Cleaning a skull

[Freelander]

Hello folks

I found a bit of road kill and want to clean and keep the skull (not human ), it has been stripped of most of its hide but I think the brain is still in there as smelly mush. Has anyone any tips how to get a good clean skull?


Thanks in advance

Freelander

 

[Niels]

Bury it for a week or 2.

 

[Bowlander]

There's a type of beetle larvae that are really good at cleaning even delicate skulls - like carpet beetles but more gentle. You can get the larvae from tinterweb. I've got mole and rabbit skulls done by them and they are fantastic, even the really fine bones are untouched but are flesh free.

If its a large skull, burying it like Niels suggests should work. I used to put them in a wire mesh cage before burial to protect them.

If you go down the chemical route, sodium perborate is the stuff.

 

[Lister]

boil it in water?

 

[calgarychef]

Look up skull bleaching or European mounts and you'll find instructions. Burying it will work eventually but it will be very stained, maybe ou like that look. To get the brains out use a wire in the hole at the back of the skull and mash it all it then drain them out. You can flush water through to get the rest out. I'd opt for simmering it in water with washing soda as a simple way to do it....outside though if you value having a habitable house.

 

[Elen Sentier]

Look up skull bleaching or European mounts and you'll find instructions. Burying it will work eventually but it will be very stained, maybe ou like that look. To get the brains out use a wire in the hole at the back of the skull and mash it all it then drain them out. You can flush water through to get the rest out. I'd opt for simmering it in water with washing soda as a simple way to do it....outside though if you value having a habitable house.

I heard from arcaheologist friends they use one of the washing powders with blue in it - similar trick.

 

[spandit]

Don't bury it too deep.

 

[toilet digger]

a friends father just hangs it up a tree.

 

[tree beard]

I've found a shallow grave to clean off the meat/brains, and then a quick whip round with a toothbrush and some bleach solution to clean the last bits off.
I have had some that are too dark (stained) and I have used peroxide (hair bleaching stuff) to good effect.

 

[Bowlander]

These are the little chaps, no fiddling with wire, boiling, soda and bleach.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClvFSSB28W8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[Buckshot]

Or put it next to an ants nest works too
I put one on a roof of an out building for a month or two - worked fine as various flies and bugs found it

 

[Buckshot]

Forgot to say
Be careful of boiling as although it works, it also can loosen the small bones held together with cartilage - especially in the nasal area.
You may need to glue those back on afterwards

 

[Freelander]

Thanks for all the advice guys, just have to decide which option to take