First DIY Euros

[TRICER]

Boiled my first euros today they didn’t turn out bad. I learned a lot and have a little bit of gluing to do tomorrow but all in all they look good. The doe is @BBH A22 deer and the buck is my X zone from last weekend.

I process my own game the only I don’t do is the euros so I figured I would give it a go. Just something cool to do on a Sunday and these deer seemed like perfect ones to mess with.

@BOWUNTR anything I want to look good is coming your way. What kind of glue do you use if you bust off some of the nose?

 

[HATCHET1]

Im no Ed..but super glue works fine. Nice job.

 

[SurfNHuntSD]

Looks pretty good to me Drew.. nice job.

 

[fish impaler]

Looking good! I would probably degrease a little more, it looks like the nasal area on the buck and the brain cavity on the doe might still be holding some grease. Once it starts to go rancid it’s much harder to remove any residual grease, in my experience.

 

[TheGDog]

Looks good. Looks like there is still fats within the bone tissue. Another simmer with the 40% Peroxide added into the water.

Use your sniffer! If there is ANY flesh odor you can detect at all... you need to redo. If you hang it up in a room when there is *ANY* odor detectable by your nose... that odor will expand and permeate the entire room you have it hanging in.

Just don't seal up the skull yet. (The Mop-N-Glo thing) Give yourself the chance to clearly tell by smell if all the tissues have been addressed or not. If you think it's done, but its not.... you'll hang it up in a room, then the next day when you go to open that door into that room it'll hit ya in the nose right away. So you'll know there's still more simmering work to be done.

And for help with brushing and scratching off the plaque and tartar on their teeth... when it's time to remove the brushed-on Peroxide Cream solution... a Brass Brush or Stiff Nylon Brush helps. Don't use a Steel Brush, it'll leave scratch marks on the bone, AND it'll turn rusted from the chemicals.

 

[BOWUNTR]

Drew I use super glue. Looks like a little more degreasing to do. Looks good.

Looks like Larry is back.... pheww. Lets see the forky you shot in the back of the head. I'd like to see the hole. Ed F

 

[TRICER]

Ed I simmered/light boiled them in Oxi Clean and dawn for about 45 minutes then pressure washed. Put them back in with more Oxi clean for another 2 hours pressure washed them completely clean. Simmered them with water and hair developer for 30 minutes and that’s the point they are at now. That was around 9pm had to go to bed.
So should I put them back in with Oxi clean for another hour or so? Also do you leave them outside for a week or so to air out and dry out? Also for the final bleach I am thinking I am going to use white developer #40 and just brush it on and let it dry then repeat that a few times over a week.

 

[BOWUNTR]

On tough skulls i leave them in a heated (110°) bucket for a week or two with dawn and oxy. I bought a thermostat controlled heat element off amazon . I also have a bucket of white gas that does a pretty good job. Each skull is different. Ed F

 

[fish impaler]

I’ve damaged skulls using hot peroxide for too long. Now I have a temp controller rigged up to a crockpot at 110f , filled with dish soap and ammonia, it takes a bit longer but the lack of grease in the end product is worth it. No hard and fast rule for how long to let it sit, but can’t really overdo it.

 

[ilovesprig]

Very nice, Drew....I'm from the 60's....So, I like the greasy look....

 

[TRICER]

Ed I ordered these two items. I will do what you said and let them soak for a week with Oxi clean. After they are fully degreased what do you use to bleach them or will they be pretty clean after a week in the oxi clean? Also do you change the water out?

 

[BOWUNTR]

That'll work. Peroxide... either the salon 40 or i get 35% from a chemical supply. Any other questions... keep them coming. Ed F

 

[TRICER]

Do you boil in the bleach or do you just brush it on and let it dry? I am still a week off until bleaching.
This is add another level to the hunting process, I like it.

 

[BOWUNTR]

I mentioned oxy and dawn in the 110° water... strike that. Warm oxy will whiten the antler, dawn will not. Do not use commercial degreaser with antlers either. Ed F

 

[TRICER]

Kept the skulls in 110deg water for a week then #40 developer for 4 days. Turned out great, I am stoked. Hopefully get a few more to practice on between now and February! Thanks @BOWUNTR for the help and advice.

 

[DoubleTrouble]

Looks great! Did you color the antlers? If so... what did you use?

 

[TRICER]

Looks great! Did you color the antlers? If so... what did you use?

I learned a lot and on the next one I shouldn’t need to color the antlers. The oxyclean used during the initial boil bleached them. Next time I will only use dawn when doing antlered game. But it will use oxyclean for everything else.
This is what I used to stain the antlers I applied it with a Q tip.

 

[SurfNHuntSD]

Came out great Drew. When I do antlers I usually just rub them in mud then poly them, but I've stained them too which works.

When I first read DIY euros I thought you might have mounted some doves.

 

[TheGDog]

The teeth came out real good!