# Hunting > Taxidermy >  Euro mount... Wet or Dry?

## RUMPY

After shooting my first bull tahr a couple of weeks ago I have cleaned up the skull, boiled and waterblasted it. 

Question now is should I keep it wet, damp or dry until I can get some poroxide on it?

Cheers.

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## Micky Duck

yes   LOL

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## RUMPY

Yes what? @Micky Duck. Yes wet? Yes dry? Yes damp?

Yes isn't a helpful answer without another word after it.  :Grin:

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## Micky Duck

yes PLEASE is a good answer LOL

but yes to one of the three  LOL
 I dont believe it will matter at all.

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## bunji

@RUMPY First off congrats on getting your trophy .So l am taking it you are a newbie to doing Euro skulls ,l quickly fell out of spending the price of another hunting trip on mounts a couple of decades ago so have done my own & clients for over 25yrs . 

Short answer wet is OK .But...............

 So first off these are the important steps to make sure the mount turns out OK & lasts -

First Boil steps -

Are you sure you have boiled all the grease & oil out by  adding  300ml of dish washing detergent to the pot and half a cup of clothes washing powder . Do this  each time you change the water in the boiling pot, this  is a very important step for the  final look of your euro mount.  

A slow boil/simmer will draw more oil & grease out. With the first  boil I try and remove as much oil & grease as possible. I usually leave the skull to simmer for 4-6 hours, first off emptying & refreshing the water if a lot of gunk & grease is coming out ,then just topping the water up as needed . The more attention to this step will make for a much better & whiter mount that does not discolor from leaching grease later  & causing oil spots on the mount.


Once you are sure you have this done -

First blast with the pressure washer - Do not use to much pressure it will flake the bone .I normally do this after 2 hrs of the first boil ,get rid of as much meat as you can & take out all loose teeth (glue these back when finished).

Make sure you remove the ear bone as their is a lot of "stored" greasy shit in behind it ,that will discolor the mount later ,this will also allow you to get in & dig out all brain material properly .If you have boiled on the long slow simmer the brain will come out easy ,use a bit of bent up wire if you have trouble.



 Second/Third Boil- 


Skull  should be a lot cleaner , make sure to change water &  add another 300ml of dish washing detergent.  Put the skull back in to simmer to cook off the remaining meat and drag out more grease from the skull. This Simmer/ Boil is best done for a good couple of hours ,you will see the grease scum on top of the water even after a good hour .Refresh water detergent & simmer again until grease  stops .


Second  pressure wash: Skull  will now be pretty clean ,make sure you have cleaned out the brain cavity  & pay attention to the 2 small pockets at the bottom of the eye sockets as they hold  oily  shit as well ,again not full blast just a gentle blow out.

Skull should be looking pretty good now ,place it in a bucket of water in a sunny warm spot with 300 ml of detergent & let it soak for a couple of weeks ,a lot of time the water will start smelling rank a sign the final oils & grease are leaching out ,change water & let it soak more .

Once you are happy water has stop stinking /no grease leaching do the final pressure wash ,making sure to do around teeth/nasal passage /eye sockets /brain cavity etc 


Whitening - I have found best results when the Skull is warm ,so place it in a simmering pot of water for a couple of minutes & take out when hot to touch & apply peroxide & it will start working straight away & get  deep into the bone from the heat opening it up .

I like to let the peroxide react for about a  hour or so, then  heat the skull again, put  another layer on the skull leave a hour &repeat this process until you are happy with the  white achieved 


Hope the Info helps, like l say l have done it for decades now & had Taxidermists ask who did them   :Thumbsup:

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## RUMPY

Wow @bunji, what a through description. Thanks so much for your very informative procedure.

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## RUMPY

Oh, one more question, can I use the hydrogen poroxide liquid available from chemist shops or do you use hair colour with the powder additive in it?

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## bunji

@RUMPY No probs always happy to help someone starting out ,thought it might help others too. If you need any other help just ask ,l will help if l can. 

Enjoy your trophy for years to come   :Thumbsup:

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## bunji

> Oh, one more question, can I use the hydrogen poroxide liquid available from chemist shops or do you use hair colour with the powder additive in it?


    @RUMPY I have used the Commercial cleaning grade peroxide while overseas but just use the hairdressing stuff here as the missus does the hair for all the neighboring farm wives ,but either should be fine as it is more a matter of keeping a eye on it until you are happy with the whiteness .If you heat up the skull you will see it bubbling up straight away as it enters the "pores" so takes away the guess work of layering it up because you were not sure it was working .

PS just asked the missus & the stuff she has is 1L 40 vol peroxide from chemists & hair supply mobs

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## Preacher

Whitebone creations on YouTube

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## bumblefoot

This is a great tutorial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lknMPC0FQ04&t=230s

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## Mr300WSM

> @RUMPY I have used the Commercial cleaning grade peroxide while overseas but just use the hairdressing stuff here as the missus does the hair for all the neighboring farm wives ,but either should be fine as it is more a matter of keeping a eye on it until you are happy with the whiteness .If you heat up the skull you will see it bubbling up straight away as it enters the "pores" so takes away the guess work of layering it up because you were not sure it was working .
> 
> PS just asked the missus & the stuff she has is 1L 40 vol peroxide from chemists & hair supply mobs


Hi @bunji does it matter how long you leave the peroxide on for is longer the better or will it hurt it?

