Macerated a bull elk skull

[30338]

I do a few of these each fall. Skinned it out, removed the brain with a new pressure hose fitting I bought, removed eyes, trimmed well and placed in 90 degree tub. After 6 days removed, and hosed off with just the hose and garden sprayer. Then soaked in warm dawn water, replacing water 3 times over 3 days. Hit it with the peroxide and sat in sun for a day or two. Elk always seem to clean well.

It sounds like a long process but really you have to skin anyway, and swapping out water doesn't take long. In the end you get a 100% clean, white skull with no bone deterioration. Thought I'd post this up before guys start whacking bulls in rifle season.

 

[butcherboy]

Nice job! I used to macerate all euro’s when I did taxidermy. I figured out to put cotton ham stocking nets around them to catch the teeth when they fall out. After all the degreasing and whitening I would glue them back in with Elmer’s glue. Did all Euro’s this way including birds.

 

[DroptineDC18]

What do you use to hold the temp at 90*?

 

[GunsAreFun]

Link for the pressure washer attachment?

 

[butcherboy]

Most people use an aquarium heater with a temp control to keep the water warm. I used a 55 gallon plastic barrel heater that wrapped around the barrel. I was putting in 5-10 heads at a time using 3 barrels. To get the brains out I built a tool out of copper tubing and soldered it to a female garden hose attachment that threaded onto the end of a spray nozzle. Stick the end of the tubing into the head and squeeze the handle on the spray nozzle. Out pops the brain with no crazy water spraying back at you. For power washing I used a rotary nozzle. This was just to get the funk out of all the little spaces around the ear lobes and under the skull. Never spray inside the nostrils if you want to keep all that intact.

 

[30338]

Link for the pressure washer attachment?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BDDX2QXY?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

That item in link is working well. The drill and clothes hanger bent into basically a paddle bit works well when used first. This washer gets it out quite well.

Tank heaters I use are these:

https://www.amazon.com/DaToo-Aquarium-Submersible-Adjustable-Temperature/dp/B09Z2WNV7X/ref=sr_1_16?keywords=tank%2Bheater%2Baquarium&qid=1697593380&sr=8-16&th=1

Sometimes have to use 2 to keep water temp up in cold weather. Never have them on if not submerged. They'll overheat and shatter amazingly fast.

 

[GunsAreFun]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BDDX2QXY?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

That item in link is working well. The drill and clothes hanger bent into basically a paddle bit works well when used first. This washer gets it out quite well.

Tank heaters I use are these:

https://www.amazon.com/DaToo-Aquarium-Submersible-Adjustable-Temperature/dp/B09Z2WNV7X/ref=sr_1_16?keywords=tank%2Bheater%2Baquarium&qid=1697593380&sr=8-16&th=1

Sometimes have to use 2 to keep water temp up in cold weather. Never have them on if not submerged. They'll overheat and shatter amazingly fast.

Interesting. Do you end up with brain all over you?

 

[30338]

Not typically lol. You would not want to stand behind the skull and hit the pressure washer. I stand to the side and try to tilt skull down. If the brains are fresh, it really isn't that nasty.

 

[Soj51hopeful]

Turned out really nice.

 

[SloppyJ]

That turned out great. I had my first experience doing the one in my avatar last year. It was pretty gnarly because by the time I got around to skinning the head out, there were some creatures in it. I never really did feel like I got the nose area cleaned out well enough and I boiled it too much and made it too brittle.

I'll check out your method next time.