Skull turns dark/ black euro mount issue

[CoHunter1991]

Over the last 7 years I have done 20 or so Euro mounts of deer and pronghorn for my family. I have used the same pot and same process for each of them. The first step I do is boil the semi cleaned skulls in plain water then power wash. About every other year a skull I do this first step to turns black. The whitening process usually does a good job correcting this but it scares me every time. Does this happen to anyone else? Why does this happen? See pics below from today’s. Thanks

 

[Addicting]

Try simmering it with adding Dawn dish soap. I change the water twice. It will remove the oils causing that discoloration.

 

[CoHunter1991]

Will the dawn effect the antler color?

 

[Werty]

I use dawn soap and oxi clean in a slow simmer. Keep antlers out of water. Then do whatever bleaching style u want. Ive never had one turn black.

 

[Caseknife]

Dawn dish soap and baking soda will not change the antler color. However, hydrogen peroxide will definitely take the staining out of the antlers. Never had a skull turn black like that. Did make a slight mistake on my elk this year. After getting the skull good and clean with numerous soap and soda baths and a trip to the carwash, will add hydrogen peroxide to fresh water to get the last bits of tissue and whiten the skull, but leaving the base of the antlers below the water level. Usually use a white washcloth to wrap around the antler pedicels to bleach the pedicels because they will wick the hot water bath. Used a couple mechanics shop rags, bluish green, bad choice, colored the skull, oops. Little more hair bleach to clean that mess up

 

[Valley1320]

I use dawn soap and oxi clean in a slow simmer. Keep antlers out of water. Then do whatever bleaching style u want. Ive never had one turn black.

This is what I do. I wrap plastic and tape around bottom of antlers so I can get the top of the skull plate submerged good

 

[CoHunter1991]

Okay I’ll try to add dawn to my first boil where I submerge the lower antler

 

[Addicting]

Okay I’ll try to add dawn to my first boil where I submerge the lower antler

You don’t have to submerge the antler. The steam coming up from the water does the job. You keep saying boil but don’t boil them. It makes the skull terribly fragile. You need to simmer them just below the boiling point.

As others have said you can wrap the base of the horns to protect them but they don’t go in the water. No it will not discolor them.

 

[CoHunter1991]

You are right boil is the wrong word to use. I usually do a light simmer. Interesting the steam will be enough to break down everything around the pedical, I have never tried that but I’ll give that a go.

So I guess it’s likely the fat in the untreated water causing that coloration is the conclusion?.

 

[Hunting Wife]

Over the years we’ve done a bunch of our own, and I’ve done a bunch of various dead heads for work. I’ve noticed that the ones that either had some kind of head trauma (vehicle collisions and such) or ones that get very “ripe” before I get to them tend to have a higher likelihood of turning black like this. The traumatic ones often turn black wherever there was a hematoma or where blood pooled on the skull. I think it has something to do with the iron from the hemoglobin when the blood cells start to break down, seeping into or staining the bone. So far it’s always bleached out, though some of the dead heads keep kind of a color cast sometimes.

 

[Hunting Wife]

So I guess it’s likely the fat in the untreated water causing that coloration is the conclusion?.

The fat will give it grease stains, but it doesn’t turn black in my experience. Two different issues.

 

[CoHunter1991]

Okay I was wondering if it had something to do with blood. It has always bleached thank goodness. Thanks for all the help

 

[perma]

How’d it go @CoHunter1991? I got one like that too and can’t seem to get it out. Looking like it’ll have to be bleached…

 

[thomas89]

Give it a quick bath in some diluted iron out!

 

[NEWHunter]

I’ve had this issue once or twice. Seems to happen when the head has been skinned out for a while before I get to simmering.