I have buried several heads in worm beds and let them clean the skulls then simmer for a bit with dishwasher soap. Works great and when your done you have a bunch of fat fish bait.
Dog I rescued in January ![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/yYDjsxrQ/IMG-0124.jpg)
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,130
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,130 |
I'm pretty lucky that Skulls Unlimited is a 20 minute drive from my house. They do museum-quality beetle work on skulls or entire skeletons of everything from whales to gorillas to field mice or snakes. Their price list is pretty interesting. http://www.skullcleaning.com/index.php#masthead_logoMike Rowe did a Dirtiest Jobs episode on their operation.
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