Best way to slip Antelope horns off

[NMPaul]

I have done a lot of european mounts on Antelope. I have never been happy how I slip the horns off of the skull.

I normally submerge the entire horn in simmering water and eventually it slips off.

I dont like that the bottom will warp and also it sometimes cracks a little on the bottom.

When I go to put the horn on the cleaned skull I let it soak in warm water again before I slip it on to make sure it is pliant.

Any tricks of the trade the professionals use??

 

[redrabbit]

Use a microwave oven (but not your wife's)

 

[Triple_BB]

I hang the entire animal by the horns only. Takes about 3 days, but once the elastin starts to break down, the horn will come loose. Usually I'll find the entire carcass piled up on the floor and the horns still hanging. Beats boiling and a lot easier to clean up...

 

[eelgrass]

I took a sawed off antelope skull into my taxidermist to get mounted. I had fully caped it earlier. He took a tool like a sharpened screw driver and quickly worked along the bottom edge of the horn, gave a few twists, and pulled them both off in about two minutes.

Eel

 

[NMPaul]

Wow, these are some pretty creative ideas. Which one to try???