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## bunji

> Hi @bunji does it matter how long you leave the peroxide on for is longer the better or will it hurt it?


 @Mr300WSM Around a hour between doses ,usually works out OK ,but you just keep a eye on it until you are satisfied with its progress ,sometimes you will see the brown tinge coming through where it has lifted a oily /greasy patch trapped inside the bone.

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## Marty Henry

Peroxide breaks down to water once it's done it's job so there's no need to wash it off unless it's lifted gunk that wasn't boiled out then it's back in the pot.

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## RUMPY

OK, been a few weeks but I have finally got a result I'm pretty happy with considering it's my first euro mount.

Things I probably did wrong may have been blasting it too hardout on the first clean after first boil. After the advice given above, I boiled again, blasted again and soaked in bucket with dishwash tablet in it for 2 weeks.
Did a third boil for a couple of hours and then gently blasted a final time.
Brought a 500mL 40 vol ( 12%) hydrogen poroxide creme from chemist warehouse for about $7.
Painted on a nice even layer and left for an hour and gently washed off with garden hose. Still wanted a better finish so gave it another coat and left it overnight then out in the hot sun for a couple of hours. Washed off again fairly thoroughly but gently and let it dry.
During the soaking time the inner membrane of the horn separated and the horns which made the process quite a bit easier with the poroxide.

Thanks again @bunji, great advice.

My first bull. 10 1/2", about 6 years old counting horn rings.

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## 257weatherby

I've mounted a couple of euros in another life, always wet, is the correct answer.

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## RUMPY

> I've mounted a couple of euros in another life, always wet, is the correct answer.


Hahaha, not sure if I'm reading this correctly but it makes sense really.

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## bunji

@RUMPY Bloody ripper mate, glad it worked out & now you have a greater connection to the mount every time you look up at it on the wall ,something to be proud about.  :Thumbsup: 



I get a lot of satisfaction out of doing my own now & once you see the results & follow that sequence it makes sense how it progresses ,there will be no stopping you now .Too many Old School "trade secrets" not getting passed on to the 'newer'  hunters coming up in the ranks for my liking .If you ever need any help just give us a yell & if l can help l will  . :Thumbsup:

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## bunji

> I've mounted a couple of euros in another life, always wet, is the correct answer.


 @257weatherby  Someone has been feeling the Lock Down of the Ski Fields & Contiki Tours hard?? :Psmiley:  :Thumbsup:

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## Dundee

Always a good mount on a Contiki tour....lol

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## Preacher

Nicely done @RUMPY.  Plans for wall hanging?  Plaque? or "Hooker" type mount?

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## RUMPY

I'm hoping to find an old bit of weathered native to put it on but will see what I can find. Not a big fan of the modern trophy plague look. What's this "hooker" mount you speak of @Preacher?

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## Preacher



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## Preacher

They are able to be manipulated to a point.  Personally I would go with the native timber.

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## muzza

Thought you were talking about Winston Peters there with the weathered native comment ...

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## 7mmwsm

> Thought you were talking about Winston Peters there with the weathered native comment ...


Weathered or wethered?
I know which I'd prefer he was.

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## Trout

Nice mount Rumpy,such detail in the horns.Bit of old native for them to sit will look nice.
Good instructions from Bunji,what a process but worth it.

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## Skull Collector

Hi Guys just to add to this If you are not in a hurry to or cant boil the head just leave it in a covered bucket in a warm spot or in a black plastic bag with water, and let mother nature do the rest. Natural maceration works well and you dont boil the fat into the skull as boiling does that.
every week change water about by half and give the head a good jiggle in the bucket ,it will stink lol but harden up . there will be all the fat in the sockets just pull or push it out.
The brain and meat will fall away leaving a clean skull which you can then water blast and then peroxide ,never bleach it damages the skull.
I use the 60% stuff from Clark products as I do quite a few.Just mix  50 -100 ml in 20 litre bucket of water and leave over night ,it gets in the brain cavity too removing all the smells.
dry in sun for the day.

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## RUMPY

Thanks and welcome @Skull Collector, some more good advice from the forum. Great if guys don't have the gear to boil the skull.

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## Micky Duck

what size and shape bit of old weathered native do you want bud??? hunk of totara post...or bit of driftwood log...or sheild just cut cross grain on an angle of log of some sort to make an oval type back plate???

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## RUMPY

Hey @Micky Duck, was thinking of a bit of 6x1 or 8x1 gate rail or similar.

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## Micky Duck

Will keep an eye out mate....

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## Sideshow

For those that want a flat mount and miss the teeth cut here. 
Also easier to get at the brains. 




I’ll post a few more once it’s done.

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## Sideshow

Just use a wood saw. Plastic bag to catch the shavings. Stops it from stinking up the place. 
Here’s a YouTube on the boil up. Just keep the horns out of the water. 
https://www.thestalkingdirectory.co....ll-help.53925/

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## Dundee

I used a bit of native Matai,looks good with the lockwood surround.

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## Sideshow

All boiled out and cleaned up. 


Now leave it to dry for a month in the garage loft. 

Then the bleach and happy days. 
While I wait I’ll look for his big brother to kick off 2022 :Thumbsup:

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## Preacher

@Sideshow  I'm sure you know to use peroxide and not standard bleach.  Fyi - the powdered shit that has a cream developer is best.  Can get a good thick slurry.  Looking good so far though!

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## Sideshow

Thanks for the reminder @Preacher

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