How To Clean A Bull Skull

a friend of mine asked if i could clean his steer skull that he had butchered,i haven't seen it yet,but he said all the meat is off he just wants it cleaned(I'm thinking bleached white)i dont have beetles,and is there away to boil it without hurting the horns,its about 3 ft wide he says,and whats the easyiest way to whiten it?thanks Tim
If it is not cleaned all the way, I advise maceration due to your options. Use a very large bucket and make sure the entire skull is submerged. I don't add anything to my water besides a bit of bacteria from my fish tank (AKA: fish H2O). I believe the fish water helps the water get infested faster (a good thing) because there is already existing micro-organisms. Check the water about once every 5 to 7 days, and if it's too dirty; dump out the water (but always leave some) and flush your skull (the meat should "sluff" off).
With whitening a skull, NEVER use bleach. Bleach dries out your skull and will cause it to turn to a nice white powder over time. Use hydrogen peroxide, mixed in a solution of 80% water. When using this method with creatures with horns or antlers, do not let them soak on the peroxide, it will cause a MAJOR discoloration of the bone. I wrap the antlers or horns (the part that is most likely to touch the peroxide) with aluminum foil first, and then mummyfy it with electrical tape (several layers). Don't leave this on the antlers or horns for too long or it will start to mold. If your steer's sheaths on the horns slide off, go ahead and take those off. I believe it's bone under them, so it doesn't matter if that touches the peroxide (you might want it to be whitened too?).

Let your skull sit in this solution for up to two days (judging from how large steer skulls tend to be), or until it reaches the desired coloration. Remember that it will get lighter once it dries.

Here's an article on this forum about sealing skulls and bones after you're done whitening: http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,2213.0.html
I'm a fan of the bagged rotting skull method. Just double bag the skull and place where no large skull toating critters can get to it. With a little warm weather the skull rots off quickly. For faster cleaning, leave some small opening in the bags to let the little critters in. This method works for tiny skulls and up to any skull that can be contained in the biggest plastic bags you can find. Oh yea, place it downwind and enjoy, Aaron H.