How to Paint Bronze Skulls

To find an intact skull is to find an animal's final resting place.

When a person finds an animal's skull, it is quite often a memorable experience, whether it was stumbled upon during a long hike through the woods or it was taken as a hunting trophy. A skull of special importance can be preserved with a metallic coating, typically bronze. This coating looks nice, but is expensive. Create the same look, at a much cheaper price, with metallic spray paint.

Things You'll Need

• Bronze spray paint
• Rubber gloves
• Ventilation mask
• Bucket
• Dish soap
• Hot water
• Rag
• Newspaper

Instructions

Cleaning the Skull

1. Add a squirt of dish soap to the bucket and add hot water, about 2/3 full.

2. Wear the rubber gloves and submerge the skull in the hot soapy water. Scrub the skull and remove any dirt and debris to create a smooth, clean surface to help the paint stick.

3. Lay out some newspaper. Set the skull on the newspaper and allow it to air dry.

Painting the Skull

1. Put on the rubber gloves and ventilation mask. Shake the bronze metallic spray can and begin painting the top of the skull with light coats in a sweeping motion across the skull. It is important to be patient when applying the paint because too much paint applied at once will drip down the side. Several light coats will look much better in the end than one or two heavy coats.

2. Allow the first coat to harden. This will take about 20 minutes, depending on humidity, temperature and the amount of airflow over the skull. Once the paint has thickened, apply another coat.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 of this section until there is a smooth, even layer of paint covering the entire skull.

4. Allow the final coat to harden before moving the skull to a safe place where it can dry undisturbed for 24 hours. After 24 hours the paint will be completely dry and the skull is ready to be handled.

References

• Painting Animal Skulls
• Spray painting tecniques