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October 24, 2012
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Do any of you guys use the maceration process to clean your deer skulls? While in the stink tank and while degreasing, how do you get the top of the skull submerged without removing the color from the antler bases?
I’ve read that while degreasing that the water temp. needs to be slightly over 100 degress for best results. How do you maintain this temp. and does it just take longer if the temp. is around the mid 80’s.
Thanks for any help you could provide.
I macermate and simmer, I place mine in a container with enough water to cover and place inside a out building and let stand for at least a week at arround 70+ degrees. Then I take out rince with a water hose and simmer in water and Dawn at just before boil. Everything will fall off in a few minutes normally arround ten or twenty and then I either place in a degrease tank or I let it simmer for another thirty minutes to degrease depends on the skull( Type, Condition)….Then I will remove wash antlers and skull in hot water. place out the way in front of fan to dry….Once dry I whiten….DC
February 25, 2015
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Maceration itself does not do anything to the antlers. Maceration is rotting the meat of in water. Once that is complete simply move to degrease. Do not boil or simmer at this point it will trap the grease in the bone. You can use anything to degrease. I have seen people use a nestco roaster pan set on low. You need to have water over 100 and closer to 110 or above. This is the hard part. Then change water every few days when the grease is on top of the water.I mix dawn dish soap in with my water to help with the grease. Hope this helps
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February 22, 2015
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I know some guys use beetles to clean skulls. My uncle has used the maceration process and his skulls look pretty good. Is one better than the other?
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Turkey Killing Machine
December 11, 2015
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Jan. 2 2016
Update and additional information
This thread has two subjects, and some of it has been answered well so I will summarize and add to what is here. Maceration does not change or affect the horns of deer, as was noted by communityscrape outdoors other than short term odor. (ideal temps for maceration to proceed as quickly as possible is about 95 to 100 degrees)
Whiskey Legends mentioned degreasing and the temps that are needed. There is more information available now and I personally have done some playing around with fat in general. The process of degreasing is usually done with a dish detergent and water solution. There doesn’t seem to be any set amount but there needs to be enough to make suds and the water should feel slick.
Heat is necessary to melt fat, in and on the surface of a skull….to prove this, take a spoon of lard and add it to cold detergent water and then set it back for several days…you will find that the lard will be just like it was when you go back and check it. If you heat that water it will eventually reduce the fat…and if you can get water movement it will go faster.
Temperature for degreasing is somewhat species dependent. Animals that have dense, tallow type fat such as sheep and deer benefit with temperatures approaching 118 degrees to melt the fat. Then the detergent can reduce into an emulsion and remove it from the bone.
Other animals such as bears and other carnivores have a softer greasier fat and they do not need the higher temps and you can usually get them clean with around 110 degrees.
Nothing is absolute, some animals may need slightly more heat or less. With temperatures less than 120 degrees there will be no bone damage even with a longer soak. The unasked part of this question was how long does it take….and the answer is as long as it takes. Some animals will just take longer than others. I had a large bear head and one that had been in the freezer for probably 25 years. The small bear degreased in about three months the big bear that was fresh took 8 months (I was ready to beat it with a hammer before it finally gave up all the grease!)
Lastly Joe Kowal.. Asked about maceration or bugs “Is one better than the other?”
And my answer is – they both have good points and drawbacks but the end results are the same…skulls have all flesh removed to the surface of the bone.inside and out One through mechanical means (bugs teeth) and maceration eliminates flesh by bacteria consuming it at a molecular level.. Maceration also may speed degreasing because bacteria will also digest some of the fat.
If I missed something> someone please jump in and finish. 
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