How To Whiten Euro Mount? The 80 Top Answers

The best way to degrease is to buy an aquarium heater with a built-in thermometer and get an old radiator. Keep the water warm with the heater/thermometer, then place the skull in and water level just to the top of the skull. You can use dish soap and change it every few days. Do this for 3 to 4 weeks and you will be in good shape. Peroxide is one way to whiten a skull, another is a pool product called Softswim C. It is VERY concentrated and you must wear gloves and eye protection. DO NOT bring this stuff on yourself. It will sting and turn your skin white and burn you so be VERY careful with this stuff. I also recommend safety goggles and a full face shield to protect your eyes.

Also, do not use a metal pan as a container, only plastic. If you soak the skull in this stuff it will come out AMAZING white and look great. If it does come out, rinse with water to remove as much of the chemical, then lay out in the sunlight for a few hours to dry where critters like dogs can’t get to it, and go with yours expensive mount like that…LOL

Remember that when degreasing the skull (before the whitening process) the teeth may come loose and you will need to glue them in afterwards. I usually do this as the last step after bleaching.

No matter how hard you degrease, they will yellow over time and you can lighten them up again with the Softswim C

Scrape out and rinse

Leave the skull intact or cut it in two if you like. Scrape out as much flesh, blood, and brain matter as possible. Also remove the fine bone structure in the nose so you can reach the material behind it. If you want to keep the skull intact, irrigate it through the spinal opening to remove brain matter. You can also insert a stick or tweezers into the skull to remove it. Place the cleaned skull in a bucket of water for 48 hours.

Boil the skull clean

Place the skull in a large skillet and cook steadily until the fat and flesh are dissolved. Be careful not to overcook it or the bones will fall apart. Cooking time varies, but a deer skull takes between two and three hours. Be sure to remove all fat and meat from the skull. When you’ve finished cooking the skull and it’s completely clean, let it cool.

Put in hydrogen peroxide

Place the cooled skull in a bowl of hydrogen peroxide. Use 5-10% hydrogen peroxide. Remember to wear gloves and goggles. Leave the skull in the hydrogen peroxide until it reaches the desired whiteness. For a deer skull, this usually takes 24 hours. Be careful not to leave the skull in the hydrogen peroxide for too long.

1 | Remove the head

Using a sharp knife, cut down to the bone behind the ears. Cut around the neck to just past the jawbone. Finish the cut by circling to the origin of the cut behind the ears. Make sure the cut goes all the way to the nape of the neck.

Locate the first cervical vertebra. This joint is the first neck joint behind the ears. Moving your head will help reveal the location of this joint. Once the joint is located, insert the tip of your knife into the joint on the top and bottom. Cut off any connective tissue holding the head to the neck.

Once the joint is visible and all connective tissue has been severed, rotate the head until the head detaches from the neck.

Cut a line from the back of the skull across the tip of the nose to the mouth to the bone. Trim around each antler down to the bone. Cut a line connecting the cut from each antler to the cut between them.

Hydrogen peroxide is a colorless liquid chemical. Some small amounts occur naturally, but the hydrogen peroxide you find in stores or salons is synthesized in laboratories. Hydrogen peroxide is sold in drugstores and grocery stores in low concentrations, typically 3 to 9 percent. It can be used as a disinfectant and as a bleach, as well as a hair whitening agent. For this reason, hydrogen peroxide is an ingredient in many blonde hair dyes. While it’s generally safe to use hydrogen peroxide on your skin and hair, it can cause skin, lung, and eye irritation.

Hydrogen Peroxide for Hair Lightening Hydrogen peroxide is commonly used to lighten hair. It can be used alone or in other shades of blonde. Hair dyes containing hydrogen peroxide are considered permanent dyes, which means they only disappear when new hair grows back. This is because hydrogen peroxide works in the hair cortex, the innermost part of the hair that contains the pigment that gives hair its color. Hydrogen peroxide-based dyes alone can help turn your hair light blonde. These dyes are also often used to give dark hair a lighter color before adding another dye color. For example, it can turn dark brown hair red.

Hydrogen Peroxide and Hair Damage Hydrogen peroxide is generally safe for your hair, but it can cause some problems, even in the concentrations you can buy for home use. Skin irritation Although you can use hydrogen peroxide on your skin as a disinfectant, it can irritate your skin if you use too much. Dyeing your hair with hydrogen peroxide can cause irritation on your scalp and around your hairline. You can prevent irritation by making sure your hairline is protected with petroleum jelly and clean cotton balls, and leaving the hydrogen peroxide in your hair for as little as possible. Damage to the hair cuticle The cuticle is the outer layer of your hair. It protects and helps strengthen it. Lightening hair with hydrogen peroxide can damage the cuticle because the hydrogen peroxide must penetrate through the hair cuticle to color the hair. Damage to the cuticle can lead to breakage, split ends and frizz. Deep conditioner treatments help reduce damage to the hair cuticle. Hair loss Hydrogen peroxide is a type of oxidative hair color. This means that it triggers a chemical reaction in the hair cortex that results in the new hair color. While oxidative dyes are more permanent than other dyes, it also means they cause oxidative stress to your hair. This stress ages your hair and can cause hair loss. Breakage from damaging the hair cuticle can also lead to hair loss.

How to Lighten Hair with Hydrogen Peroxide The safest way to lighten your hair is at a salon. However, you can safely use hydrogen peroxide to lighten your hair at home – you just have to be careful. Make sure to dilute the hydrogen peroxide, protect the skin around your hairline, and work slowly to get the right color without irritating your skin. Dyes Containing Hydrogen Peroxide Many permanent dyes that you can buy at a drug store contain hydrogen peroxide. These dyes use hydrogen peroxide to remove your natural hair color and make the color last longer. Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda Baking soda is an alkali that helps hydrogen peroxide work better in two ways. First, it opens the cuticle to allow the hydrogen peroxide to get into the hair cortex more easily. Second, when mixed with hydrogen peroxide, it helps break down the melanin in the hair. To lighten your hair with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, mix the two ingredients into a paste and distribute it evenly through your hair. Leave on for 15 minutes to an hour depending on how dark your hair is, then rinse with cold water. Hydrogen Peroxide Alone The first step to coloring your hair with hydrogen peroxide is to protect your skin. Cover your hairline with petroleum jelly and a cotton swab (if you have one), and wear gloves. Then you are ready to color. Make a mixture of half hydrogen peroxide and half water. Put it in a spray bottle and spray a small test piece first. This will ensure you don’t have an allergic reaction and are happy with the resulting color. When you’re happy with the color, cover your neck and shoulders with a clean towel that you don’t mind staining. Then soak your hair in the hydrogen peroxide solution and leave on for 15 minutes to an hour. Rinse your hair well. At a Salon A trained hairstylist and colorist can use hydrogen peroxide at a salon to lighten your hair. You adjust the final color to your skin tone and you can add accents if needed.

