# Bleaching Skulls



## AlaOutlaw (Sep 3, 2006)

Does anybody have any suggestions as to the best way to get a skull bright white? I have a monster wild boar that is going to the freezer in a couple of months. I would like to preserve his skull intact to hang in my shop. His tusks are very impressive. I really hate to kill him but a 400lb+ wild boar is just to dangerous to keep on the farm.


----------



## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Ive done skulls by simmering them in water with hydrogen peroxide. Do them just long enough to get the meat off or the bones will seperate. Then let them air dry in a sunny place. You can also find other methods by Googling "skull cleaning, bleaching"


----------



## cowgirlone (May 9, 2002)

We used to set skulls on ant hills to remove all the meat. They clean them up really good.


----------



## Guest (Sep 12, 2006)

A few weeks on an anthill to clean it then a few days in a washtub of water and laundry bleach to lighten it up and remove any smell.

.....Alan.


----------



## Guest (Sep 13, 2006)

VanDykes Taxidermy sells a kit to do skull mounts. It comes with some kind of a powder that you add to your boiling water to boil the flesh off the skull. Then you take a strong peroxide that you can buy from a beauty store to white bleach the skull. 

I've done it before using the kits and it works real good.


----------



## cowboy joe (Sep 14, 2003)

Cleaning is the hard part, especially inside the cranium. Have a tub of super glue ready as the teeth & jaw bones will separate.

Here's a couple of decent websites:


http://www.wc.adfg.state.ak.us/index.cfm?adfg=wildlife_news.view_article&articles_id=27&issue_id=11

http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/natresources/az1144.pdf#search="skull bleach"


----------



## Ebowhunter (Jun 23, 2005)

Avoid bleach. As a part-timer, your best bet is a kit such as the one offered by Van ****'s.

I do taxidermy for profit on the side.


----------



## Paul72 (Mar 13, 2005)

Cabela's sells the Van ***** bleaching kit, Ive done 4 or 5 and it works pretty well, the kit sells for around $20 and it will do 2 larger skulls--Paul


----------



## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

When I need a skull cleaned in a hurry, I'll put it on the ground, with a washtub or half barrel on top of it... with lots of weight 'protection' against dogs and other critters wanting to get it... and after a week, the beetles usually have it cleaned down to the bone...


----------

