Last Updated on April 17, 2020 by Robinellis
Most hunters out there take pride in taking and cleaning trophies. It doesn’t matter whether it’s just a pelt as well as a rack of antlers, expert hunters will make very impressive talking pieces. This article mainly focuses on how to bleach a deer skull to an attractive white that will make many people want to hunt.
First, gather all the materials before you start the process. The materials include:
- Sharp hunting or skinning knife
- Dear head
- A plague or log
- A pot large enough to accommodate the skull
- Spray-On Clear Coat in Your Desired Finish
- A Two By Four Big Enough to Fit Across the Pot
- Hydrogen Peroxide of at Least 6% Concentration
How to Bleach a Deer Skull- In 5 Steps
Clean the Skull
Skin and scrap the skull to prepare it for further processes. You can get rid of the head using a saw to ease the preparation process. Eliminate the eyes, skin, and scrap the skull.
Washing is easy, but scrapping is quite complicated, thus required specialized skills. You will need a good knife to make this task simple. Do not bother if there are some things left on the bone. They will be handled in the next step.
The idea after this process is to get off as much without obliterating the skull.
Boil the skull
Add calcium carbonate to water at a ratio of ¼ cup: a gallon of water. This process can be complicated and needs you to be careful.
Bring the treated water to a rolling boil. Leave it for a while so that the temperature levels can go down. Place the skull in the water or half an hour. Scratch it to get rid of hair and flesh.
Get rid of the nasal tissue and brain using a horse. Boil for another 20 minutes. Do not over boil as this can damage the jaw and the teeth. This can also lead to adverse effects that will make your trophy look unpleasant
Peroxide Whitening
Allow the skull to dry completely and naturally under shade.
Set up the bath and do not get the antler in it. In case you have difficulties in getting hydrogen peroxide, then consider hairdressing suppliers. Only use 12% and below as higher concentrations will not be ideal for this process.
Mix it gently at 50/50 with water and let it soak until the desired level of brightness is achieved. When the bone is dry, it becomes lighter. Keep in mind that this process may take long hence you need patience.
Clear Coat Lacquer the Skull
After the peroxide has dried off, you can now maintain the finish of your skull as well as antlers for the Euro-mount. Apply a clear coat of spray lacquer.
Different finishes can be considered. Some prefer matte for sub-bleached and untouched bone. Other people admire gloss as well as satin finish which ensure an attractive finished skull albeit
Even though this process does not ensure a nice finish, it prevents mold, among other things, from invading the skull. It also prevents air from yellowing the skull in the future.
How To Bleach a Deer Skull Video
Mounting
Many hunters desire the attractive Euro-mount style after finishing the skulls. Place the skull on a plaque, parallel to the wall facing downwards to showcase the rack.
Use a belt sander to level out the bottom to maintain a perfect angle. Run two screws at the back of the plaque to attach the skull properly
Slice the front piece of a log out with the bark to make it look more creative. Reattach the front of the log to make a round ‘post’ style of the amount.
Conclusion
This article clearly gives all the ideas on how to bleach a deer skull as well as how to mount it perfectly. When hunting mainly for trophies, do not let any animal go to waste; just consider the above-discussed process and make beautiful trophies.
Grab a chance to understand all the materials used in bleaching the skull as well as a step-to-step explanation on how to bleach a deer skull.