I don't usually jump on parties like this, but I followed the boiling technique of 30 minutes of boil- pressure wash-20 minutes of 1 to 1 (40% hydrogen peroxide to water) - then the mop and glo, and my mature mule deer turned out beautiful. It was far better than any other attempt I've made at cleaning a skull. I highly recommend this method.
Thanks for sharing, as a brand new skull cleaner and collector I will try both methods when I live alone 😂 I’ve been cleaning skulls who need a last touch to honor the animal, thanks again!
Love ya Ryan keep doing what you are doing. I owe my whole business to you because I learned all I know from you and business is booming out here in good ol' South Dakota. God bless you sir
Hey White Bone. I really enjoy your channel been following you for sometime now. Went hunting for the first time at 42 years old 2 weeks ago and enjoyed adding to conservation. My first skull (under your guidance) turned out absolutely beautiful! Thank you!!!
I have learned so much from watching your channel. I started helping my son eight years ago with his European mounts. I am 68 and I’m still learning. I do most of everything now because my son is into real estate and has another job so taxidermy is really his side hustle and has become my retirement or should I say Relaxadermy. It keeps me busy. I do not get paid for what I do I do it because I love my son and love to help. The water issue here in Utah is probably similar to that in California. Expensive. So I boil and then clean the heads and use a compressor to spray out any last bits that I might miss. Just wanted to thank you for teaching me so much.
I'm on a lot of those Facebook groups who slam the boiling method, I've never had an issue with boiling because you're right in that too much of anything can damage bone, also a lot of the people who don't agree with boiling have never tried it, they're often in small apartments with either a small or no garden, so they don't have that option, I see a lot of posts on Facebook of people who dig up their buried skulls or tip out the maceration buckets and find the bones falling apart! Keep doing what you're doing, I love watching your videos over here in the UK!!! I'm working on a few red stag skulls myself and your tips are priceless!! 👌🏻
The reason why they fall apart is because every single bit of connective tissue is removed, so unfused parts of the skull will need to be glued back on. Maceration, unlike boiling, removes all bits of flesh and doesn’t cause any damage. Boiling does trap grease, weaken the bone structure, and causes splitting of the bone due to intense heat. While some results may be worse than others, they are still bound to decay over time. Hopefully this helps give some insight.
Thank you for keeping your RU-vid channel active, some of us are really appreciative of that, your work and your dedication Great vid. You are always a straight shooter and give your honest opinion with all the facts that surround that opinion. I don’t boil (personal choice - I’m not doing big numbers at the same time and I’m not rushed for time) and I still have learnt so much from you which has improved my process and the quality of what I produce. Every head that I process now is finished to a higher quality mount, in part from watching and learning (you), practicing and applying my skills. Keep doing you Sir, I look forward to continue the journey and keep refining my skills Thank you for sharing Love your work
Love your videos sir, keep it coming, your knowledge of different ways of doing skulls is awsome, your hunting videos are great, I've been watching your videos for a long time
Brilliant comparison, honed right in on the important details. It's boiling for me all the way, but that was a genius point about macerating in bulk. The cons of both probably have a fix too, maybe not the gut-churning stink of putrefaction though!
Really appreciate this comparison. I always thought boiling was THE way until I started joining this community online. I do think it would be interesting to see the same "study" done on a small animal/something know for more fragile bones though. I've been macerating a few skulls for maybe a month-2 months now and my biggest problem is that they are very greasy and stained still. But also sooo many teeth!! They are all falling out and I'm hoping I'm good enough at puzzles to get everything back where it belongs but that's been frustrating. Figured with the amount of grease I have left I probably do need to do at least a simmer of sorts but wasnt sure what to expect with that. This definitely helps. I'm gunna hit goodwill for a big pot later and get those babies simmering to finally remove that grease!!
Simmering won’t actually remove the grease, it actually traps it inside the skull. It will start to decompose the bone and resurface later on. To degrease I recommend using 3% ammonia.
Thanks for the information about maceration. Without the possibility to buy stronger hydrogen peroxide than 2,5% here in Sweden I will definitely try it. I just need to come up with a place to put the bucket... Thanks for the great videos!