Alternative Hair Lightening Products If you’re concerned about the safety of hydrogen peroxide or don’t want to over-blonde your hair, there are other ways to lighten your hair. These include: Lemon Juice Lemon juice works best on dark blonde or light brown hair. Combine lemon juice with water and saturate your hair with the mixture. Let your hair dry for a few hours – preferably in the sun – and then rinse it out. Apple Cider Vinegar Mix one part apple cider vinegar with six parts water and spritz all over your hair. Leave the mixture on for 15 to 20 minutes and then rinse thoroughly. This color change may be more subtle than some of the others. Chamomile Brew a strong cup of chamomile tea and saturate your hair. This will gradually lighten your hair, but should work for most hair colors. Chamomile can also lighten dull blonde hair. Cinnamon Cinnamon is a great way to bring out red and blonde highlights in your hair. Simply mix cinnamon powder with water to form a paste and spread throughout your hair. Cover your hair, leave the paste on for several hours, and then rinse out. Honey Mix honey with warm water and distribute throughout the hair. Wrap your hair and leave the mixture on for several hours. You can even leave the honey on overnight as it only lightens your hair slightly. Then rinse it off.

My weird and wonderful daughter has been obsessed with bones since she was three years old. She even asked me if she could have my bones if I died. I said yes, but since we’re not there yet, we’re collecting all kinds of animal bones and cleaning them. 🙂

Cleaning and whitening animal bones for display is actually pretty easy. Below I will go into the details of what to do in each step of the bone cleaning process.

Guess what? I wrote an entire eBook on cleaning bones. It covers a lot more than I could fit into this article, including lots of expert tips and hacks that amateurs can use. You can buy it here (instant PDF download) for $4.99!

Get the eBook here

Jump to:

How to clean and whiten bones

Cleaning small bones is pretty easy. However, it can take some time – especially if the animal is fresh and still has a lot of soft tissue attached.

Step 1: Deliveries

To clean animal bones, you need the following utensils:

gloves

Buckets or trash cans that can hold the bones to be cleaned

detergent

scrubbing brushes

hydrogen peroxide

Depending on the type of bones and their condition, you may also need other supplies, such as B. a pressure washer, a muslin bag, pliers for removing teeth and ammonia for degreasing.

Never use bleach to whiten bones

Many online articles on how to whiten bones say to “bleach” the bones. You should NEVER use bleach to whiten bones. Why? Bleach destroys the structural integrity of bones.

Likewise, you don’t want to use detergents to clean or degrease the bones. These cleansers often contain bleach or other harsh chemicals that can destroy bone.

Use hydrogen peroxide to whiten bones

Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) is the safest and most effective way to whiten bones. This is what taxidermists use, including those at the Smithsonian and other reputable institutions.

You can use 3% hydrogen peroxide available at drugstores to whiten bones. The problem is that this peroxide is very weak. You’ll either have to buy a million bottles of this or go through multiple soaks to get the bones clean and white. To get good results you need 12% hydrogen peroxide.

Hair developer as an alternative to hydrogen peroxide

Unfortunately, not many pharmacies carry concentrated hydrogen peroxide in this concentration. If you can’t find 12% or more hydrogen peroxide, you can use hair developer instead.

There are two types of hair developers:

Clear Developer: This is exactly the same as the hydrogen peroxide you would get at a pharmacy. It bubbles up nicely and is great for cleaning bones. Get 40 Volume Clear Developer here.

This is exactly the same as the hydrogen peroxide you would get at a pharmacy. It bubbles up nicely and is great for cleaning bones. Cream Developer: Some emulsifiers have been added to this so it’s creamy and thick. Some hardcore taxidermists won’t use it, saying the emulsifiers could mess up the bones. It also doesn’t fizz like clear H202, so it’s not as good at removing stains deep in the bones. However, because cream developer is thick, it can be brushed directly onto bone to lighten stains or to lighten antlered skulls. Get 40 volume cream developer here.

Strengths of the hair developer:

Hair developer is listed in strengths by volume. However, don’t think that 10V equals 10%. The actual concentrations are as follows:

10 volumes = 3% hydrogen peroxide. I do not understand that. It’s too weak for good results!

I do not understand that. It’s too weak for good results! 20 volume = 6% hydrogen peroxide.

30 volume = 9% hydrogen peroxide.

40 volume = 12% hydrogen peroxide.

Step 2: Remove soft tissue

When you find a bone that has been in nature for a long time, it has no soft tissue left. You can skip this step. However, if you’re dealing with fresh kills or roadkills, you’ll need to remove all of the tissue before proceeding with the bleach.

There are 6 main ways to do this. I’ll go through them briefly here. For more detailed instructions read this post on removing soft tissue from bone.

Method 1: Maceration (soaking)

This requires soaking the bones in water for weeks or even months. The water softens the tissue and microbes in the water eat the tissue. It is very effective for removing hidden tissue in skulls without damaging it.

Method 2: Bury

When you bury bones, microbes in the dirt eat up all of the tissue. This is great for rotting carcasses or if you’re squeamish and don’t want to deal with smelly, gross tissue. The only major problem is that it’s easy to lose bones in the dirt, especially from small animals.

Method 3: Insects/leave outdoors

You can just put the carcass outside and insects will eat up the tissue. You have to put the carcass in some kind of cage to protect it from scavengers.

Method 4: Corpse in a box

In this method, you place a small corpse in a box that has holes in it. Insects get to the carcass and eat the tissue.

Method 5: Simmer

If you have a fresh kill with all of its tissue on it, boiling (not boiling) will loosen the tissue so you can scrape it off.

