Do-It-Yourself Display Skull

Do-It-Yourself Display Skull AG WORLD 25-2-21 Animal skulls can be turned into attractive displays that act as reminders of a favorite hunting trophy or perhaps even a treasured show animal or pet. Taxidermist Dennis Rinehart of Boulder Junction, Wis., says nearly everything you need to prepare a skull for display is probably already in your kitchen or laundry room. You'll need a sharp knife, a scrub brush, a boiling pot large enough to hold the skull, liquid dish washing detergent, Tide laundry detergent, 20 Mule Team Borax, chlorine bleach and some white Elmer's glue. Here are the six steps to follow: 1) Trim as much tissue from the bone as possible. 2) Place the skull in the pot and submerge it in clean water, measuring the water as you add it. For each gallon of water, add 2 tablespoons of dishwashing detergent and 1/2-cup Borax. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for two hours. (Larger skulls may need more time, smaller ones less.) 3) Carefully remove the skull from the pot and cool it. Loosen and remove any remaining meat and fat with a sharp knife. Be sure to clean out the brain cavity. 4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 as many times as necessary to get the bone completely clean. (Rinehart says it's important to use clean water each time you boil the skull to avoid discoloration of the bone.) Once the skull is completely clean, proceed to step 5. 5) Clean the boiling pot and submerge the skull in clean water again. This time, add 1/4 cup Tide and 1/4 cup bleach for each gallon of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours; a little less for smaller skulls. 6) Give the skull and jawbone one last cleaning with a scrub brush and set it aside to dry. Rinehart suggests boiling the skull outdoors to keep the odors out of the house. He notes that teeth may come loose or fall out during boiling. These can be replaced easily while the skull is still moist by putting a small amount of Elmer's glue into the cavity and pushing the tooth back into place," he says. The skull may change shape during drying, making it difficult to replace the teeth later." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dennis Rinehart, American Institute of Taxidermy, 4552 Highway 51 N, Boulder Junction, Wis. 54512 (ph 800 853-9146; E-mail: ddrinehart@centurytel.net; Website: www.americantaxidermy.com).

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