Thanks so much Ryan, I know it is still very stinky but I like to macerate in like 30 degree celcius water for a week or two. Then pressure wash and then boil. This loosens the flesh and gets most of the blood out. It works for large horned antelope like kudu an eland which is hard to find a steel boiler for. Love your content
Just watched this on the whitebones app. Thank you for the education and visual way to see how both ways are done and the end result. Some people just Need to take the time and learn,and not just talk crap of how other people are doing things another way. The pros and the cons were an awsome visual to. Thank you!!!!!! Take care, your freind from Nebraska!!!!!!!
Thats a good education on two different method. Im doing burial/natural on a possum skull at this moment. My husband found a dead possum that was already halfway decomposed so I took its head home and buried it in my backyard. If I find another skull I might give Maceration a try.
I used to love watching ur channel! Got me into bone collecting in fact! I use the maceration method and I'd like to clear some things up with boiling and maceration:) maceration does smell and it takes time yes, you can speed it up with a tank heater or pond water! It actually helps leach grease out of bones as well, but some animals are more greasy than others. Maceration is a better option if you want your skull to last longer and look better since maceration doesn't damage the fragile bones unlike boiling! As for boiling yes it is fast but it isn't very good for bones, boiling actually can trap grease in bones and can cause it to resurface years later which doesn't look as good! As for your whitening method? I've never used the product you use to whiten bones (I don't whiten my bones I love the natural color!) But hydrogen peroxide is perfectly okay to use and fairly cheap in some places, bleach isn't recommended for whitening bones since it'll eat away at them and make them chalky and brittle. For maceration ammonia is a great degreaser to use! Just be sure to use it in an area with good ventilation as you do not want to inhale the fumes :)
I just want to add I've never tried the boiling method but I have a skull from my grandpa that was boiled and it looks very different compared to my maceration skulls! Yes with maceration you risk losing some bits and pieces but it's an easy fix! A cloth can help catch any bones that fall out while you're dumping the water out, this is not in anyway trying to attack whitebones or anything! I haven't watched him in awhile and this is the first time I've seen this video. I love his work and he's what got me into collecting bones and pelts!
Totally unrelated to skulls, Mr. Olsen. I know you are a man of faith. In my 16 years, I have been an atheist, a sinner for 7. Today was the day I made the choice to accept God back into my life. I re-baptism of sorts to regain what I had removed. I want to say "thank you". My days of watching you with the skulls, knowing of your devotion helped me realize that faith wasn't all about praying but a new lens through which life could be viewed and valued. I believe. Praise the Lord.
Accepting God is good but the key is the Lord Jesus Christ...He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father but through Him. John 14:6. And Ryan is a master at what he does and I pray he knows our Savior as well! MMc
What pressure washer have you found to do the best on skulls. Your video’s do a good job of being light to our hunting hobby. Keep up the good work. Thank you
I'm not a hunter. I'm a biology student who finds a lot of dead things. For me, boiling something that's already rotting is about as bad as just letting it macerate stink-wise, and I prefer to have all the little pieces intact. Still a super useful comparison though!!
I just wanna say, i worked on a skull from a gield mouse using the boild method. So if a tiny little field mouse can survive the boiling method, im sure deer can too. Its all about being delicate.
Have you ever cleaned a snake? I'm a breeder of Ball pythons and lost a whole clutch of babies in the egg(almost fully developed). I've been preserving them in ethanol, and I've decided I want to clean them to the skeleton and resin cast them. I'm wondering of all the "ribs and spine" will stay together or will I have to puzzle piece them back together?
I’ve started doing a hybrid method. I let them macerate for about a week where the tissue starts to break down and the bone is exposed, then I do a quick simmer/pressure wash to finish the job
Funny, I literally just came across this video as I am driving home with a broken chest freezer to attempt maceration this year. I still love the idea of the boiling.. or I simmer, I never really get to a boil.. but here's my question... or two, I guess... is there maybe a place for both on the same skull? So, for instance, do the boil and clean, then let sit in water for a few days to maybe get out the remaining grease and then do the whitening? Would that help make any difference, or is that a waste of time? Lastly, do you not use the liquid clear 40 peroxide anymore? Thank you in advance!!
I really appreciate your video It's very helpful. That's only one thing I was wondering and that's the effect of the pressure washer on delicate bone. Have you experienced any damage by using it on maybe more delicate places on skulls?
