DIY European Mount

Gr8tz

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You guys have any tips and advice for doing your own skull mounts?
 


espringers

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peel the skin, remove the eyeballs, wrap and cover the bottom of the antlers, boil the shit out of the skull, remove all remaining flesh and brain, bleach and peroxide the skull, maybe stain the antlers and mount.

i've never done it myself. but, a buddy does and it appears pretty straight forward. time consuming. but, not too complicated.
 

fly2cast

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I've done one and I like how it turned out. Be careful about the bleaching process. I had mine in a bucket of bleach water and it had fallen in so about one inch of the horns fell in and bleached them. I bought some oil paint, thinned it down and painted that section. It turned out well I think because nobody notices. I personally don't like skulls that are painted even if they are painted white. But everyone has their preferences.

IMG_20191204_092930786.jpg
 

SDMF

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Get as much "stuff" off/out as you can before you boil. ~2hrs rolling boil, no longer. Put a little dish-soap in the boiling water as well to help degrease the skull.

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I've done one and I like how it turned out. Be careful about the bleaching process. I had mine in a bucket of bleach water and it had fallen in so about one inch of the horns fell in and bleached them. I bought some oil paint, thinned it down and painted that section. It turned out well I think because nobody notices. I personally don't like skulls that are painted even if they are painted white. But everyone has their preferences.

9A73E582-509D-4894-A35A-96330B426B0C.jpg

Looks like that deer has a "push dagger" on his right antler bur. Cool!
 

Bfishn

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My advise is to pay someone else the $100 to do it.
 


Chas'n Tail

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Boil the living piss out of it with dawn dish soap, then soak paper towels in hydrogen peroxide and drape over skull. Ball up a couple soaked paper towels and insert into eye sockets. I don't recommend staining the horns, but to each their own.
 

Retired Educator

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Agree with above except I brushed peroxide on with a brush. Took about 3 -4 coats. When I thought all the meat was loose I actually took it to the hi-pressure car wash, made sure the door was shut so I wouldn't look like an idiot. Worked great to get everything out of the cavities and crevasses. Took a little explaining at the hairdresser when I asked for some Schedule-40 peroxide. She wondered who's scalp I was bleaching and for what reason. Evidently schedule-40 is very powerful and would make Red River Valley land look like a white sand beach.
 

HammsRMK

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I have done a few, my biggest problem on the ones I have done is the brain and nose cavity. I always seem to not be able to get it all. I have never thought of the pressure washer idea. I will keep that in mind. I also do the hair dresser bleach, its a two part one powder and on liquid that you mix. It will make your finger tingle for a while if you don't wear gloves.
 

KiYi

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Pay someone that has beetles. I have done roughly 15 with a homemade buck boiler and it works but it sucks. Typically have 15 hrs easily into one. I use peroxide 80 water mix to whiten.
 

Shockwave

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I do between 5 to 8 a year for friends and family. Remove the hide, bottom jaw, eyes, and as much meat and fat as possible. Boil for about two hours (not a hard boil) in water, a cup of ash soda, and dish soap. Pick and remove as much leftover meat out of the crevices as you can. Mix powder whitener and 40 volume peroxide and paste it onto the skull. cover with a garbage bag and let it sit over night and it should be white and nice looking.

The powder whitener and peroxide is available at hair product places, or you can them off amazon. Make sure you wear gloves, this stuff burns like a SOB when it gets on your skin.

This is just one way of doing it and I found it works very well. As you can see, it can be done many different ways.
 


Bed Wetter

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Pay Jeff in Wahpeton $80. JR Taxidermy. He’s good people and does an awesome job. Turnaround is typically 1-4 weeks depending on how busy he is and if the weather outside cooperates.

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Paging KDM...

Still contracting out your beetles?
 

BP338

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I've boiled a few before. We've never used dish soap or peroxide for anything. We just boil it and scrape it. Then boil it some more and scrape it some more, until it is clean. This is how you have to do it to bring it back from old Mexico. Oh, and make sure you have some time on your hands. It takes a bit.
 

dean nelson

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Shockwave has it summed up best don't do a hard boil but more of a simmer with some dawn and washing soda mixed in. Stick something into the brain to mush it up then use a hose to flush it out. Be sure to do that and as much as you can before the boil. Once done put in hydrogen peroxide as deep as you can in a container without touching the antlers. Then run paper towels over top of the top of the skull between the antlers and any area not covered by the peroxide and make sure to re-wet these paper towels on a once or twice a day basis let it sit for a few days. All in all it's fairly easy to do but considering as cheap as they are I tend to pay to have it done these days.
 

BP338

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Too technical. Boil it, scrape it and repeat...simple. Unless you have the beetles. Then it's even more simple.
 

catchindeers

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I've done 7 myself, have turned out as good as the ones done by the taxi. As others have said, Remove the hide, bottom jaw, eyes, and as much meat and fat as possible. Slow Boil with baking soda and remove, scrap, repeat. Once Done, I use a screw driver to break out the ear bones so you can get into the brain cavity easily and pressure wash everything out. Let dry and then use Salon Volume creme peroxide mixed with Basic White powder and some hot water. Brush on and poor the rest in the skull. Let sit for a few days and then rinse off. Will be super white and look good.
 


NPO_Aaron

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definitely not a pro, but i've eurod a few skulls. On these I left majority of the face meat, brains, eyes, bottom jaw, everything. brought water and tide laundry detergent to a boil, then simmered for about 6 hours (or until the tissue fell off like a slow cooked blade roast). Drained the water, cleaned out all the soft tissues, hit for another hour in the simmer with fresh water and dish soap. pulled it out, let it dry, painted 40 peroxide paste until the whiteness I wanted, then rinsed. I finish mine off with modge podge to protect it. Works out for me every time.76705137_450497502526044_2878872314575847424_n.jpg
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Don't mind the messy office!
 

KDM

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Pay Jeff in Wahpeton $80. JR Taxidermy. He’s good people and does an awesome job. Turnaround is typically 1-4 weeks depending on how busy he is and if the weather outside cooperates.

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Paging KDM...

Still contracting out your beetles?

Yep! Cut the head off and bring it to us skin, eyes, brains, and all. A hundo later you get a beetled, degreased, and whitened skull. Takes a couple weeks depending on how many are in the que in front of you.
 

Bowhunter_24

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DF8B0A9C-1A44-4A6B-ABB5-06BB0106B0AC.jpg
I pulled this one out of the barn today. 2 years in there and it's ready to put on the wall. Lol

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9CA39364-A466-4D63-B990-5071C149F250.jpg
This is a fake skull. Takes ten minutes and costs a third of paying to get it done
 

NDbowman

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Biden blood on his hands.jpg
I pulled this one out of the barn today. 2 years in there and it's ready to put on the wall. Lol

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Screenshot_20210826-144531_Chrome.jpg
This is a fake skull. Takes ten minutes and costs a third of paying to get it done

How do the antlers mount onto the fake skull?

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https://youtu.be/YXr2_8xzZ4o
 

Srputz

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I second Kdm and his dad. They do great work and there fun to visit with. They’ve done a couple speed goats and a muley for me. All turned out great
 


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