tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post6154571637223744140..comments2023-03-17T06:36:16.037-04:00Comments on Bonelust: The Mathematics Of Maceration - A HowTo Guide For The PatientJana Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-6369507230674895242016-07-12T16:29:25.037-04:002016-07-12T16:29:25.037-04:00Hi tohuwabohu… Maceration should work for this. So...Hi tohuwabohu… Maceration should work for this. Sometimes it just takes longer. Deer spine usually take at least a month in maceration for me with optimal conditions. Meaning warm weather. If it is not warm where you are you may need to add an aquarium heather to help the bacteria do their job faster. good luck… janaJana Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-1541503174234512652016-06-09T14:56:00.927-04:002016-06-09T14:56:00.927-04:00I found an intact deer pelvis with some vertebrae ...I found an intact deer pelvis with some vertebrae attached that has quite a bit of soft tissue keeping it together. