I used to work at a taxidermy shop and have cleaned well over 100 bear skulls plus other species.
Cut off the bigger pieces of meat such as the meat on the top and back of the skull, tongue, eyes, and jaw meat. It doesn't need to be perfectly clean, that's what the boiling is for. Just so that the hot water can penetrate better. The jawbones shouldn't be separated or removed from the skull at this point.
The method we used to remove the brain at the shop was to use a stiff wire or rod with a hook/bend or small narrow scoop on the end (the coathanger idea) to stir around in the brain cavity at the hole in the back of the skull. This is to break up the tissue. Then a garden hose is inserted to flush out the brain tissue. The hose may also be used in the nostrils for additional flushing of tissue.
A 5 gallon metal pail was then filled with water and put onto propane burner. We used a turkey deep fryer type. A piece of plywood was placed on top of the water pail to help keep in the heat.
Once the water was boiling, the skull was added. We often did two or three at a time.
The skulls require about an hour of boiling to separate the meat from the skull.
When the jawbones can be pulled off fairly easy, the skulls are ready to be removed from the water.
We had a metal hook and gloves to take the skulls out of the water.
If boiled too long, the teeth will fall out and the jawbone will separate at the join in the chin area. It is normal to lose smaller teeth or bad teeth (common in bears). They can be glued in later.
The smaller pieces of meat and cartilage may then be removed with tools such as small pointy knives, dental picks, Dremel-type tools, etc. Rinse off and/or use an air hose to blow the particles off the skull.
The skulls are then cleaned. They may also be bleached and clearcoated if desired.
Cut off the bigger pieces of meat such as the meat on the top and back of the skull, tongue, eyes, and jaw meat. It doesn't need to be perfectly clean, that's what the boiling is for. Just so that the hot water can penetrate better. The jawbones shouldn't be separated or removed from the skull at this point.
The method we used to remove the brain at the shop was to use a stiff wire or rod with a hook/bend or small narrow scoop on the end (the coathanger idea) to stir around in the brain cavity at the hole in the back of the skull. This is to break up the tissue. Then a garden hose is inserted to flush out the brain tissue. The hose may also be used in the nostrils for additional flushing of tissue.
A 5 gallon metal pail was then filled with water and put onto propane burner. We used a turkey deep fryer type. A piece of plywood was placed on top of the water pail to help keep in the heat.
Once the water was boiling, the skull was added. We often did two or three at a time.
The skulls require about an hour of boiling to separate the meat from the skull.
When the jawbones can be pulled off fairly easy, the skulls are ready to be removed from the water.
We had a metal hook and gloves to take the skulls out of the water.
If boiled too long, the teeth will fall out and the jawbone will separate at the join in the chin area. It is normal to lose smaller teeth or bad teeth (common in bears). They can be glued in later.
The smaller pieces of meat and cartilage may then be removed with tools such as small pointy knives, dental picks, Dremel-type tools, etc. Rinse off and/or use an air hose to blow the particles off the skull.
The skulls are then cleaned. They may also be bleached and clearcoated if desired.