Method 5: steaming

Small carcasses can be placed in a steamer. The steam loosens tissue without damaging the bones.

Cooking: NOT recommended

Despite what many websites say, you shouldn’t cook bones to remove tissue. Cooking can damage bones and trap fat in them.

Step 3: Pre-clean bones

This applies to bones you’ve found that have no soft tissue but are caked with dirt and may have moss growing on them.

Use soapy water and the toothbrush to scrub the bones clean. The cleaner they are to start with, the better the hydrogen peroxide will work.

Step 4: Degreasing

Degreasing is one of the most confusing steps in cleaning animal bones. It involves soaking bones in a solvent (like dish soap) to remove fat.

How do you know the bones need to be degreased? You need to degrease if:

The bones are yellow, clear or shiny

The bones stink even after all tissue has been removed

When the bones come from specific animals such as: bears, pigs, wild boars, possoms or seals.

It can take months for all the fat to disappear from the bones. However, if you skip this step, the fat can slowly leach out of the bones, turning them yellow over time. You might even start to rot!

For more detailed instructions read this post on degreasing animal bones.

Step 5: Lighten with hydrogen peroxide

Once the bones are completely tissue-free and degreased, you can lighten them. You need hydrogen peroxide for this. As I said before, never use bleach to whiten bones. It will destroy them by making them scaly and brittle.

That’s how it’s done:

Place the bones in your bucket. Pour in your hydrogen peroxide. Then fill up with water. The bones begin to foam, which means the hydrogen peroxide is working. Hydrogen peroxide also heats up when it’s working. Loosely cover the bones while they soak. This way the H202 stays active longer. Allow the bones to whiten for about 24 hours. Repeat if necessary.

How much hydrogen peroxide to use?

I typically use a 1:3 ratio of hydrogen peroxide to water. However, the higher the concentration of hydrogen, the faster and whiter your bones will become.

Tip: Try to find a container that fits your bones exactly. Then you don’t have to use as much H202 to cover the bones. If you can’t find a suitable container, you can use this pro trick:

Line the bin with a heavy-duty garbage bag

Place the bone in the trash bag

Fill the container with water. The water fills the space around the bone in the bag.

Now pour the hydrogen peroxide into the trash bag.

Remember that hair developer works in the same way as hydrogen peroxide. You can buy it in bulk here.

How long to whiten bones?

I generally soak bones in hydrogen peroxide for 24 hours. This is usually long enough to make them white to my liking.

It’s important to note that I’m not going for pure white. If you want your bone samples to be truly white, you’ll need to do multiple rounds.

*Note on cleaning very dirty bones

I once made the mistake of not cleaning a very dirty bone properly. The hydrogen peroxide went crazy on it! It started to steam and got hot. I thought it would melt the plastic bag it was in!!! You can see all the steam coming off the bone in the picture.

The message? Make sure you scrub the dirt off the bones really well before soaking them in hydrogen peroxide!

Before/after pictures

These images are intended to give you an idea of ​​the realistic results you can expect when whitening bones with hydrogen peroxide. As I mentioned earlier, you can soak H2O2 multiple times to whiten them.

dog skull

Here is a giant dog skull that a friend found for me. It stood in the forest for a long time and was very dirty. I soaked a 40v hair developer to lighten it.

Greasy pork skull

This pig skull was given to us. It had been cooked to remove the tissue (which is a bad idea!) so there was tons of fat trapped in the skull. I had to degrease and then bleach it for 2 months before it reached this state.

A very dirty hipbone

This hip bone was found in a river and was covered in dirt and moss. Considering how dirty it was when I found it, the bone came out nice and clean.

cat skull

This old cat skull was found in the woods and soaked in 40 volt hair developer for 24 hours.

Whirl:

This vortex stank like crazy from all the grease trapped inside (note the shiny spots in the before photo). I degreased it in acetone and then soaked it in hydrogen peroxide. It came out nice and white.

Tips for very large skulls or bones

One of the first large skulls I cleaned and lightened was a cow skull. Isabel’s friend found it for her (what other 6-year-old is lucky enough to have a friend who saves bones for her?). The skull was free of soft tissue but still very dirty and smelled bad. Didn’t realize it smelled so bad until I was on the bus halfway home. Apologies to all the people who had to put up with the smell of rot on the 30 minute bus ride! 😮

Cleaning such a large skull presented a few problems:

I literally couldn’t find a plastic container big enough to soak the skull. Not even laundry baskets were wide enough to fit inside.

I would have had to use TONS of hydrogen to soak the bone. I’m not a rich person and I wasn’t keen on spending over $50 on peroxide for a skull.

Fortunately, there are some solutions to these problems.

Garbage Bag Trick

Here’s a pro trick to using less hydrogen peroxide when whitening large skulls:

Fill a trash can with water

Then place the skull in the water in a sturdy plastic bag.

Pour your hydrogen peroxide/water solution into the trash bag.

Because the water fills the empty space around the skull and presses on the bag, you don’t need as much hydrogen peroxide to submerge the skull.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know this trick or didn’t have a trash can big enough to hold my cow skull. So I put the skull in a big garbage bag, poured some hydrogen and water in it, and then tied the bag off. I put everything in a plastic drawer.

Of course the garbage bag leaked. The peroxide pooled at the bottom, leaving only part of the skull white. You can see a line on the skull from the part that sat in the most hydrogen solution. It looks horrible!

baking soda + hydrogen peroxide paste

Baking soda is a natural cleaning agent, right? Could I mix it with hydrogen peroxide to form a paste and then spread the paste over the bone?

I did a small series of tests. Baking soda and hydrogen foamed a bit when mixed, but still formed a paste that could be spread on the skull. *Here you can buy cheap hydrogen peroxide.

The great thing about the paste method is that you don’t have to use a lot of hydrogen peroxide and it can be spread into all those weird nooks and crannies that skulls have. The only annoying thing is that you have to do at least two rounds – one for the top of the skull and one for the bottom.

Here you can see what it looked like afterwards. A huge difference!

Paint on cream hair developer

As I mentioned earlier, emulsifiers are added to the cream hair developer to thicken it. The cool thing is that you can paint it directly onto bone. No need to mix it with baking soda to thicken it! After applying, cover the bones with plastic wrap. Otherwise the cream developer will dry out too quickly.

