The Buck Boiler

[jeepjeepwhat]

Anybody here try one of these or know anyone that has? It looks almost too good to be true. If there is truely no scraping involved then I think the money is more than worth it. I also have concern about the brain and eyes, if they are removed during the boiler process or not.

So I would like to hear any reviews if anybody here has used one.

Thanks.

The Buck Boiler From OnTime Feeders

Cabela's: On-Time Buck Boiler

Home - Trey's Buck Boiler

It looks like treys buckboiler sold the idea to On-Time and they are not marketing it. The only reason I say this is b/c of the shared footage from the two websites.

 

[boykinlp]

As I was flipping thru channels this morning, I saw it advertised by Hank Parker and his sons on Hank Parker 3D. Looked interesting.

 

[Frank237]

I've been boiling elk, deer , Mtn lion, bobcat and bear skulls each season for 20+ years now. I use a 55 gal drum cut off at about 1/3 height and the edges rolled over. Heated over a propane burner.

I have found that the #1 thing that makes boiling the meat, sinew, etc off of the skulls easy..... is a white additive that I got years back from a Taxidermy Supply house. Forget the name....but should be easy to look up. Gotta wear eye protection as I beleive the working ingredient is LYE.

If I can find the name I'll pass it on............. Possibly called SAL-SODA??


FN in MT

 

[michael thornton]

i just put mine in a ant bed, wire it with a coat hanger and let them do all the work

 

[old bear]

Is this for real?

OK, I admit it, I'm a naive city boy, but do folks really do this? I don't want to offend anyone but that deer skull with the antlers really looks strange, at least to me.

 

[jeepjeepwhat]

Old Bear, we sure do. Here is my latest skull that I boiled.

I understand different people come from different places and things that are normal to one person might be strange to another. Like I don't understand why people would live in an area with bumper to bumper traffic or where it cost $5 for a cup of coffee.

 

[zercool]

OK, I admit it, I'm a naive city boy, but do folks really do this? I don't want to offend anyone but that deer skull with the antlers really looks strange, at least to me.

No offense taken. It's often known as a "European mount". It's a little less common and a lot smaller (and less expensive) than a traditional shoulder mount. In the right room, it can add a nice touch. Next time I have something worth mounting it'll likely be done as a European mount.

 

[DeadAye]

i just put mine in a ant bed, wire it with a coat hanger and let them do all the work

Deer too?
Around here you have to cage the head or the squirrels and other kritters will eat the antlers

 

[jeepjeepwhat]

Same goes for around here, antlers last maybe a day in the woods before they get gnawed on by the tree rats.

I've had mixed results with burrying a skull for a couple of months and letting the bugs eat everything, but its hard to make it bright white after this method is used.

I've heard of of sinking and chaining a skull to the bottom of a stream and the water bugs and what nots will clean it off in a couple of weeks but I have never tried this method.

To get back on track from the original thread.... Nobody's tried the buck boiler????

 

[LHS]

Instead of soap put in a few veggies and salt and presto! Antler Art & Supper!


lol!

 

[TACC1]

I have not tried a Buck Boiler either, but I can feel another
crime movie coming along! TACC1

 

[jkc]

Before investing in this widget, check any nearby college or university which may have a biology department, which may have a colony of dermestid beetles, the larvae of which voraciously consume and clean up the soft tissue from skulls and other bones. These colonies, colloquially called "bug boxes", are typically in some large bin that can accommodate large specimens. The school may even clean up your skull for free, being happy to feed their fiendish little friends, and to provide their students with some rubber-gloved-hands-on experience. Advantages of letting the bugs do the work is that they are very thorough, and the process does not involve melting fat which may permeate the skull in the boiling procedure, or damage the more delicate (such as nasal) bones or cracking the joints between skull plates, as may happen with boiling. However you end up removing the soft tissue, immersion in hydrogen peroxide, such as turns brunettes into blondes, disinfects epidermal scrapes, etc., will bleach skulls a pearly white.

 

[mwtdvm]

The beetles are the way to go if you can find them. I have had good luck with adding baking soda (or baking powder) to the water. An alkali solution breaks down the protein. Fat is another issue.. Also the boiling water can cause the teeth to crack.
I did a cougar skull once. The animal died of liver failure and was an intact male. The stench from the pot was a combination of male cat pee and vomit. I did not make any friends that weekend. A little peroxide and the skull still looks great 28 years later. BTW, the teeth were loosened and I used clear silicone caulk to stick them back in.