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BAD TAXIDERMY

Topdog

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Jun 5, 2020
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I do all mine and it just takes some time. After simmering, I pressure wash while still hot. Re Simmer and wash if needed. Then I brush on 40 Volume creme stabilizer from a hair salon by the quart. Sit in the sun and it will bleach it very white. I also use black tape around antler bases to help keep them naturally colored. Min Wax stain also will return to normal coloring.
I do the exact same thing, except I put it under a cheap heat lamp from lowes in my garage.
 
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Topdog

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Jun 5, 2020
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A couple neighbor kids a few years ago put so many holes in the game wardens mechanical deer part of there plea agreement was they had to pay to have it fixed LMAO you guys could donate one of those $300 shoulder mounts to that program
 

GCTerpfan

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Staff member
SH Member
Aug 11, 2017
6,046
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Garrett County, MD
Do you freeze your heads first or do them right away? I've done about a dozen heads and none of them came off that easy. I skin them, cut off the bottom jaw, eyeballs, tongue and cut as much meat off as possible before I simmer them. I have to simmer them for about 2 hours on the first round. At 30 minutes you couldn't scrape the stuff off with a knife, let alone wash it off with a hose. I usually simmer two more times for about 1 hour each to finish them up and each round involves substantial scraping and picking to get everything off. I simmer them with Dawn and some Borax and keep the water just below a boil.
 
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Topdog

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Jun 5, 2020
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I have an old turkey deep fryer that I set up in the driveway with an old tall pot, I lay a couple 2x4 s on top of the pot in a triangle type fashion to suspend the horns out of the pot and just keep the skull in the water, I get the water up to temperature and lower the head in, I add dawn dish soap and some oxi clean crystals, I just keep pulling it out checking it often and when the meat and junk is starting to fall off pretty good I hit it with a pressure washer fast to do the rest, the brains are the worst, I hold it upside down and use a piece of trapping wire and just keep twisting it and shaking them out, I don’t freeze my heads but its usually real cold here when I’m killing so they just hang in the wood shed until after season when I have time usually around Christmas, I put vaseline and tin foil around the bases of the horns to keep any chance of the peroxide cream from getting on them, I put the cream on with a paint brush, and keep the whole mess in a small plastic cheap tub under a heat lamp and leave it there for a few days, as the cream drips off into the tub I take the paint brush and keep reapplying it as I check its progress, works for me.
 

Topdog

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SH Member
Jun 5, 2020
1,804
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113
Do you freeze your heads first or do them right away? I've done about a dozen heads and none of them came off that easy. I skin them, cut off the bottom jaw, eyeballs, tongue and cut as much meat off as possible before I simmer them. I have to simmer them for about 2 hours on the first round. At 30 minutes you couldn't scrape the stuff off with a knife, let alone wash it off with a hose. I usually simmer two more times for about 1 hour each to finish them up and each round involves substantial scraping and picking to get everything off. I simmer them with Dawn and some Borax and keep the water just below a boil.
The pressure washer must be the difference, I dont scrape much at all after the intial prep work and I do the same as you, or your not soaking them long enough or hot enough, thats always been the tough part for me knowing when to pull them out and start pressure washing.
 

PEEJAY

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Nov 24, 2019
2,093
3,061
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35
MD
I do all mine and it just takes some time. After simmering, I pressure wash while still hot. Re Simmer and wash if needed. Then I brush on 40 Volume creme stabilizer from a hair salon by the quart. Sit in the sun and it will bleach it very white. I also use black tape around antler bases to help keep them naturally colored. Min Wax stain also will return to normal coloring.
Same process for me plus pressure washing out and picking the nooks
 

Skyhook

New Member
Jul 22, 2020
25
20
3
Florida
I use a pressure washer then compressed air in a bucket of water with dawn


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Apex7

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SH Member
Jan 6, 2017
3,745
2,735
113
64
Pittsburgh Pa
There's a place near me where they send them out to a guy that uses Beatles to clean the skulls then you can get them dipped in different camo patterns.
 
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Topdog

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Jun 5, 2020
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I got some cedar trees off a job I was on, peeled them, pressure washed them, brush bleach all over them and let them sit, then I stained them with sikkens and put one up in my man cave to throw old racks and stuff up on before I knew how to boil them right, saves a lot of wall space and I didnt have to screw a bunch of holes all over, secret to peeling cedar is doing it from May to July it comes off easier, around here anyhow, and it cost nothing!
 
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PEEJAY

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Nov 24, 2019
2,093
3,061
113
35
MD
I got some cedar trees off a job I was on, peeled them, pressure washed them, brush bleach all over them and let them sit, then I stained them with sikkens and put one up in my man cave to throw old racks and stuff up on before I knew how to boil them right, saves a lot of wall space and I didnt have to screw a bunch of holes all over, secret to peeling cedar is doing it from May to July it comes off easier, around here anyhow, and it cost nothing!View attachment 31877
I hate you...
 

Nutterbuster

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Oct 12, 2017
10,069
24,822
113
Where the skys are so blue!
Do you freeze your heads first or do them right away? I've done about a dozen heads and none of them came off that easy. I skin them, cut off the bottom jaw, eyeballs, tongue and cut as much meat off as possible before I simmer them. I have to simmer them for about 2 hours on the first round. At 30 minutes you couldn't scrape the stuff off with a knife, let alone wash it off with a hose. I usually simmer two more times for about 1 hour each to finish them up and each round involves substantial scraping and picking to get everything off. I simmer them with Dawn and some Borax and keep the water just below a boil.
I like to go ahead and get it done. I've never frozen one first.
 
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Bwhana

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SH Member
Dec 8, 2017
2,291
4,719
113
Hickory, NC
Thus thread has made me contemplate starting dermestid beetle colony and doing Euros cheaper and better locally than the taxidermists here, who all do the boil and peroxide method. $75-100/head would add to the play $ for sure!
 
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GWHGoat

Active Member
Nov 4, 2019
142
157
43
40
I buddy of mine has just got the beetles. I haven't had him do a head for me yet, but I've seen some he's done for himself and some other buddies. He is doing a coyote skull for me that I shot in spring turkey this year. I hope to have it back soon. He said the worst part is they stink. He has them in a shed in the yard that he set up just for that. He said its definately not something you put in your garage or basement. Unless you like being single all the time. Wait, maybe I'm on to something here.
 

Bwhana

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Dec 8, 2017
2,291
4,719
113
Hickory, NC
I buddy of mine has just got the beetles. I haven't had him do a head for me yet, but I've seen some he's done for himself and some other buddies. He is doing a coyote skull for me that I shot in spring turkey this year. I hope to have it back soon. He said the worst part is they stink. He has them in a shed in the yard that he set up just for that. He said its definately not something you put in your garage or basement. Unless you like being single all the time. Wait, maybe I'm on to something here.
Exactly, I've been doing my homework on it and if I pull the trigger, I will put them in my storage building far from the house. I have to guage the potential volume of business and decide if it is worth the effort, but it is something I've considered several times in recent years, so may be fun to try it for a season and at least hook up my friends. Lots of roadkill around here, so lots of food to keep them going and grow the colony.