As with the baking soda paste, this method will not clean the inside of the skull. Make sure your skull is completely free of tissue before attempting to lighten it by painting on a cream developer.

Want more tips on cleaning bones?

Do you have questions about antlers, horns, beaks?

Do you want to know how to glue bones together?

Those are all things I talk about in my eBook. Get it here for $4.99.

Ever wanted to learn how to make your own European mount from your recent big game harvest, but weren’t sure where to start? We’ll show you how easy it is!

The European mount is a great option for a money you don’t have to take to the taxidermist. And it can be done very inexpensively.

The European Mountain | A great DIY opportunity

On a recent bowhunting trip to South Georgia my partners and I had identified a broad 6 prong with scrawny antlers and very small brow tines as a buck which we thought would be a good buck to go ahead and harvest if given the would have opportunity.

Well that opportunity came the very next morning when I was able to bow that buck at about 12 yards, which is always fun and always a blessing.

However, this management buck wasn’t one I would take to the taxidermist.

So we thought this would be a great opportunity to show those of you back home how to make your own European mount.

The “Euromount” process is not nearly as difficult as it might seem. You can do the entire process from the comfort of your own home for as little as $10.

Supplies you need to craft a European Deer Mount

We’ve got a few essential materials you’ll need for European mount farming. I’ll go through these with you in a moment.

I want you to know that I am not a taxidermist. I’m not a pro to do this. But I’ve done it several times and over the years and through trial and error have figured out some of the best practices in making a euro mount.

I got the product where it turned out almost as good as what you would get from a taxidermist. Hope this video will help you.

A few utensils you will need for the European mount are obviously a knife to remove the head from the skull, good tweezers, a screwdriver.

It doesn’t have to be expensive! You can make your own euro mount for about $10!

You will also need two liters of hydrogen peroxide and some liquid dish soap. You’ll also need some dark wood stain, masking tape, clear shrink wrap, and a pitcher or large mug to add water to the pot while it boils.

knives for skinning

Tongs

screwdriver

2 liters of hydrogen peroxide

liquid detergents

Dark wood stain

masking tape

Clear shrink wrap

water pitcher

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How to make a euro bracket step by step

In just 5 hours you will have a European deer skull mount to be proud of.

Time needed: 5 hours. How to make your own European mount… Skin the deer head Use your knife to skin the deer head and remove the lower jaw. Boil the skull Add 1/4 cup of liquid dish soap to the water in the saucepan you will be cooking the skull in. Let the skull simmer on a very slow boil for 4 hours. Remove Tissue After removing the skull from the water, use your knife and tweezers to remove the eyes, tissue, and tendons from the skull. Use the screwdriver to remove the earbuds so you can access the brain cavity. Remove the sinus tissue with the forceps. Use a water hose to spray into the brain cavity to remove the brain tissue. Add Peroxide Add 2 liters of hydrogen peroxide to your boiling water. Wrap Antlers Use shrink wrap to wrap the base of the antlers to protect them from fading. Secure the plastic wrap with tape. Boil the skull again for 30 minutes. Place the skull back in the water with the peroxide for another 30 minutes. Remove shrink wrap and touch up as needed. Remove the deer skull from the boiling water and touch up the base of the antlers with the dark wood stain if bleaching has occurred.

Read a more detailed guide on how to make the Euro mount in the following sections:

>> Get the Nside info on all N1 Outdoors apparel!

time requirements

This entire process takes about 5 hours. You will cook the skull on a very low level for 4 hours. Then you need to allocate about 30 minutes or an hour for the cleaning and bleaching of the skull (bleaching takes about 30 minutes).

The key to the process is the 4 hour cook time. If you do it for 3 hours, it won’t perform as well. Slow simmering for 4 hours works best. If you cook it too much it will weaken the bone and you will break some bones. So make sure it’s a slow simmer. Don’t try too fast.

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Remove meat and tendons

After cooking, remove the eyes and tissue from the skull.

After boiling the skull in liquid dish soap for 4 hours, the meat around the skull is very tender. Just work your knife in and remove the meat and tendons as best you can. Much of the meat will simply fall off during this process.

You don’t want to get too aggressive with this because you can loosen a bone.

The most annoying part is around the eye sockets, because all of the eye sockets connect to the inside of the skull in the brain (we’ll cover how we’ll get the brain out shortly) making them a bit harder to get to.

Remove the earplugs

Everything Now that you’ve scraped off all the flesh, it’s time to pop out the earbuds. That’s how we get the brains out.

Take your screwdriver and work it around inside the earbuds and pop them out.

Remove sinus tissue

Remove the sinus tissue from the skull with forceps.

Now use the tweezers to remove all of the sinus tissue.

You have to remove everything from the sinus because everything you leave behind will cause the bone to turn yellow. It may be two or three years before it happens, but I let it happen.

Be careful while the skull is hot, because if you’re too rough when removing the tissue, you could break the bone.

And if you break your bone, don’t worry. Sometimes the bones at the bottom of the nose become loose when these tendons are overcooked. If so, you can reattach them with super glue. So don’t worry if they come loose. You can glue them back with super glue.

Get as much sinus tissue as you can from the front and then you can bring the rest under the brain cavity.

Remove the brain

Use a water hose to flush out the brain cavity.

Once you’ve popped out the earbuds and cleaned out the sinuses, you’ll need a water hose to flush out the brain tissue.

Some people use a pressure washer for this step. I don’t like using a pressure washer because if you’re not careful you can damage the bone.

Insert the water hose into the hole where the brain is located and rinse out the brain matter. Anything left over will come off when we boil the skull in the peroxide a second time.

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Prepare the antlers and cook the skull in peroxide

Wrap the antlers in shrink wrap and tape and cook a second time for 30 minutes.

When you’re done flushing the brain matter out of the brain cavity, it’s time to boil the skull a second time to bleach the bone white.

Add 2 liters of hydrogen peroxide to the existing pot of water.

Wrap the base of each antler tightly with shrink wrap and secure with tape. There is no particular way to do this other than simply wrapping them from the base to the bottom of the brow prong.

Once the skull is placed in the boiling water, the plastic wrap will shrink tightly around the antlers, keeping most of the water out. Some water can find its way and that’s why we have the dark spot.