How many skulls can you use in 1 tub of the color batch ? just wondering cause i have about 20 heads to and that would be alot of money if you had to change out on ebery skull ... but love your videos , i have learned alot from them.. keep up the good work brother !!!!!!!!
I macerate for 4 days in 95 degree water and simmer for 20 minutes with 1 cup of dawn. Works great and I don't damage any bones, including the nasal bones. My process does take longer.
Very interesting the different process I was curious what animal skull is closes to a cat skull and was curious how expensive. I currently have a normal cat skull I found adventuring and would love something similar and the first person to come to mind and ask was you
Hello, I'm from Germany and I'm a big fan of your videos. I've already made a few trophies like in your videos, but unfortunately we don't have one in Germany ( Mop Glo ) what can I use as an alternative. or is there a way to deliver the (Mop Glo) to Germany. I hope you answer me. Keep up the good work with your videos, good luck with your RU-vid channel. Greetings from Germany
I think having both processes down is a good idea. In my state, out of state hunters cannot remove skulls with brains in them. So for a fast and good process, Whitebone has a great process. I am working on doing it as well. For locals, I tend to use maceration and that is 3 weeks of stinkiness but does preserve the tiny bones better. I need to find a boil pot that works well for elk. If anyone has one that works great for that, please let me know. Cost is not a huge issue as I want something that will really last. Thanks!
I have used your method many times with really good success but my question is is that this past fall I got my first black bear but it's head shot what should I do it's shot straight up the nose through the back of the head with a 30-30 soft-tip thank you in advance
Love your content, best skull cleaning I have ever seen. Thank you for your wisdom and information. Don't let the haters get to you, your info is important and appreciated.
Hi, how did you get rid of the corpse wax? I have a wild boar skull which I macerated because I don’t have a lot of free time and it’s a very hands-off process. The problem is that now there’s corpse wax in areas I cant reach. I was talking to my organic chemistry professor about skulls and stuff and he said he used to put his specimens in a 50/50 solution of drain cleaner (NaOH) and water for 1 week. That should dissolve the corpse wax and left over tissue before you start whitening. I’m hesitant to try this because where I live it’s quite difficult to get your hands on skulls like from a boar or large animals. Have you tried this method? Do you this it damages the bone? I only found 1 paper that mentions NaOH in bone preservation. Thanks!
Degrease in 3% or standard house cleaning ammonia before whitening. Wild boars hold a lot of bone marrow and meat grease so it may take some time but 100% will be worth it when you don’t have a decaying skull haha
Somewhere along the way I came across someone recommending an ammonia soak for degreasing...and I swear I'm not seeing anyone else discussing this. Is that a decent option? A mistake?
My understanding is that for maceration, water changes are necessary so that aerobic bacteria get a new batch of water with dissolved oxygen in it, which they need for metabolization.
Have you tried the new velvalok bone bright stuff. Just wonder if it works as good as your method does. I’ve tried the velvet cure and it was a big fail. Was on a fallow in really early velvet (we can shoot any time of year in New Zealand)
I boil, but a pro for maceration that wasn't addressed here is for predators especially, you don't bleach or mess up the stain on a predators teeth. You can macerate and pull teeth easily, then whiten and reinsert the cleaned teeth to get a nice stained look.
Why Mop n Glow? I've heard of a lot of different things to coat skulls in, but heard most of them yellow, or flake with time. What is special about this floor coating?
It's used a lot in the plastic modeling community (model cars, tanks, little army men) because it's a cheap way to seal paint. There was a furor somewhat recently that it has changed formulations and may or may not be as good now for that use. Until I started watching this channel I had never seen it used by someone to seal other materials besides models and floors. Then again, I watch these videos as a niche way to watch satisfying power washing videos.
2 years ago I was sitting in my stand hoping for a nice buck. But a red coyote stepped out about 240 yards in front of me. Long narrow clearing in middle of woods down here Ozark Mountains Arkansas. We have red and all black coyotes. Yes solid black coyotes. They are absolutely beautiful. Can't wait to get one fully mounted but anyways. She disappeared and thought dang wish she'd come back I didn't bring my predator call as I was deer hunting. So I used my buck grunt tube and to me surprise got her to step back out using it. Never in a million years would I have thought a grunt tube would work for a coyote. Got her to come in about 37 yards from me. Broadside shot .308 and she just dropped walked up and felt sad but happy. Typical mix. A lot of people around here will leave the dead coyote around their property as they say it'll keep coyotes off their land. So dad said throw it in the woods very back valley. I did and said I'll come back next year and check on her and see how her skull is. All the bugs and bacteria just ate away the tissue and everything but the bone. Her skull is completely clean and I kind of like the off white color. I think it's more pure and realistic than bleached white. Her skull is in my hunting/game room with all her teeth intact. I've thought about getting that boiler for deerheads and stuff. Who knows maybe I'll eventually get one lol. Awesome comparison sir. Keep up the awesome videos.
