Here is my set up I use to "simmer" the skulls. It is a deep fry turkey burner. I think i bought it at Home Depot.
I put in a handful of soda ash and a squirt of dawn liquid dish soap (both help to degrease, the soda ash will turn flesh into a jelly consistency that slides off the skull with ease and also helps whiten).
This is what our skull looks like prior to putting into the hot water. You do not want a hard boil. You want it to be on the verge of boiling. if the skull is in boiling water for a long period it will become fragile. the nasal bones will bust out and it will begin to flake and the skull looses strength. you must monitor the skull ALWAYS while you are simmering it.
this is what it looks like after 1 hour of simmering. during the 1st hour I took it out every 10 minutes and scraped/picked at the flesh to loosen it up. I use a knife, wire brush and a small pick to get in crevasses.
the backside underneath the brain cavity is usually the most difficult. more areas that tissue connects to. keep picking, it will get loose. you can be aggressive with the wire brush!
our nasal bones are still intact!
time to change the water. get fresh hot water and throw in another handful of soda ash and some dawn soap. bring back to a simmer. put the skull back in. you can cover up the bottom of the antler burrs.
boil and pick away for another hour. you should be done with the boiling now.
take inside and wash/flush out the skull with hot water.
set aside to drip dry for a few minutes.
we will now whiten the skull. 2 chemicals are needed. Salon Care quick white (powder) and Salon Care 40 Volume clear. mix both together to form a consistency of pancake batter.
brush on the skull. make sure to get in every spot. do not get on antlers. it will bleach out a spot on the antler, so use care when going around the burrs.
when done coating, wrap the skull up tight in plastic wrap.
set in front of a small space heater on on your floor heating register. rotate every so often. keep the plastic wrap on for 2-3 days.
i will post the next steps in a couple days when the skull i am working on is ready.
give it a try, its not hard. its a great DIY job.