# Taxidermy Help



## 09hoytkatera (Feb 16, 2009)

*Taxidermy*

My dad has been a taxidermist for the 41 years that I have been alive. What kind of am are you talking about? I have seen lots of Bighorn sheep mounts. Rocky Mountain and Desert both. He always takes the horns off the skull to clean them and boil the skull. There is a membrane or layer of meat between the skull and the actuall horn just like an Antelope.


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## scrapewatcher (Apr 14, 2009)

the horn is not hollow. it has a core. it needs to be boiled and cleaned. do not submerge the horns. if you do you will see discoloration. wrape the base of the horns with aluminum wrap and submurge mabe 1/4 to i/2 of the horn. boil with a solution of water and a little bit of tide detergeant. periodaclly remove the horns and try to wiggle the horns. after awhile the suction will break and the horn will break free. side the horn off and you'll see what i'm talking about. tag each horn left and right and mark the core where the horn started after the core is cleaned.


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## freeslinger (Jul 30, 2007)

*Ram*

I think it's a Mouflon (sp?) Ram. We've tried to boil it but couldn't get it to budge... We'll try the covering with foil method. What's the ratio of detergent to water?

Thanks for the help, guys.


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## scrapewatcher (Apr 14, 2009)

freeslinger said:


> I think it's a Mouflon (sp?) Ram. We've tried to boil it but couldn't get it to budge... We'll try the covering with foil method. What's the ratio of detergent to water?
> 
> Thanks for the help, guys.


 the alum foil just helps in the discoloring of the horns. just take it up about 6 inches. about 1/4 cup of tide per gallon. you might have to boil it several hrs. it doesn't happen quick. but you still have to work those horns about every hr. or so. you will notice when they start to loosen. i have heard of some guy's microwaving them but i've never done it. it might work but how brittle would it leave your horns. you can also take a 1/32 or a 1/64th in drill bit about 1/2 to 3/4 the way up on the underside of each horn and drill a small hole where it is almost impossible to be seen to let the heat escape and speed up the process but i would get permission from the customer 1st. you can fill in later. you just need to drill about 1/2 inch deep. be patient and let the boiling do it's work. it will come. watch the water level and make sure it doesn't drop below the horn.


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## scrapewatcher (Apr 14, 2009)

did you ever get your horns boiled out?


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## ArtisticWhiteta (Feb 18, 2009)

I rot them off. soak the whole skullplate for a few days in water, seal them up tight in a plastic bag and leave them for a week or two on the roof. Remove from the bag and slam them down several times on a sheet of plywood. The horns will usually slip right off the cores. Cut off the pulp of the core, boil your skullplate and re-attach the horns.


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## scrapewatcher (Apr 14, 2009)

ArtisticWhiteta said:


> I rot them off. soak the whole skullplate for a few days in water, seal them up tight in a plastic bag and leave them for a week or two on the roof. Remove from the bag and slam them down several times on a sheet of plywood. The horns will usually slip right off the cores. Cut off the pulp of the core, boil your skullplate and re-attach the horns.


 i saw that method on tv the other night. i think that's the way to go.


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## ArtisticWhiteta (Feb 18, 2009)

Falling off a cliff onto a road actually looks even less labor intensive.


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## scrapewatcher (Apr 14, 2009)

true but not customer friendly lol. neat pic.


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## Cdpkook132 (Jul 8, 2009)

like it was said earlier soak in water for a couple of days make sure you dont soak the horns in water and then put in a bag and let rot for a week or two it doesnt hurt to let them sit longer either and then i always use a screwdriver and a hammer and tap between the horn and skull and they will pop right off then you start boiling making sure you get all the membrane out of the skull cap or else it will stink and you will end up with bugs!! good luck


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## carbon arrow1 (Jul 9, 2008)

i have a friend who is a taxidermist. what did with his dall sheep was get some flies to get on the horns. for about two weeks, and in that time they layed eggs and the moggots ate away the membrane. after the two weeks he slammed them on a table and they popped. lots of maggots to clean up but it worked.


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## freeslinger (Jul 30, 2007)

The horns finally came off. Tried boiling several times to no avail. They finall rotted and fell off. Gross. Smelled even better... ukey: thanks for the suggestions folks. I don't know if he took a picture of the finished product or not. I'll check. If one's available I'll post it.


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## myhowie (Jun 28, 2009)

*Horn removal*

I worked for a taxidermy supply company for a 16 years. Horns are hollow and antlers are solid. You have to boil the horns (either split the skull plate or leave it whole) to start with about 30 minutes, check to see if you can pull/pry the horn off, then when it comes off you have to clean the core real good, let the core and the shell of the horn dry real good, to replace it put some borax on the core and in the shell, to attach the horn use bondo. If horns are submerged in water you can use stain to get the color back.


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## Baz59 (Feb 17, 2003)

i know that antelope are the same way.... def have a core.


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