Ballistol Trophy Bleaching – For Pure White Skulls and Bones
The memory of a special hunt never fades. The trophy, however, does: skulls and bone fragments yellow with age, and without the white background, even the most beautiful antlers no longer stand out.
Ballistol Trophy Bleaching is a specialized bleaching agent for the professional whitening of hunting trophies such as skulls and antler mounts. Developed for hunters, taxidermists, and anyone looking to prepare trophies properly, it solves a central problem in trophy care: discolored, yellowed, or unevenly white bone surfaces can be brightened targeted and lastingly with this product.
Performance & Applications
To achieve the best and most even result, it is first important that the trophy to be treated (e.g., a skull) is cleaned as thoroughly as possible. It should be largely free of grease, tissue residue, and other contaminants. A common pre-cleaning method is to boil it in water with a small amount of laundry or dish detergent added. This step is often underestimated, yet it is decisive for the final result: bleach acts unevenly on greasy areas or spots with tissue residue, resulting in a blotchy rather than uniformly white outcome.
Preparing the bleaching solution:
Add two level tablespoons (approx. 15-20 g) of Trophy Bleaching per 100 ml of cold water. Depending on the degree of saturation, the powder will either dissolve completely or leave a small residue undissolved. Please fill the container no more than half full, as strong foaming can occur and cause the solution to overflow. It is important to use the bleach solution as fresh as possible. A solution that has already been used, or one that has been left standing without a trophy in it for an extended period, will gradually lose its effectiveness as the active ingredients decompose on their own.
Treating the skull:
Immerse the cleaned skull in the solution and stir a little. Please make sure that all areas to be treated come into sufficient contact with the solution. Leave the skull in the solution overnight and then heat it to approx. 50 °C.
Alternatively, you can wrap the skull in kitchen paper and repeatedly pour the bleaching solution over it thoroughly.
After approx. 15 hours, rinse the trophy with water. If bleaching is not yet complete, the process can be repeated. This way, even yellowed skulls become pure white again.
Drying:
After treatment, the skull should be placed in a suitable, well-ventilated location to dry. Indirect sunlight is ideal. However, the skull should not be exposed to direct sunlight, as drying too quickly and unevenly can cause cracks. The UV radiation of daylight supports the bleaching process. After approximately 2 days, even damp, darker areas on the trophy should have turned a bright white.
Disposal:
The used solution can be disposed of via the sewage system.
Working safely:
Trophy Bleaching is a bleaching agent and must be handled accordingly. Always wear protective gloves, protective clothing and eye protection during use. Avoid inhaling powder dust and any vapors that form, and work only in a well-ventilated area. Do not eat, drink or smoke while handling the product, and wash your hands thoroughly after use. Store locked up and out of the reach of children.
Mode of action:
Trophy Bleaching contains two strong oxidising agents, sodium percarbonate and sodium persulfate, which oxidise organic substances to CO₂. When the specified amount of sodium percarbonate is added to water, it produces a 3–5% hydrogen peroxide solution. Heat supports and accelerates this oxidation process, which is why warming the solution enhances and speeds up its effect accordingly. However, the solution should not be brought to a full boil. It is sufficient for the water to begin simmering, meaning slow bubbles rising to the surface.
Technical Properties
- Active ingredients: sodium percarbonate and sodium persulfate, two powerful oxidizing agents
- Mode of action: oxidation of organic residues to CO₂, formation of hydrogen peroxide via sodium percarbonate
- Dosage: approx. 15–20 g (two level tablespoons) per 100 ml cold water
- Application time: approx. 15 hours of exposure
- Optimal temperature: approx. 50 °C to accelerate the effect
- Drying time: approx. 2 days in a well-ventilated location with indirect sunlight
- Disposal: used solution can be disposed of via the sewage system
- Safety notes: protective gloves, protective clothing, and eye protection required; use only in a well-ventilated area; store out of reach of children
