HOW TO CLEAN A SKULL (EASY BURYING METHOD) 

➝ SKULL CARVING TOOLS I USE ★ Dremel 4000 amzn.to/2tBKq2H ★ Flex Shaft amzn.to/2IENLIO ★ Adjustable Chuck amzn.to/2Xqp7if ★ Respirator amzn.to/2H0W3Z7 ★ Ear Protection amzn.to/2H7DIJI ★ Ball Carbide Burr amzn.to/2H3jkJU ★ Inverted Cone Burr amzn.to/2EwHr1P ★ Cylinder Carbide Burr amzn.to/2EwmofT ★ Tungsten Steel Carbide Burr amzn.to/2EuQEYs ★ Diamond Dust Burrs amzn.to/2TeFbVg ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ➝ SKULL CLEANING TOOLS ★ Aquarium Heater amzn.to/2EdGNoM ★ Mesh Bags amzn.to/2VRQ4cM Some links above are affiliate links!

Remember to mark the burials well! I've gotten into animal bones over the last few years, collected some fresh roadkill and buried them in the garden. I used wooden stakes as markers, but over time they got knocked over or moved. I had 2 possums buried next to each other, went to dig them up 3 years later (a bit late I know..) and forgot exactly where they were.. Turned out I was sitting on one of them while working on the other! Sadly the skulls were crushed.. 😕

Felt like I was watching the James Murray guy on impractical jokers lol. Great video tho👍🏻

Do it this way and take 5 months, or leave it under your upside-down 10 foot tin boat in your back yard tied to a string and give it a month. Bugs cleaned my skull in very little time once summer hit. I didn't skin it, didn't have to dig a hole, buy screen, or sand. I threw it under my boat and tied the antlers to the seat so it couldn't be dragged off. A little more than a month went by and it was completely clean, aside from dirt and bug poop. Nothing ate it up, antlers weren't chewed, just a clean skull and a pile of hair around it.

Thankyou for the info. My granddaughter found a seal skull and we are going to follow your instructions on the burial process. We are anxious to see the turnout. 🙋

I buried a fox skull a few months ago, but I didn't skin it... And I don't feel like dealing with it now that it's probably rotten. I'm new to this kinda stuff, should have watched this before. Very good video! :)

My brother killed a buck and wanted me to clean it. I told him to skin and freeze it. 2 weeks later he brings it to me stinking and still had the skin on it. I just buried it skin and all. Left it for over a year. when I pulled it up it was clean like the doe you did. He liked the color so I jst sealed the bone in that natural color and made a lamp display. Its my favorite one Ive done.

Spot on across the board. I've buried a few skinned steer heads (fresh from the butcher) with amazing results. I live on a beef farm so nice horned-skulls are readily available. During summer time in Ohio, i left them in the ground for 75 days, completely unattended. Surrounded them in sand like you demonstrated and I couldn't believe how clean they came up. 100% tissue-free. You're right when you say they have to be skinned. I still have a stubborn buck head in the ground, last time I dug it up it was only missing the bare flesh around the nose. Everything with hair was still there. Now I have to skin a smelly head and macerate it. Of course I'll be using your advice about the aquarium heater as it's now December in Ohio. Thanks again.

I use my compost pile. It stays in the mid 80s to 90s in the winter months and can hit 110°+ in the summer months. A typical Deer skull will take aprox 60 to 70 days and big wild pig skulls can take up to 4 months. I also boil skulls when I have the time but do prefer to bury them instead...

Your videos are great!! I just recently subscribed and I've loved every single video so far. I make art and jewelry with bone, so seeing someone else do it is always awesome!! Very helpful, and really informative. I really appreciate you making these videos! Thanks!

Thank you so much for the videos and links! I was wondering on one of your videos of the image transfer on the skull. I believe you were going to carve the image in it, but would it stick on pretty good if i just left it as the glued and dried image? But taking the paper off of course. And does it work on colored images?

Great video, thanks for the detailed rundown at the end

Awesome video! Very well done. Thank you for the information.

Your videos are awesome, im honna give it a shot, aeesome tutorials bud and beautiful work, inspiring for sure

Thank you - this has been very helpful!!!

