Reddit mentions of Raptorazor Scrambler Deer and Elk Skull Cleaning Tool

For those interested, here is the process I follow. This is the second skull I've done and both have turned out nicely. I know it looks like a lot of work at face value, and there is a lot of time that goes into it, but I was super nervous the first time I tried this, did a lot of research on how to do euro mounts and ultimately almost bailed out and paid someone $150 to do it for me. I ended up sticking it out and am glad I did both times. I know it's cliche, but if I can do this, anyone can do it and there is an immense amount of self pride that you get from seeing it hanging on your wall. Good luck and I look forward to seeing pictures of others who attempt to do their own DIY euro mount!

1. Using your favorite knife or utility knife remove the hide from the deer skull. I find it best to pull the hide away from the skull while making small slices where the hide is still connected to the skull. But use whatever means you like so long as you get the hide removed.
   
2. Once the skin is removed, I typically start working on removing the lower jaw and tongue. Slowly start pulling the bottom jaw open and cut away at the tendons and meat that give you resistance. Eventually the lower jaw should completely give way and separate from the skull.
   
3. With the lower jaw removed I next turn my focus to removing the eyeballs. Typically I will start by cutting away at the fatty waxy substance behind the eye socket. Once you have most of that stuff removed, start pushing on the eyeball from behind, trying to force it out through the front of the skull. As you're pushing, try to cut away at the tissue around the eye to release it from the socket. Eventually you'll be able to pop the eyeball out and cut away the remaining tissue and nerves.
   
4. Once you've removed both eyeballs it's time to move onto the brain. Depending on your budget and patience you can handle this one of two ways. The first time I just used a combination of picks and knives to dig the brain matter out of the brain cavity. The second time around I ordered the RaptoRazor Scrambler (link below) which is essentially a drill bit that you string up with weed eater string. Using this tool you can simply pour water into the brain cavity, mix it up with the scrambler, and pour it out. It took me approximately 4 to 5 cycles of this to get the brain cavity completely cleaned. But as soon as the water begins to pour clear you're done.
   
5. Now that the brain and eyeballs have been removed from the skull use a combination of knives and picks to get as much meat and cartilage off the skull as possible. Pay extra attention in detail to the nasal cavity as the bones are delicate and break easily, but there is so much cartilage to be removed.
   
6. Once you're satisfied and have removed as much meat and cartilage as possible it's time to boil the skull. I use an outdoor turkey fryer with an old stock pot. Add a box of baking soda to the pot of water and bring to a simmer just below a boil and let your skull simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. I used a 2'x4' to wedge my antlers do that they did not submerge in the water.
   
7. Remove the skull from the water and remove any remaining meat and cartilage using picks, pliers, and a steel brush off you have one available. Just be careful not to gouge the skull.
   
8. At this point you can optionally remove the ear bones by prying them out with a flat head screw driver. This will remove a good chunk of meat that can be hard to get to any other way. Some folks like the look with the ear bones but it's entirely up to you.
   
9. Place the skull back into the simmering water for 25 to 35 minutes. While the skull is simmering, fill a large cooler or tub with hot water (as hot as your hands can stand to be submerged in) and squirt a lot of dawn dish soap in.
   
10. Remove the skull from the pot and immediately submerge it into the water dish soap solution. Using an air compressor, submerge the skull and air nozzle and spray over the entire surface and into all cavities of the skull. This simulates a pressure washer and the dish soap helps to de-grease the skull while also removing the bits and pieces of hard to reach meat.
    
    Some folks will use a pressure washer instead of steps 9 and 10, but I prefer this method as it removes the grease which can cause the skull to yellow over time.
    
    
11. Let your skull dry over night (or set it in front of a space heater for a half hour or so) to ensure its dried thoroughly.
    
    At this point your skull can be mounted if you are satisfied with the appearance. The remaining steps are my preference and help with the cosmetics only.
    
    
12. Bleach your skull. You can order these products off of Amazon (links below), but I just go to the local Sally Beauty Supply. Make sure to wear gloves, eye protection, and a mask for this part as the bleach mixture can be relatively strong and caustic. Tape off the antlers with masking or painters tape to the brow tines in order to protect the antlers from the bleaching mixture. Mix Salon Care 40 Volume Developer Creme with Salon Care Quick White Powder Lightener until it's roughly the consistency of a milk shake and then paint the skull and cavities with the mixture. I used an old tooth brush to cover the inside of the brain cavity and dumped some extra in their along with the nasal cavity.
    
    Once the skull is entirely covered, wrap the entire thing in Saran wrap and place in front of a space heater. The heat is necessary to activate the bleaching agent. Heat the skull for about an hour, rotating every 10 minutes or so to ensure even heating.
    
    While the skull is heating, prepare a new cooler full of hot water; no soap this time. Once the skull had been heated, cut the Saran wrap and submerge the skull to the base of the antlers and use your air compressor to bubble the surface and cavities again to remove the bleach and clean the skull.
    
    Let the skull dry thoroughly. As the skull dries out will lighten up, but if you're unsatisfied with the color you can repeat the cleaning process as needed.
    
    
13. After the skull has dried you should have a beautiful euro mount ready to go. This last step is a personal preference, but I usually take a cherry or colonial wood stain, dip a rag in it and rub the antlers down to darken them back up. BE CAREFUL TO NOT DRIP THE STAIN ON THE NEWLY BLEACHED SKULL.
    
    This also brings out a lot of unseen character in the antlers. Let the stain set for 10 minutes or so and wipe them down with a clean dry cloth.
    
    Now you should have a beautiful skull with a nice, dark rack ready to mount. My mount of choice is the Walnut Hollow Country Solid Wood Deluxe Euro Skull Display Kit from Amazon.
    
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    Product Links:
    
    RaptoRazor Scrambler - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K3KQ6DR/
    
    Salon Care 40 Volume Creme Developer- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004OKDW20/
    
    Salon Care Quick White Powder Lightener - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004OKG9PW/
    
    Walnut Hollow Country Solid Wood Deluxe Euro Skull Display Kit - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UV9QH4/
    
    ​
    
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    Sources of inspiration/information:
    
    EDIT: Here are the two articles I found that inspired me and were sources for my slightly modified process:
    
    https://www.instructables.com/id/European-Mounted-Deer/
    
    https://www.huntaddicts.com/do-it-yourself-european-mount/