Alternatively, you can clean the entire skull and mount it, which is called a European mount. [2] X Research source Many of the steps for cleaning the bone remain the same, though the mounting and decoration will be slightly different to account for the whole skull.
Using beetles. Skin the skull and remove as much flesh as possible. Place the skull in a terrarium with dermestid beetles to let them eat the flesh. The terrarium should be large enough to hold the bone and antlers, and covered. You can acquire a colony kit from a taxidermy supplier, or borrow some from a taxidermist’s colony. Once the beetles have eaten the skull clean, rinse it off and brush with a soft wire brush to remove the last bits. Keep the skull wet with some occasional misting, and keep the terrarium in a dark place. Use simmering water. You’ll need a large pot and a propane heater. Do this outdoors, or in your garage, as it will definitely smell. Heat the water to a simmer, and submerge the bone into the pot. Make sure the antlers do not get into the water, or if any of them do, wrap in tinfoil to prevent from getting wet. The process may take several hours, or all day. [3] X Research source Using maceration. First, clean the skull plate yourself to remove as much meat as possible. Place in a bucket of water, and let it sit outdoors for anywhere from a week to a couple of months to grow bacteria. You shouldn’t need to heat the water as long as you don’t expect the temperature to dip below freezing. Some people like adding things like baking soda to speed up bacteria growth, but that isn’t necessary. Keep an eye on the water, and if it gets too murky with meat tissue, change out most of it. [4] X Research source Leaving it outdoors. Allow the skull to sit in the sun for several weeks for the growth of bacteria and insects. If you do this, you’ll need to protect the bone with a plastic bag or some chicken wire, and firmly attach it somewhere to prevent other creatures from picking at or running off with it. Make sure you check every few days to see when the meat is falling off.
This will give the bone a clean, white look. If you aren’t displaying the bone openly, or prefer the more natural color, you can skip this step.
Purchase a plank with a thickness between 1 inch by 6 inches (2. 54 cm by 15. 24 cm) and 1 inch by 20 inches (2. 54 cm by 50. 8 cm). It is not advised to mount antlers on wood planks thinner than 1 inch by 6 inches. Determine the length and width of the plank to purchase by doubling the size of the skull plate.
One good way to get a good, symmetrical pattern is to trace one half of your design on the side of a closed manila folder, using the folded edge as your center. Cut out the tracing, and when you open up the folder, you will have a perfectly symmetrical pattern to trace on your wood. [9] X Research source
You’ll want to choose the right color, which depends on the wood you use and the antlers you are mounting. You want the stain to help highlight the antlers, so use a light to medium stain for dark antlers, and a darker stain on light-colored antlers. [11] X Research source Follow the direction of the grain when applying wood stain to make the grain visible.
You can switch the order between this and the previous step. If you secure the antlers to the plaque first, and can’t wrap around the back, use decorative brass tacks and nails to hold the covering in place. [16] X Research source