We can go back and if some of those darker parts around the base get a little bleached we’ll just use a cotton swab to recolor it and you’ll never tell the difference.

Once the antlers are sufficiently wrapped, place the skull back into the boiling water and peroxide for 30 minutes.

The finishing touch

After cooking in peroxide and water for 30 minutes, remove the skull and take off the plastic wrap.

Touch up any faded areas of the antler base with wood stain and cotton swabs.

The plastic wrap is sticky and rubbery and sticks tightly to the antlers. And that’s exactly what you wanted to do, because that keeps the peroxide away from the antlers and prevents them from fading.

If unwanted fading has occurred at the base of the antlers, use a very small amount of the dark wood stain and apply to those areas with a cotton swab. You can repeat as many times as you like to get the darkness you want.

But how do you get the skin off the skull initially?

I wanted to go back and cover the process of preparing the skull before you even start cooking it.

Of course you have to cut off the deer’s head. And preferably you want to cut it at the last vertebra that connects to the back of the skull. (What usually happens because the deer’s neck and ears are pressed onto the spine is that most people naturally cut backwards about a vertebra, so you need to cut off two things before you start cooking the skull be able.)

To remove the last vertebra, cut just behind the brain lobe as shown here.

The place to be careful is that lobe at the back of the skull where the brain is located. Be careful not to cut into this lobe. Just use it as a guide when cutting. Once you’ve cut around it you can remove the last whorl.

But while the deer head is on the ground, put your knife between your teeth and just cut back to the back of the head. There’s going to be meat back there, so you want to cut that on both sides so you can open the deer’s mouth.

Once you’ve cut, pull the jaw all the way back until the bones that have joined beneath the brain cavity are dislodged. Then you can remove the flesh around these bones and lop off the lower jaw.

Now you can start cooking!

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed this how-to article and video on how to build your own European mount. We hope you are having a great deer hunting season and remember…where moments happen, we meet you there!

Euro Mount instructional video

BONUS: Watch N1 Outdoors® Co-Founder Josh Wells teach you the Euro Mount process step by step! Be sure to watch the end of the video where Josh teaches you how to prepare the head and skull for this process he will show you. We hope you learn something. Link below… Have fun!

Check out this Euro Bracket Instruction Video!

We include products that we believe will be useful to our readers. If you make a purchase through links on this site, we may receive a small commission. Here is our process.

For at least a century, hydrogen peroxide has been used as a super cleanser by everyone from housewives to orthopedic surgeons. But which uses are still supported by solid science today, and which should you consider obsolete—or even dangerous? Spoiler alert: hydrogen peroxide is no longer recommended for wound or skin care because doctors have determined it can lead to dangerous complications and slow healing time, but there are still many ways it can be useful and beneficial to you .

What exactly is it? Hydrogen peroxide might seem dated in its old-fashioned brown bottle — but it’s definitely not a natural home remedy. It’s a household chemical. True, it differs from water only in the addition of an additional oxygen molecule. But that extra molecule makes it a powerful oxidizer. That’s why hydrogen peroxide is such a versatile cleaning agent, and it’s also why you need to be careful when using it on people and pets. Hydrogen peroxide breaks down quickly and easily when it comes into contact with air or water and is therefore considered safer than chlorine chemicals.

Can it really clean as effectively as, say, bleach? According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), hydrogen peroxide kills yeast, fungi, bacteria, viruses, and mold spores. The CDC lists specific concentrations you need and how long you need to let them sit to kill various organisms. Here’s how to use this common chemical to safely cleanse your body and home.

In Your Kitchen 1. Clean Your Dishwasher To get rid of mold and mildew in your dishwasher, spray the intricate parts of your dishwasher where moisture can linger long after a cycle is complete — in the creases of grommets, traps, and crevices of the utensil basket . A 2016 study of home dishwashers found that 83 percent of dishwashers tested tested positive for fungus, and 47 percent of dishwashers tested contained the black yeast E. dermatitidis, which can be harmful to humans. E. dermatitidis was found primarily on the rubber seals of the dishwasher. Or if you fancy giving that hardworking contraption a spa day, use hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and essential oils to make a fragrant dishwasher bomb. 2. Scrub your sink Many home blogs recommend this trick to cleaning your kitchen sink: Wet the surface of your sink, then scrub it with baking soda sprinkled on a sponge. Once you have scrubbed the entire surface, pour 3% hydrogen peroxide over the surface and let it sit before rinsing clean. 3. Sanitize Counters and Cutting Boards According to The Ohio State University Extension, cleaning counters with undiluted hydrogen peroxide is effective at killing E. coli and Salmonella bacteria on hard surfaces like counters when left on the surface at room temperature for 10 minutes. Renowned renovator Bob Vila’s website recommends a 10-minute soak in 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to kill germs on wooden cutting boards. 4. Wash veggies – and prolong their shelf life Organic gardeners recommend using 1/4 cup of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide per gallon of water to rid vegetables of bacteria. When washing vegetables with tender skin like lettuce, simply soak for 20 minutes and then rinse. Carrots, potatoes and other hard-skinned vegetables can be soaked for 30 minutes before rinsing and drying. Because bacteria can cause vegetables and fruit to turn brown, a hydrogen peroxide bath in the fridge is said to keep them fresher for longer. 5. Scrub cookware If your baking sheets, pots and pans have a burnt-on brown coating, blog One Good Thing’s Jill Nystul recommends dusting them with baking soda, then spraying the baking soda with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to restore it. Let them soak for 1 to 3 hours before wiping the mess off. 6. Germs out of the garbage can After washing the garbage can with soap and water, spray the entire container with a 1:1 solution of hydrogen peroxide and water. Let the trash can dry in the sun for several hours. Just as peroxide cleans surfaces, it helps remove germs from your trash can.

