cleaned and whitened my first skull

[fiddler]

Not trying to be critical here fiddler--but that skull on the right ain't a lynx.

Funny, it was a lynx when we took it out of the trap and skinned it?

 

[kkahmann]

http://smg.beta.photobucket.com/user/kkahmann/media/lynxskull_zps3b30c66d.png.html

here's a lynx skull
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/kkahmann/lynxskull_zps3b30c66d.png

 

[Norton]

Not trying to be critical here fiddler--but that skull on the right ain't a lynx.

Fur sure and fur certain
looks like a coyote to me

 

[Varmit]

PL Premium would be a good glue to use. It will never come out that's for sure

 

[trevj]

Any reason to boil it as opposed to other options? I did a deer skull a few years ago, I left all the flesh, eyes, brains and tongue intact and just buried it in the front flower bed for about a year. When I pulled it out it was clean as a whistle. Next I put it on a fence post (where it still sits) and the sun bleached it.

Yeah, I'll speak on that. How long has your process taken?

Boiling it clean gets it done fairly quickly, and it's cheap. It does not rely on the bugs being willing and able to do the work, and it does not rely on the horns not vanishing at some point during the year. Or that the squirrels won't help themselves to them.

I've not yet seen a naturally cleaned out skull that did not take some damage. YMMV.

I've done a couple deer skulls. Still trying for the 'perfect' skull, on which the sinus spirals come out intact. Got close, but not perfect. I see most of the commercially cleaned skulls don't bother, they just scrub the internals out.

I'd be interested in Dermestid (spelling?) Beetles, except for the headaches of keeping them, and the risk to all things leather or hide related if there is a breakout.

I'll stick to boiling mine, for now.

Cheers
Trev

 

[trykillthis]

^^^^

I'll post up the one I am doing right now, when it is all finished. I have been doing the warm water maceration technique.

All the sinus membrane has turned out nice and intact. This should be the last week of maceration then a week of de-greasing then a few hours to bleach. It turned out well with my bear skull this spring, keeping all the sinus structure and it looks like it will work well with the deer.

 

[stuckon308]

I don't want to sound like an ass. But it doesn't look like a lynx skull to me either. But if you caught and skinned it, it must be.

 

[broncoo]

the taxidermist i use refuses to use beatles as they apparently leave an odd smell in the bone that bleaching will not remove

Yeah, I'll speak on that. How long has your process taken?

Boiling it clean gets it done fairly quickly, and it's cheap. It does not rely on the bugs being willing and able to do the work, and it does not rely on the horns not vanishing at some point during the year. Or that the squirrels won't help themselves to them.

I've not yet seen a naturally cleaned out skull that did not take some damage. YMMV.

I've done a couple deer skulls. Still trying for the 'perfect' skull, on which the sinus spirals come out intact. Got close, but not perfect. I see most of the commercially cleaned skulls don't bother, they just scrub the internals out.

I'd be interested in Dermestid (spelling?) Beetles, except for the headaches of keeping them, and the risk to all things leather or hide related if there is a breakout.

I'll stick to boiling mine, for now.

Cheers
Trev