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If i'm bleaching a skull would it be a good idea to use bleach, hydrogen peroxide, or just get a skull bleaching kit from like Cabelas just trying to finish my bear skull so i didn't know what would make the best quality

wackysam16 wrote:If i'm bleaching a skull would it be a good idea to use bleach, hydrogen peroxide, or just get a skull bleaching kit from like Cabelas just trying to finish my bear skull so i didn't know what would make the best quality

I HAVE TRIED THEM ALL AND 75 PERCENT PEROXIDE AND 25 PERCENT WATER WORKS THE BEST AND WON'T YELLOW ANY WAY NEAR AS BAD AS BLEACH IN MY OPINION .

Okay now what kind of peroxide the stuff you buy in the store which is more diluted or the stuff that the hair place uses to white your hair before they dye it Thanks

I BUY IT BY THE QUART AT RITE AID I THINK ITS 3 PERCENT REGULAR BROWN BOTTLE . GET ENOUGH TO SUBMERGE IT COMPLETELY IN A FIVE GALLON PAIL OR A FLAT TUB DEPENDING ON WEATHER OR NOT YOU ARE DOING BEAR OR DEER. COVER IT AND SAVE IT FOR THE NEXT TIME YOU NEED IT .IT LAST A LONG TIME AND CAN BE REUSED QUITE A FEW TIMES AND STILL WORK FINE .LARRY

Okay thanks very much.

I have a couple buddies that have used both the store type peroxide and the salon type peroxide and said that the salon peroxide produces much better results than the store(brown bottle) stuff.

travis

I am sure there are some taxidermists on here that can tell you the best way to bleach it but this is what works for me. I clean the skull the best I can then let it dry. I then take a wire wheel drill bit and clean any bits that are still attached (start from the back of the skull with the brush to make sure the bone isn’t too soft and shows scratch marks.) There is web site from the University of AZ. That has great tips. I have tried most of them and I personally like the beauty supply peroxide method the best. The link is http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/natresources/az1144.pdf hope this helps, good luck and lets see some before and after pics of your work. If it’s a skull that I have found and the smell wont come out I put a clear coat of spray paint on it to lock the smell in.

Good luck, Average Joe

Ok thanks everyone i will post pics when i get it finished.

To get the best results you need to degrease the skull 1st. The more grease you get out the better the results will be. log on to Taxidermy.net. then go to skull work forum. there you will find alot great info share by others. Good luck

My buddy boiles them in peroxide and water. they come out pretty good. For deer and bears he has a pot from a turkey Fryer.

the 40% peroxide solution from the beauty salons works well, but can be hard to get unless you know a hair dresser. i would steer clear of bleach. Lots of good advice already though.

One more question would you glue the teeth back in after of before you soak it in peroxide i don't know if the teeth were supposed to come out again it's my first time doing anything like this but just wanted to know what you would do. Thanks you guys have been a great help.

Boiling is very hard on skulls, you loose all those delicate nasal cavity bones and the teeth fall out. Not sure why everyone calls it bleaching. Bleach is not used to whiten skulls. Dermested beetles are many times better for cleaning skulls. They will get every bit of nerves, vessels and meat from every tiny hole in the skull. Something boiling can't do. The proper way to whiten skulls is to first degrease the skull. This should be done at least twice preferably three times. If you don't degrease, you will get grease oozing out of the skull for years. After degreasing, then you mix a solution of 15-40% peroxide with Sodium Carbonate into a paste. This should be done twice. I currently have three colonies of beetles going.

FullCryHounds wrote:Boiling is very hard on skulls, you loose all those delicate nasal cavity bones and the teeth fall out. Not sure why everyone calls it bleaching. Bleach is not used to whiten skulls. Dermested beetles are many times better for cleaning skulls. They will get every bit of nerves, vessels and meat from every tiny hole in the skull. Something boiling can't do. The proper way to whiten skulls is to first degrease the skull. This should be done at least twice preferably three times. If you don't degrease, you will get grease oozing out of the skull for years. After degreasing, then you mix a solution of 15-40% peroxide with Sodium Carbonate into a paste. This should be done twice. I currently have three colonies of beetles going.

What do you use to degrease your skulls and what is the process.
Thanks.