In Your Bathroom 7. Thoroughly Clean Your Toilet According to the CDC, hydrogen peroxide is effective at removing microorganisms, including bacteria, yeast, fungi, viruses, and spores, making it a good choice for cleaning your bathroom. To clean your toilet, add 1/2 cup of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to your bathroom bowl to kill germs and brighten your toilet’s surface. You need to leave it in the bowl for 20 minutes to get the full benefit. 8. Polish mirrors and glass surfaces Spray a 1:1 solution of water and hydrogen peroxide on glass surfaces, then wipe with paper towels, a lint-free cloth, or newspaper to clean streak-free. 9. Kill mold and mildew Mold and mildew can quickly accumulate in the humid environment of a shower stall. To kill them without breathing toxic bleach fumes, spray undiluted 3 percent hydrogen peroxide and leave for 30 minutes. Wash. The peroxide will kill the mold and mildew, but you may still need to clean up the stains they left. 10. Whiten Old Porcelain If your porcelain sink is yellowing, you can whiten it by scrubbing the dampened sink surface with baking soda, then scrubbing with a sponge saturated with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide. 11. Lather away soap scum For weekly cleaning of a fiberglass shower and tub, make a suds paste out of 1 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup white vinegar, and a tablespoon or two of hydrogen peroxide. Scrub the surface of the shower with the mixture when the bubbles subside. Take care! When using pure peroxide, wear gloves to protect your skin. Hydrogen peroxide can cause redness and burning.

In the laundry room 12. Removing stains The Environmental Working Group recommends hydrogen peroxide as an effective agent for removing grass stains, blood stains and beverage stains such as fruit, juice and wine. Try dabbing the cleaner on the back of the fabric first. 13. Lighten up dingy whites Nystul also has a solution when your t-shirts, sheets and towels have turned a dingy gray hue. Make your own oxygen bleach by combining 1/2 cup washing soda — note: it’s not the same as baking soda — and 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide. Start the cycle, let the washing machine fill and soak the clothes for a few hours before ending the whitening and sanitizing cycle. Wait! Wipe a pattern first. Before trying hydrogen peroxide on any fabric, test a small, secluded spot for colorfastness. Take extra care with vintage fabrics: Fabric preservation experts at the Smithsonian Institution say peroxide can bleach and weaken fibers.

In the Garden 14. Germinating Healthy Seeds Numerous studies have shown that soaking seeds in 1 to 3 percent hydrogen peroxide can soften the seed coat and encourage germination. If you want to increase the chances of a good plant yield, you can soak the seeds in hydrogen peroxide for 20 minutes before planting. 15. Remove Algae From Your Pond Water If you have a water feature or koi pond, you can safely treat the water to reduce or remove harmful algae. Gardening experts at Get Busy Gardening used 1/2 cup of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to clean a 90 gallon pond. 16. Treat Plants With Fungal Infections If your garden vegetables are suffering from mildew or other fungal infections, you can spray them with a hydrogen peroxide solution to rid them of the fungus. Mix 4 teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide in half a liter of water and spray the plant. Stronger concentrations could burn delicate leaves, so don’t use it at full strength.

For Your Pets Most vets no longer recommend using hydrogen peroxide to clean your pet’s wounds, no matter how small the injury. 17. Induce Vomiting in Poisoned Dogs If your pet has eaten something poisonous, your vet may advise using hydrogen peroxide to induce the animal to vomit. Because hydrogen peroxide ingestion is dangerous for your pet, it’s important to speak to your veterinarian or a poison control center before attempting to induce vomiting using this method. 18. Clean the litter box To eliminate odor and disinfect the litter box, empty the litter, wash the container with soap and hot water, and then spray full-strength peroxide thoroughly. Leave on for 15 minutes before rinsing, drying and replacing the litter. Attention fish tank! Some aquarium enthusiasts use hydrogen peroxide to control algae and clean their tanks, but talk to a fish vet before adding hydrogen peroxide to your tank. While hydrogen peroxide breaks down quickly in water, research suggests that some species of ornamental fish, including gourami and sucker catfish, cannot tolerate it.

For Your Health The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies hydrogen peroxide in low doses as “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) for humans. However, the FDA warns that hydrogen peroxide on the skin can cause irritation, burning, and blistering. If it gets in your eyes, it can cause burns or abrasions to your cornea. Breathing in higher concentrations may also cause respiratory irritation, chest tightness, hoarseness, or shortness of breath. And swallowing hydrogen peroxide, especially in higher concentrations, can cause vomiting, inflammation, or damage to hollow organs.

Science says no Take it out of your first aid kit Hydrogen peroxide was once used as an antiseptic for superficial wounds and injuries. It is not recommended for this purpose today. While it kills bacteria, some studies have shown that it can be harmful to fibroblasts, which are cells your body needs to heal. Doctors’ opinions are mixed, but Mayo Clinic doctors are now saying we shouldn’t use it to clean cuts and wounds. Don’t whiten your skin with it. Dermatologists may use hydrogen peroxide to treat some skin conditions, but it’s not considered a safe way to lighten hyperpigmentation when used at home. The risks outweigh any potential benefits, especially since there are other ways to lighten dark spots on your skin. Do not use it to treat acne. Yes, it fizzes and fizzes and kills bacteria, including the bacteria that can cause acne. But a 2005 study shows that hydrogen peroxide can also cause scarring, so applying it directly to acne isn’t a good idea. In general, it’s not a good idea to use hydrogen peroxide on your skin at all – although there are many websites touting it as a health and beauty aid that can do everything from whitening your nails to softening calluses on your heels.

The Science Says Yes 19. Use it to disinfect your toothbrush and retainer The American Dental Association says toothbrushes in the bathroom can be exposed to fecal coliform bacteria and other bacteria. Tiny amounts of these bacteria don’t usually cause health problems, but if you want to be on the safe side, soak your toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide. A 2009 study found that rinsing in hydrogen peroxide reduced bacterial counts by 85 percent. 20. Use it to sterilize makeup brushes After washing excess makeup off your brushes with a gentle shampoo, soak the bristles in a bowl of water and a teaspoon of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide for 10 minutes. You can also use it to clean the pads of your eyelash curler. Rinse off any residue thoroughly to protect your eyes. 21. Whiten your teeth A bright smile is on almost everyone’s to-do list these days, and the market is teeming with products that use hydrogen peroxide to whiten teeth. Concentrations vary. Some products available from dentists may contain 10 percent hydrogen peroxide. Studies show that these products are effective and safe when used correctly.

