Bleaching Skulls

Amy Partlow

New member
River Runner,
I have gotten into Cow Skulls. Painting and saleing them. The first few I got were fairly clean enough, and just washed and sprayed them down. I have 2 tho, that are just filthy and almost black. My boyfreinds father(James Lindley) is actually a Moderator on here. So that is how I come to this site. He printed me out your postings for the Peroxide 40. I have already gotten it. My freind who ordered for me, said she had never heard of the Basic White. You said I could just bathe it in the 40. I've started to do that, but I do have one problem. The bucket I am using is not big enough for one with the horns. If I cant get it in there, how do I clean it? It was fairly clean when I got it. But I noticed after spraying it down to get dirt out of it that it had a few maggots coming out of it. If I cant get in a pan to boil it, what do I do about those? Do I just have to wait, and let them finising, umm eating? I have 5 done already, but I am anxious to get to the one with horns, its HUGE and will great painted. If needed explain some to James, he has helped me alot. Him and his son got the slippings from the horns, and I got the skull. Even trade I believe. They will use them for calls, and knife handles. I made this to long, I will think some, and ask more later.... Thanks

TeXaS_TrOuBLe55
 
Welcome to predator masters:D

I know nothing of bleaching skulls, except that, if at all possible DO NOT boil the 2 week old rotton meat off of a grizzly bear skull in your kitchen. The smell just doesn't wanna leave....EVER!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Thanks BadMecine, but I dont plan on doing any boiling, specially not with a huge cow skull. I am not going out and getting any fresh skulls. The ones I have, have been sitting for a long time, and have been donated to me. Just the one with the horns is a lil fresher, is all. Thanks for the advise tho....
TeXaS_TrOuBLe55
 
Amy, welcome to the site.

Boiling that skull you spoke of with maggots in it would be the quickest, by far.
I was thinking, if you knew anyone in your area that trapped, maybe they'd have a larger metal container they boil their traps in and you could borrow it.

You could also set the skull outside somewhere, and let the flys and maggots run their course, if your not in a hurry.
Use a hose to flush out the brain cavity real good first, to flush out anything loose.

The Basic White is used to make a paste as you read in the other post, you won't need a big container to soak it in. Just brush on the paste.

Basic White should be available at most beauty salons, or like a Walmart health and beauty aids department.
 
Thanks River Runner

My boyfreind said he might know of a Large Pot that I could use, so we will see about the boiling. I noticed that they mainly came off the horns, from where the slippings had been. The cavity was pretty well cleaned, nothing in it that I could see. When I soaked it, even tho it didnt fit in the bucket well, I manuerved it around, first up right, then on one side with a horn in, then flipped it. I am going to do some more tomorrow, had to head to work and quite for the day.
My freind who got me the 40, said she will look into the Basic White, I am going to ask a few other salons also, just in case.
I'll let you know how it turns out....

TeXaS_TrOuBLe55
 
The black and the maggots are related. Maggots feed by puking up the equivilant of stomach acid, then slurping up the goo that results--ie, they digest their food (and, in this case, part of your skull) THEN eat it. Pretty cool trick, hu? The bad news is that some of the bone dissolves and is left behind as a precipitate (the black stuff is mainly elemental iron, if you're curious), which I have found to be nearly impossible to remove--but I don't use peroxide 'cause I'm working with museum critters, not display critters. Unless you have a method of getting the skulls back to white (Krylon maybe, if you are painting them anyway) I suggest losing the maggots. If you don't care about the color, let 'em do what they do--they don't hurt anything that you are likely to notice. You WILL want to find something to soak the skull in to clean it up a bit after the maggots have had their fun--I cleaned most of a bowhead whale with maggots about 4 years ago, and it STILL smells like maggot. Even a few winters at -40 don't kill that smell--I imagine a soak in lemon-flavored ammonia would.

How about a picture of one of those painted skulls?
 