Worked amazing with my bear, although my bear is back in the ground(I'll explain) however here is what I did Fall is coming and considering how I live in Canada I got nervous knowing the warm days where limited, I removed meat beforehand (try to get the tongue and some off the back of the head most importantly) then buried it for 2 weeks, I came back in and removed whatever was loose (smell wasn't bad because it was covered, just smelt faintly of chicken) and I repeated the process of removing loose meat until now, it's basically clean, I'm leaving it to the last minute since I'm no longer in any rush. Let me know if that helps you, and honestly I promise the smell was next to nothing, if it gets too bad while your removing meat just toss some dirt over it, never spray it. However little disclaimer, since I picked it up a few times I lost 2 teeth, they are definitely in the hole so next spring I'll go get them, just make sure your hole is well marked

Try using 30-40 volume hair developer to whiten the skulls. Keeps the bones more intact and doesnt damage the bone as much. I only leave it for 20mins to half an hour. Depending how white you want to go. And boil the remaining dead skin etc off with washing liquid and it will just fall off like meat. No burying needed

Can the staining be part of the character. For example like antique colouration?

Would you recommend burying it on some kind of tray? I came upon a fox today and have it resting on a tray with several slits all over for draining. I did this for the exact purpose of not losing any bones, but now I feel like it might be chilling in its own sludge even when I dig it up however long from today.

I found an injured crow this summer-tried to help the poor thing but she passed away and I buried her. I’m trying to investigate proper cleaning and collecting of bones-does anyone have any idea how long the remains might take to decompose before the bones can be dug up and cleaned?

Very cool video appreciate it man

Do beach work as well as the construction sand (I guess that's what you used). Found a seal's skull on the beach with only the brain felt inside. So excited get it properly buried.

Wonder if you can use cedar chips??? And if you can use mesh fabric on the bottom. To keep any of missing...

thanks man... i think im going with a aspen/sand mix thanks to this vid.

what a nice sick guy

I learned I can do more ai one time even if I burrie them Axsis Deer with Hide taned and Mounted to the island shape At the sametime I burrie them I get totan the Hide , and mount them to Molokai , Hawaii did a Maui One and gave it away... Now I live on Molokai Hawaii , and there are a loa more Axsis Deer hear , and burring them helps thenk you Sir ! A Happy Hawaiian Hunter !

How long would you recommend for a snake? It was basically just skin and exposed bone when I found it. Thing stank so much though

This was super interesting! I've buried a few animals in my garden after finding them dead with no intention of digging them back up. How long does it take for bones to decompose? I'm interested in maybe digging them up and cleaning them if possible. Thank you!

How long would you recommend leaving a mouse skull buried for?

Per direction from the video, perhaps mix 50/50 or 25/75 of a sawdust and sand mix? I have some bones from a whitetail, I want to treat. Thanks for the video, it was cool!

Hi mate, what strength peroxide are you using? Thanks!

Is anthrax a realistic worry I should have?

Did you leave the brains in or take them out first? Thanks, great video, thanks for sharing.

How long would you recommend leaving a raccoon skull buried for? I know it depends on a lot of stuff. how many bugs are in the area etc.

Boiling the skull is much much faster. For the past few years I just put a big pot of water (add small amount of dish soap to water) on my BBQ side burner and boil for 3-4 hours and then "gently" pressure wash throughout. Skin the skull first of course. I can have a Euro mount all clean, dried, hydro-dipped and on my wall in just a matter of days.

Can I use this method on my birds, And if yes then how long will you recommend to keep them in the sand .

The staining looks cool actually

Can you use any sand?

ya im in canada and im doing this with two bear skulls figured 1 year would be enough NOPE we are on 2 years now hopeing it will be done this summer hopefully

Awesome great video so do you think since i live in Texas it will take as much time

hi. maybe you could write down all material that you use for clean the skull, in information space up this to all your video. it will help the wiewer. thank you.

A bird (about 9 inches long) flew into a wall and died at work yesterday and I buried the whole bird as is; skin, feathers and all. I live in southern Florida so it’s been in the 90s and humid and will be like that for the next several months and I was wondering how long you think it will take to break down entirely. Thank you!

What if it’s a small backyard lizard so I still have to skin it..

how long would you suggest leaving in an unskinned rat skull?

What's the music you use at around 02:45 ?

(You dont need to skin the hide. Last try just took me a little over a year. If you have the time that is)

i really love the look of the skull stained by the clay pre-bleaching... I wish there was a way to sterilize the skull without bleaching it to preserve that stain...

I have squirrel head with skin and fur still on it, in warm/hot weather, how long would it take?