Science says be careful 22. Consider getting your hair lightened by a professional Hydrogen peroxide in commercial hair dye is generally considered safe, although research shows severe burns can occur even in a professional salon. Peroxide hair dye can damage your hair if you use it too often, so talk to a trained stylist to work out a schedule that protects your hair and skin.

Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide The familiar brown bottle contains 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, but there are much stronger concentrations on the market including 35 percent food grade hydrogen peroxide. While food-grade hydrogen peroxide has been widely discussed as a cure for conditions like cancer, lupus, and diabetes, these uses are not supported by science or the advice of physicians. Do not use hydrogen peroxide to treat or cure any of these conditions. This could cause serious health problems and even be fatal.

I have already written about how to clean and whiten animal bones on my website. However, skulls of horned animals like deer, elk, caribou, and elk require a slightly different approach, which I’ll explore here.

Do you want to become a bone cleaning expert? Check out my eBook. It contains many tips and tricks for cleaning and whitening all types of animal bones. Get it here for $4.99

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What are antlers?

Antlers are not only beautiful, but also very delicate and downright cool body parts. They start out as living tissue and then morph into something more akin to bone.

In white-tailed deer, antlers begin to grow when the male is about 6 months old. Growth is triggered by exposure to light. More light means the animal produces less of the hormone melatonin, which kickstarts the antlers’ growing season. Numerous other hormones are also involved in antler growth.

Cool Fact: Antlers are the fastest growing tissue in the animal kingdom. They can grow from half an inch to over an inch a day! In contrast, human hair only grows about an inch per month. (1)

Velvet antler vs. hard antler

When antlers first begin to grow, they need plenty of nutrients to sustain their rapid growth. A lot of blood and water flows through the antlers, which is why they are softer in this early phase. During this time, the antlers are covered with a soft down called velvet.

At the end of the growing season in the fall, a ridge begins to form at the base of the antlers. This ridge cuts off blood flow. The antlers begin to harden and the velvet falls off. They go from full blood to mostly (80%) calcium and phosphorus.

The velvet that falls off the antlers is actually very nutritious and is eaten by many animals. It has also been used in many folk medicines. (2, 3)

Antlers vs Horns

The following methods of preserving antlers will NOT work on horns. Unlike antlers, horns are not bony structures. Horns are actually made up of two parts: The outer part is a covering of keratin, the same material that makes up our fingernails. The inner part is a bone core.

The horn sheath is very fragile. If you soak them in water, the case will crack and warp. If you leave the skulls to bugs or other insects, the insects could eat the horny sheath.

If you wish to salvage the horn sheath, you must remove it from the skull and clean it before proceeding with any of the other steps (tissue removal, degreasing, bleaching). I talk more about how to preserve horns in my eBook (download here)

Preserve scale antlers

When a deer (or elk, elk, caribou…) sheds its antlers in the fall, all the living tissue in the antlers has dried up. This makes these scale antlers very easy to care for. You don’t have to do anything – just let it dry somewhere and you’re done.

However, antlers can sometimes lose color or crack. Follow these steps to ensure your antlers last a lifetime:

Step 1: Cleaning the scale antlers

If the antlers aren’t too dirty, you can do this simply by rubbing them with a cloth. However, if the antlers are very dirty, consider soaking them in soapy water (Dawn dish soap works well) for a few minutes. Then take a soft-bristled brush and gently scrub away the residue. You can also try scrubbing them with some baking soda.

What if the antlers are really dirty e.g. B. covered with moss?

You can spray a little hydrogen peroxide on it and then scrub it. This will help remove stains and discoloration.

However, the hydrogen peroxide will also whiten the antlers a bit, ruining their natural color. But the moss and dirt would probably have ruined the paint anyway. You can always try recoloring them later (as discussed in step 3).

Step 2: Let the antlers dry

Allow the antlers to dry for at least a day or two before coating them. Otherwise, the coating could trap moisture inside the antler, causing it to rot or crack later.

Step 3: Dye stained or whitened antlers

If the antlers are left outside in the sun for a long time, they may lose their color. If you had to use hydrogen peroxide to clean the antlers, they might turn white as well. IMO I think the natural color looks better on antlers. There are a few things you can do to bring back the natural color.

Here are some options:

tea

henna

coffee grounds

Wood stain (use matte rather than gloss)

Acrylic Paint: Make sure it is applied in a VERY THIN layer

Step 4: Protective Coatings for Antlers

Applying a coating to the antlers will help keep the natural color from fading. It can also prevent moisture from getting into the antlers (which could be a problem if you live in a humid place).

There is much controversy as to what is the “best” coating for antlers. Everyone has their favourite.

Here are some options that will not produce an unnaturally shiny coating:

linseed oil

One part linseed oil + one part turpentine

Scratch protection for old English furniture

Scott’s Liquid Gold

Wood Stain (Flat Outer Clear Polyurethane: Should say for OUTDOOR use and non-yellowing on the tin)

Tips for applying the coating:

Use a rag for linseed oil. For polyurethane, use a soft-bristled brush.

Several light coats are better than a few heavy coats.

Choose ‘matte’ rather than ‘glossy’ when purchasing sealants.

velvet antlers

Preserving velvet antlers is actually very tricky and usually requires professional equipment. The reason it’s so difficult is that velvet antlers are mostly composed of living tissue. You have to preserve the actual antlers and then pickle the velvety skin.

If you don’t quickly remove all the blood from the antlers and dry them, they’ll start to rot! Likewise, there are many problems with insects and rodents eating the velvet.

Even if you do manage to get the inner bone part of the antlers, getting the actual velvet is a lot harder. Often the velvet will start to fall off when you touch it. Many professional taxidermists don’t even give guarantees on velvet antlers because they are so delicate and delicate.

I don’t mention this to discourage you, just to be realistic: it’s difficult to preserve velvet on antlers. So don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t work out.

In The Field:

If you cannot take the antlers home for a while, you must take action in the field to conserve them.

The simplest method is this:

Cut off and skin the animal’s head. Remove as much pulp as possible. Or, if you don’t want to keep the whole skull, remove the antlers from the skull or saw off the skullplate. Here’s a video showing you how. Poke holes in the tips of the antlers with the point of a needle or knife. Hang the antlers upside down. This will help blood drain from the antlers. Try to keep the antlers out of the sun and keep them as cool as possible. It is important that the antlers are high enough so that animals cannot reach them.