Oh god id stick with boiled just cuz of the smell, I have sensitivities and I've had to clean up meat that was forgotten on the basement floor for months, I could taste it though a close pinned nose, I wouldnt be able to handle that kinda smell again
If the antlers are submerged in the maceration water some of their natural staining can lighten (and they’ll be bleached white if they’re submerged in peroxide) which is why i sit them in a way the water only comes up to where the coronet starts and haven’t had issues, but if the colour does lighten it’s nothing abit of potassium permanganate can’t fix (its hard to explain but there’s tutorials on that method of restoring colour)🙂
I boil all the time, my skulls look beautiful without any problems. Keep it on a low simmer for a ling time eith a bit of Palmolive and salt and it'll separate without any problems.
i'd love to try the anthill method. i even have numerous giant anthills nearby (i'm talking 2 feet high and 3-4 feet across, above ground). but i have two issues that prevent trying. i'm in canada, and our deer season runs from september to december. i usually don't even hunt until there's some snow on the ground, as i love tracking my deer. and even if i did get an early deer and the weather was still warm through the fall, there's no way of protecting the rack from predators and rodents. a wolf or coyote or bear would surely drag it away. and if they somehow never found it, the rodents would be chewing on the antlers. even the maceration isn't an option, as i'd be dealing with colder temperatures. and, the maceration method really doesn't interest me at all.
So if you are interested in the science behind maceration and why the water changing at specific points speeds up the process, i'll give you a quick overview. Maceration technically is an aerobic process which means it requires oxygen work. If you have an airtight lid on the conteiner then in a few days to a week or two (depending on the size of the container and how much oxygen is essentially in there) the environment inside the bucket runs out of oxygen and the process comes to a stop. New water = neew batch of oxygen for the bacteria. However, if you want to further speed up the process then leaving a bit of the last bloody maceration water on the bottom of the bucket and filling the rest up with fresh water will make the bacteria colonies work even faster because they don't have to start from 0 again per se. Awesome video though!
I did one,fleshed it boiled it in dawn dish soap my self then dryed it painted it with Elmer glue and water put it together with super glue, It turned out awesome!!!!! It's a full skull and jaw bones & 1 vertebrae 1 big pot A cupple of squats of dawn dish soap . And boiled it!!!!! Paint it with Elmer's glue , sponge brush and water and supper glued & the teath all in all less than $20.00. + time about a" week" to do start to finish . A family member had a pro taxidermist do one $150.00 beetle cleaning and mount on wood took like 3-4 months, it dry out split down the nose and it yellowed looks like crap.
interesting, about the later issues with the beetle method. i called last season, to look into that. it was going to be 8 months, and it was $300-400. nope. too much, and, i ain't waiting that long for a mount.
Don't rapid boil just a very low simmer until the tissue starts falling off. After a couple hours I remove it occasionally to pull off whatever tissue I can manually and put it back in
Boiling definitely degrades the bone, not to mention cooks grease into the skull. There is no possible way a skull can be degreased & finished in 2 days, period! Would love to see a skull you've done with this method that's 6 months to a year old.
There is way to much proof that boiling cooks grease into the bone so I wouldn't say it degreases better. Boiled or not they still need properly degreased. Loose bone is due to maceration actually cleaning everything and leaving nothing but bone. Your set up was not the best I could have had that done macerated in a few days. How about to try maceration them degreasing at 120 with ammonia or dawn changing the water when it gets cloudy. Do that until it stays clear then whiten with peroxide no heat or nothing over 120. You should be able to see a difference in the finished product if not right away months to years later you will not see the skull going back yellow or spots.
Change the water daily helps with keeping the bacteria levels right for the bacteria that needs oxygen it helps with the smell big time and keep it around 90 degrees. Me personally i just boil i cant wait weeks i want to get it done right now