I buried 2 crow heads with feathers intact since oct and nothing has touched them that I can see. Any suggestions? I am thinking of getting mealworms and putting in a plant pot.

My dad put two buck skulls in a pile of leaves and the next spring they were clean. The antlers were bleached though.

So when you do the hydrogen peroxide bath how long do u leave the skull in the bath for?

So I found a buck skull on the bank of the river behind my house and it is caked in mud and has no organic matter on it. If I were to soak it in hydrogen peroxide would all that mud come out and leave it white-ish? Or do you think doing that would stain/ ruin the skull and antlers?

bro, how can I contact you im interest of clean my dog skull I buried him 1 month ago but I don't know what to do

Question?? I found a couple of horse skulls out in the desert, they still have the hide on part of them and the hide has turned into rawhide. What is the best thing I can do to get that and everything else off? I've heard soaking in bleach water could work but I don't know if it will damage the bone or make it brittle. Any help would be greatly appreciated ☺ Thank you and love the videos!

How long do you think I should leave small animal skulls/skeletons? more specifically birds and rats/mice

Wow... I just checked on cost of Demastid beetles... $425 for 6,000 beetles, and an estimated 25,000 to 35,000 to effectively clean larger wild game skulls like bear or elk. Sounds like beetles are best for commercial taxidermy operations.

So I buried 6-7 skunk skulls with the hide still intact on the skulls. How long do you think it will take for them to fully decompose?

i can confirm, this works 99percent, obviously a bit of dirt and stuff gets stuck, but just rinse it off, i’ve collected lots of read kill, skinned it, drove out to the forest, put the bones in a cage, buried it, and marked it, came back later, and it was nearly perfect

I have a boar skull buried in my yard. It was mostly skinned when a friend convinced me I didn’t need to do that. Against better judgement I listened to him and stopped halfway and buried it. I also buried it quite a bit deeper than I see you doing… probably three feet deep. Any thoughts on how that might affect the process. I didn’t want to dig it up early and have to deal with cleaning rotten flesh and brains manually. So it’s been in the ground about two years now. Pig skin is pretty tough stuff though. Think it’s ready? Being buried with some skin and hair…

Can you use shavings that are for horse bedding?

I have a Bulls skull with long horns, I can’t find a pot big enough to boil the horns long enough to pull them of, do you know another way to get the horns of?

its just easier to skin it and leave it out in the open, flies will clean everything in a week easily. No staining from dirt either

I like to dig the hole, take a bin and drill holes all over it put the animal in it, then I put the bin in the hole and fill the bin and the rest of the hole up with dirt. The bin helps contain the bones...

Ok so I have 3 cats that I want their skulls... The first one is full grown, its roadkill and it's been there over the winter. It just seems to have fur and not much meat or anything else. My dad recommended leaving it on an ant hill, which I plan on doing. I also have access to 6 newborn baby kittens that have passed. Their mother just abandoned them so i have all of them... They're very fresh. I thought about just leaving them on an ant hill as well, but since they're so fresh I'm afraid they'll just get carried away. Maybe if I partially buried them? Or should I just bury them entirely?? Tbh I don't want to wait super long for them to decompose and I really don't want to skin a kitten or decapitate it... I'm a pretty morbid person and I'm willing to do gross stuff but a skinned/decapitated kitten is not something I want to see.. what's the best method for the kittens? How should I go about this?

Have you tried in a compost pile?

When you do the hydrogen peroxide bath, is it diluted, or full strength?

How would someone go about cleaning the mold off a skull. A green skull from sitting in the bush for a while. I have a few dead heads i would like to clean up

I like the staining. I put my skulls in a cage and sink them down in water for some time, they get some wicked brownish staining.

Ask Pat? Pay Flynn shirt? I like it.

My antlers are still intact, so can I just put a recycling bin over with a brick?

I just did a groundhog skull this way I'll check back in 3 months and let ya know how it looks

My area is cold, can i boil bones as a method to clean them? and then use cleaning supplies to separate the meaty stuff from the bones and then bleach after? can that be done?

I have a question, if anyone would help me out :) I found an old abandoned dumping ground with a few skulls and jawbones a year ago or so. There was no flesh on them, but they have really bad stains after lying in the dirt. Here in Norway it's difficult to find all these fancy materials many people use to clean their skulls, so I read that using bio washing powder and hot water would help. So I used that for one day, scrubbed it, and continued until the worst was gone. But they're not 'clean' looking. They still have some moss stains and discoloration, but I don't know how to fix it.

