Bear Skull Cleaning - Keeping the teeth as is

[seeth07]

Does anyone know a good way/process to clean up a bear skull for mounting but still keeping the teeth in tact just the way they look? I'd prefer to not have them looking pure white like the rest of the skull and with my old bear and extremely damaged teeth, I'm really worried about there being nothing left to them during the cleaning process.

 

[morley.tyler]

Pull the teeth now, bleach the skull, and superglue the teeth back in. Take quality pics as you go and label each tooth.

 

[seeth07]

Pull the teeth now, bleach the skull, and superglue the teeth back in. Take quality pics as you go and label each tooth.

anywhere you can point me to on how to pull the teeth correctly without damaging them?

 

[Gut Shot]

No need to pull teeth. I just boil the skull and take care not to get the bleaching agent on the teeth.

 

[idelkslayer]

I also like to preserve the color of the teeth with all their natural staining and character.

Once the skull has simmered long enough to soften and break up the connective tissue it is very easy to pull the canines and incisors. The molars sometimes give you a little trouble but they come out easily enough. I've never needed to do anything special to protect the teeth from breaking and I just work slowly to make sure I don't damage any part of the skull. The bone can be very thin over the canines but they usually come out so easily that it isn't a problem. Make sure you have a system to put all the teeth back in the right order. After whitening the skull you can glue them back in with just about any super glue or epoxy.

 

[Bowhunt_406]

I have always macerated my skulls. Which has led to no cracking in my canines on bears and lions. After a while macerating the teeth except molars seem to fall out or get very loose which makes pulling effortless. The molars come out too and with a little motivation they go make in fine also. Figuring out what tooth goes where isn’t that difficult. The roots on the underside of the tooth especially molars will line up with the holes in the skull. But if you do remove the teeth do yourself the favor. Don’t put them back in until the skull is fully degreased which will take a long time. I have always liked the natural look of teeth. My last bears molars are still purple from the huckleberries he was eating.

 

[Nick87]

No need to pull teeth. I just boil the skull and take care not to get the bleaching agent on the teeth.

That's a really good way to keep the grease in. Don't boil it @seeth07.

 

[homestead]

I have always macerated my skulls. Which has led to no cracking in my canines on bears and lions. After a while macerating the teeth except molars seem to fall out or get very loose which makes pulling effortless. The molars come out too and with a little motivation they go make in fine also. Figuring out what tooth goes where isn’t that difficult. The roots on the underside of the tooth especially molars will line up with the holes in the skull. But if you do remove the teeth do yourself the favor. Don’t put them back in until the skull is fully degreased which will take a long time. I have always liked the natural look of teeth. My last bears molars are still purple from the huckleberries he was eating.

Could you elaborate on your process? Just soaking in water? Or some other liquid/concoction?

 

[Bowhunt_406]

Could you elaborate on your process? Just soaking in water? Or some other liquid/concoction?

First week in water and bromelian tablets at roughly 95 degrees until flesh is fully removed. Partial water changes every couple days. Hopefully teeth are loose enough to pull. After flesh is gone and teeth pulled it’s time to degrease.

 

[Lacyve]

Pull the teeth now, bleach the skull, and superglue the teeth back in. Take quality pics as you go and label each tooth.

This^

 

[TheTone]

Could you elaborate on your process? Just soaking in water? Or some other liquid/concoction?

I do skulls that will fit in a bucket with a screw on lid and an aquarium heater. I do first couple soaks with plain water and once most of tissue is gone I rotate soaks with soapy water and ammonia water. Final soak is with water and peroxide

 

[homestead]

First week in water and bromelian tablets at roughly 95 degrees until flesh is fully removed. Partial water changes every couple days. Hopefully teeth are loose enough to pull. After flesh is gone and teeth pulled it’s time to degrease.

What are you using to degrease?

 

[Bowhunt_406]

What are you using to degrease?

Depends on the skull. I’ve used ammonia and water mixed. Dawn dish soap and water works fine too. Predators are just greasy. The degreasing can take along time to get it all out. I know some people will whiten before all the grease is out, but to my experience it just leaves the customer with a skull where the yellow will come back.