This method should keep the velvet antler secure for about 24 to 48 hours. However, it really depends on the antler and the conditions. Some velvet antlers turn into rotting, stinking mush in less than a day. Others are fine for a few days.

If you are able to get your hands on formaldehyde or other professional equipment, you can begin the on-site preservation process. An injection needle is brought along and the velvet antler is injected with formaldehyde. Here is a good description of how to do it.

I personally wouldn’t recommend this as it can be very dangerous to work with formaldehyde – especially outdoors. If you get any of it on your fingers (like trying to move antlers that have not yet dried), you could seriously injure yourself.

At home

The key to preserving velvet antlers is to quickly dry all living tissue before it begins to rot. There are three main ways taxidermists (professionals and amateurs alike) do this with velvet:

Option 1: Rittel’s Preserve-It

There is a taxidermy product called Rittels Preserve-It that many people have used successfully to preserve velvet antlers. Here’s what you need to do:

Poke lots of small holes in the velvet antler

Get a hypodermic syringe and fill it with the preservation solution

Start at the base of the antlers and begin pumping solution into the antlers; You have to inject it into the veins.

Continue injecting until the solution comes out of the holes you made. They want to force blood out of the antlers. The dripping solution should change from pink to clear.

Brush (or spray) some of the solution on the outside of the antlers.

Hang the velvet antler upside down and let it dry for 2-3 weeks.

Note that many professionals say this method doesn’t work well. This is because it is so difficult to get the solution through the entire antler. You end up getting the preservative just around the injection. At some point the velvet antlers will begin to rot. Perhaps the antlers do dry out just fine—but the velvet falls off at the slightest touch. (4)

Option 2: Soak in alcohol

Alcohol is a cool substance because it displaces water from surfaces. Soaking velvet antlers in pure alcohol will force out blood and water, drying the antlers. The alcohol will also kill any bacteria that may be in the antlers.

How to use this method:

Soak the antlers in alcohol for about 12 hours. Then soak the antlers in a borax solution for 12 hours. You want to use as much borax as possible in your solution and still get a clear solution. If the solution isn’t clear, you’ll end up with borax residue on the velvet. Repeat step 1. If the horns are not hard at this point, repeat all steps. It’s important that soaking in alcohol is the final step. (5, 6)

Option 3: tanning solution

Instead of using alcohol, you can get tanning solution at a pet supply store. Then soak the velvet antler in the solution for about 3 weeks.

After soaking, hang them to dry. It can take several weeks for them to dry completely.

Freeze drying velvet antlers

Some professionals freeze dry velvet antlers to preserve them. There is also some debate about how well this method works. The procedure is generally really good at preserving the appearance of the antlers, but it doesn’t actually remove blood (it just dries it). For example, freeze-dried velvet antlers can smell bad.

In any case, you cannot do this at home. Freeze dryers are really expensive. You can’t do this in a regular freezer as condensation will end up forming – not to mention it would take months if not years to do this in a home freezer!

Clean skull with antlers

It’s actually quite easy to clean bones from animals with antlers. That’s because antlered animals are herbivores, so their bones aren’t as greasy as those of omnivores like bears, possums, or pigs (which are tedious to degrease).

To clean the skull with the antlers, all you really have to do is remove the tissue and whiten it with hydrogen peroxide. The trick is to avoid messing up the antlers in the process. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Remove tissue

There are many ways to clean tissue from animal skulls. I talk about them in this post. Before you begin removing the tissue, check the status of the antlers. are they hard Or are they still velvet?

When the antlers are hard…

Personally, I prefer to leave the skull outside so that bacteria and insects can clean it. This is very effective for getting rid of hidden pieces of tissue in the skull. You can also bury the skull. Leave the antlers sticking out of the ground so they don’t get stained by dirt.

Note that many small animals actually chew on bones and antlers for nutrients. You should put a wire cage around the skull/antlers to keep them safe.

Soaking (aka maceration) also works well to remove tissue. The water will not damage the antlers. Many people recommend boiling skulls because it’s the quickest way to remove tissue. However, it can also damage bone. If you’re in a hurry, simmer instead of boiling and make sure the antlers are sticking out of the pot.

When the antlers are still velvety…

Then you need to preserve the velvet antler before proceeding with the tissue removal. Otherwise, bacteria or insects will eat the velvet antler.

Also, never simmer skulls with velvet antlers. Even if the velvet antler is preserved, the steam rising from the water damages the velvet!

Step 2: Lighten antler skull

The best way to whiten bones and skulls is to soak them in a solution of hydrogen peroxide. If you don’t know how to do it, check out this bone whitening guide. However, as a general rule, you should never whiten antlers. They don’t look nearly as good brightened up. It is better to keep their natural color.

That means you need to find a way to infuse the skull without getting the antlers. Here are some solutions:

Wrap the base of the antlers with plastic wrap

You need to wrap them at least 6 times. Then follow with electrical tape, making sure the antlers are wrapped very tightly. The plastic wrap should prevent hydrogen peroxide from touching the horns during bleaching.

Make a hydrogen peroxide paste

This is a trick I came up with to whiten really big skulls. Here’s what you do:

Make a paste of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda

Paint it on the skull, being careful to avoid the antlers

Once you’ve whitened the skull, you can coat the antlers as detailed in the section on preserving scaled antlers.

Mounting of antlers for display

Once you’ve whitened the skull and coated the antlers, you’re ready to display them. There are many ways to do this. Some people like to make cool art projects out of the antlers. I put necklaces on mine.

Or you can go the traditional route and get a European Skull Mount Kit. Below are some good options. Make sure you check the size of the bracket before you receive it. Some are only suitable for small skulls and antler racks!

Skull Hooker Skull Mount Kit (for whole skulls)

Antler Mount Kit (only for antlers without skullcap)

Skull Hooker European Trophy Mount (for skullcap antlers)

Solid oak tabletop display (for whole skulls)

Whether you’ve inherited a family heirloom or purchased an antique mount, your stag mount may have seen better days. Smoke or cigarette smoke damage is one of the most common types of damage seen on deer mounts.

If you suspect your deer mount has been damaged by smoke, this blog is for you. Read on to learn how to clean deer mounts with cigarette smoke damage or other types of smoke damage.