re: Gonna attempt a European Mount this weekend - Any pointers?

May be to late here but I'll add my two cents anyway.

Don't boil or simmer, you can damage the actual bone. Not noticeable immediately but its there and can show up in later years. You can do it this way without messing it up but its walking a tightrope. Soda ash speeds it up as well but your margin of error is much smaller.

Maceration is probably the best if you don't have beetles. Basically it involves stripping as much meat as you can off and then placing in a bucket and letting the bacteria eat it off. A stiff piece of wire can be used to remove as much brain matter as possible.

Very fast in the summer, slower in the winter. An aquarium heater set to 95 will help. Once the bacteria are done with it a garden hose will be all thats needed to remove whatever flesh remains. The major advantages are no damage to the nasal bones by trying to remove cartilage and zero chance at bone damage.

Next degrease, best done with hot water changing every couple of hours. You can build a degreasing tank out of an old cooler but if you are only doing the occasional skull kind of overkill.

The bleaching process has been well covered.

I also like to hit it with a shot of matte clearcoat. Just makes keeping it looking good easier.

I know with deer it may not matter as much but if you have to mess with muskrat, mink, or other furbearers the difference can be huge.