Could you add sand and wood shavings both at the same time?

Please Help.. Our beloved pet rooster passed away ( there is no emoji for this type of pain !!! ) We live on Maui, in a cooler area. Im renting but yes we have a yard I can bury him in. Im thinking to wire screen him encased in about a 5 gallon size amount of half sand and half pine shavings. Need to know... (1)how DEEP to bury ? (2) how much to WATER and how OFTEN (at recommended depth) ? and (3) About how long before removing from ground ? Thank you in advance !!!

how much longer will the decaying take if you do not skin the animal? i don’t have the proper tools or skill for it btw: it’s a squirrel

My parents won't let me get beetles, and I just got a possums skull. Hoping to try the bury method, wish me luck!

What about a newly dead bird?

What about using lime? Or would that mess up the skull itself?

What do you use/how do you de-grease the skulls prior to the peroxide step ?

Hi, do you need to use hydrogen peroxide? Will this effect any remaining bacteria ect if you don’t?

Never knew this was a thing...

can you do that with turkey wings to get the flesh off? I don't want to damage the feathers though.

Awesome info! How long do you think a squirrel skull will take to be clean with such a method?

How long would it take for a robin skull? The poor thing flew into our window a few days ago and I'm interested in claiming the skull.

How to make the fish skeleton?

I have a skull that has been buried for 2 years it's clear apart from the soil that's sunk into the eye sockets... I want to keep it what would be my next step after getting the dirt off can I just seal it I'm not fussed about it being white... Any guidance would be appreciated x

i buried a plain dead mouse about a week ago, how long will it take til its just bones

What if the hide is still intact? Do I boil it to get it off after I dig it up?

My question is similar to The WereFuch's Dens': My climate reaches an average of a high 78 and a low 56 in the summer and a high 46 and low 36 in the winter (all in Fahrenheit, so pretty cool) and I was curious as to how long it would take for a whole chicken to be cleaned, assuming it was surrounded by sawdust? The feathers would stay on and the body would be whole, including the leg scales, as I'd also hate to pluck/skin a dead pet of mine. I don't mind waiting, but I do have an old aquarium heater. Could I bury the heater to speed up the process, or would that be a hazard? I assume the lack of oxygen would prevent a fire but you never know! Also great work, I love your stuff! Although I personally don't carve skulls the work you do on them is beautiful :]

Very nice video, but don't you think it might be difficult to clean skulls with horns or something with this method?

For a small animal skull, could you just pop it into a flower pot with some compost?

I’m curious if you might be able to give me some insight on what level of decomp and what I’m In store for with my project of digging up my cat Lucy . I buried Lucy about four feet in the ground back at the end of March 2021. At the time I hadn’t come to the conclusion I wanted her skull and bones. Other wise I would have buried her differently. I placed her in a cardboard file box surrounded filled with herbs and flowers , she was lying on her side in a fetal position. The box had a cardboard Lid and we used a black towel to lower the box in and then wrapped the ends over the top of the box. The soil here in Norcal is loamy and the weather has been hot and dry. I had been watering flowers above her garden bed though. She was not skinned . Placed in the earth whole. I really want to keep her bones and make a display . Any idea what I’m about to discover when I dig her up about 6.5 months later ?

Yo. I finally got hold of a cow head. Thought about burrying it but I'm not the patient type :)) Soooo last 2 days I spent my time boiling and trying to take off the meat part and this was tha last time I do this :)) It's frekin hard! Next skull I'm burrying fo sho. Meanwhil I built myself a downdraft table for the carving :)

Another pro is that it contributes to the necrosystem including soil, fungi and invertebrate health.

Hello! I live in an overall warm area, do you think it would be possible to get a small rodent's skeleton clean inside a flower pot? I wanted to bury it with skin and all, even if it takes a lot longer, I'd hate to skin a dead pet of mine... And would it smell too badly?

“Oh what a cool video WAIT IS THIS RED DEA-oh nevermind”

Is there a way to remove the stains . I heard peroxide works .

i have pet birds that are getting kind of old, and it sounds insane but i want to keep my babies forever, so i think I'll do this some day

So I caught a lizard and I don't get much around here and I've never had a skull before.would it be ok if when the lizard dies I keep it's skull?I don't know how I would get it bc I'm a little younger but could you tell me how?I figured it would be harder cuz they have scales