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How to

• 360 degree photography
• Skull mounting
  • Cleaning
    • Boiling and simmering
    • Macerating
    • Beetle cleaning
  • Degreasing
  • Bleaching

360 degree photography

The 360 degree photos are taken by the system Product Photo 360. For the brief description visit the official site.

Skull mounting

Cleaning

• Boiling and simmering
  
  • Method:
    Put the skinned head into a cooking pot, fill with water and start heating. The difference between the boiling and the simmering is that the water temperature doesn't reach the boiling-point during the simmering. In this case the best temperature is about 75-85 °C. Regularly check the flesh on the skull. If it starts to soften, take out the head and remove as much flesh as possible with a tweezer, scalpel or with a knife. If there is still some flesh on the skull continue the boiling or the simmering. Comparing the finished skulls I think there is no difference between boiling and simmering.
  • Pros:
    • Most popular method
    • Suggested for beginers
    • Easy, cheap and fast
  • Cons:
  • Rough method
  • Hard to degrease
  • Tiny bones can be broken or lost
  • Tips:
    Some people add a bit sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to the water to make the tendons eaiser to remove. If you add NaOH be very careful because if you use too much the bones can be dissolved. Furthermore bases can make the skull grey. That's why I never use NaOH or any other bases.
• Macerating
  • Method:
    All that you need is only a glass or plastic container. Put the skinned head into the container and fill it with water. In general I don't cover it for two or three days to get the water enough bacteria (it is indicated by becoming opalescent). Replace the water every second or third week until the bones are not clean. The processing time depends on highly the water temperature and the species.
  • Pros:
    • Easy to use
    • Very nice result
    • Easy to degrease after macerating
  • Cons:
  • Most bones became disarticulated
  • Small bones can be lost
  • "Disgusting"(?)
  • Needs practice
  • Tips:
    When I prepare a head for macerating I never remove the brain, because it is easy to break the tiny bones inside the skull. Be very careful when replacing the water not to lose any small bones.
• Beetle cleaning
  • Method:
    Beetles from the family Dermestidae are used for skull and skeleton cleaning. In my colony I have Dermestes frischii which is native in Hungary. Dermestes frischii is similar in morphology and physiology to the most popular Dermestes maculatus which is widely used in North America.
    Skin and flesh the head as much as possible. For bigger skulls it is useful to remove the brain. Put the head into cold water for a night (to remove the most of the blood). After soaking, dry the head in front of a fan for some hours. Drying is necessary to prevent moulding. After putting the head to the dermestarium, beetles start to feed on the flesh. Every second or third day check the colony and if it is necessary, sprinkle the skull with a spray bottle to prevent mummifying. Take out the skull when it is clean and sterilize in a freezer for at least 72 hours.
  • Pros:
    • Nice result
    • Any kind of vertebrate
    • Tiny bones can be cleaned properly
    • Bones don't get disarticulated
    • Fast
  • Cons:
  • Running the colony, it needs money and time
  • Have to provide a sufficient container for the colony
  • Have to feed the beetles even if there is no skull to clean
  • Smelly
  • Tips:
    If you flesh the skull, the beetles can clean it faster. Be careful when sprinkleing the colony and the skull because if it's too wet the skull can become moulded or mites can appear.

Degreasing

Degreasing can be made with several degreasing agents (acetone, washing powder, sodium carbonate, dishwashing liquid or ammonia solution). I always use acetone for beetle-cleaned bones and usually for macerated skulls. Simply merge the skull in acetone for some weeks. For large sized skulls I use washing powder or sodium carbonate. Heat water, add washing powder or sodium carbonate and pour it to the skull. Wait until the water getting cold and repeat the process if it is necessary (two or three times). Rinse the skull with clean water and let it dry. Repeat the degreasing process, if the skull is dried properly but spots of greese can be seen on the skull.

Ammonia solution and dishwashing liquid (white dawn) are widely used in North America. You can find a lot of information about the method on the internet. I tried it once, but wasn't effective and didn't like it.

Bleaching

This step is not necessary. If you like the brownish colour of the skull just skip it. Use hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in volume concentration 1-5 % for skull bleaching. Heat the water to about 60 °C, add the hydrogen peroxide and pour the skull with it. If the skull is well degreased, the bleaching process takes at most 3-4 hours. Rinse the skull with clean water and let it dry. Be careful with bleaching: if you use too strong hydrogen peroxide or the bleaching time is too long, the H₂O₂ may damage the skull.

Note: If you use acetone for degreasing and want to bleach the skull with hydrogen peroxide, make sure the acetone evaporated properly. Reacting acetone with hydrogen peroxide forms acetone peroxide which is a highly explosive compound!