Im workin on some pics. I have 5 done aleady. 2 done in Texas Flags, with the star in the middle of the forehead, and 2 just weird designs. The 5th I am workin on now, its got an eagle on the forehead, and a mountian scene descending below. Its coming out pretty well. The last(one with horns), when clean and ready to paint, will be done in Trible Designs, I think it is gonna be awesome! I will let you know how it turns out.
TeXaS_TrOuBLe55
 
hey...you do know that you can't advertise on here with out paying for a banner or otherwise asking for permission, right?

Ok then /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I'm just givin ya a hard time /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
Seriously though, the way your describing these things, post some pics. I think I want to buy one. You got me all thinking over here when you mentioned tribal designs
 
Hehe River Runner, you and I can though /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif Just kidding... Welcome to predator masters Amy. Glad you made it. This girl is gonna go hunting yote with me one of these days. Then she can have her a coyote skull to do /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif .......James L. BTW that is one hell of a skull that they found. It had to have been a bull as it is about the size of a buffalo skull. Only thing is I don't remember the animal that it came from unless it was.... Never mind while typing this it just popped in my head which one it was. Big old Bramha Bull. About 2500 lbs worth :eek: ...... J.L.
 
James has a pic of one at his house actually, I will have to get the camera and take some of the other ones. How do I go about putting one on here. My webpage is out, so cant use it.... One of these days, yeah, I'll go hunting with him. I rather do the sittin thing than trudgin the woods for coons and such like Jamie has me doin. Its all fun though, and I know he likes having a girlfreind that is into all that.
TooDLeZ, got some painting to do...
TeXaS_TrOuBLe55
 
Thanks RiverRunner...
I may have those pics for you 2morrow nite. Will even take a pic of the "BIG ONE"!!!!
James, I was trying to get Jamie to read some of this, but he said he sees enough of it at home.LoL.. Oh Well!!!!

TeXaS_TrOuBLe55
 
in texas.. we just toss skulls on top of the antbed.. in a few days its bone white.. best way to boil large things is get a 4 legged cast iron
fireplace grate or something similar..a welder can make you one thats about 2 foot tall for $10
then sit a clean 55 gallon drum on it fill it
with the desired amount of liquid needed and
light the fire under it..hope this helps..sc
 
Thanks spacecowboy...
I will keep that in mind. Seems thats how someone else told me how to do it once. Altho, i havent gottin a fresh enough one for me to have to do that yet.. The ones I get have pretty much been sitting for a while, and just found... There usually pretty clean, except for a lil black and dirty here and there... I have done 10 so far... Still havnt gottin any pictures done yet... Im a bad procrastinator sometimes, or my boyfreind is, cuz he hasnt gottin any film yet for the camera... Still workin on it tho..
Been a lil pre-occupied lately tho, got wedding plans to do. Gettin married in October. Ole James is gonna have him a daughter-in-law /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif LoL, he will probably take me huntin for a wedding present, I wouldnt mind tho.....
Talk to yall soon... Im off to bed!!
TooDLeZ
TeXaS_TrOuBLe
 
Just please tell me this isn't one of them Texas Shotgun Weddings
icon8.gif
 
Wedding? :eek: What wedding :eek: :eek: ???? Who to? :eek: WTH???? :eek: /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif lol Just joking... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif She is going to make a fine daughter-in-law. I'll pass on the hunting trip as a wedding present though lol.... James L.
 
Yeah.. Its good to know they like me around there... LoL, especially for my food! I Love to cook, and they love to eat it. Guess I still owe ya some Sausage Bread, huh? Will try to get that for ya when I got the money to go shoppin...
I was only kidding about the hunting trip, will probably get plenty of those later down the road... Think it kinda comes with the territory! Looking forward to all that comes tho, got me a good man, I guess he might take after his daddy, who knows /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif ........

TooDLeZ from TeXaS

TeXaS_TrOuBLe55
 
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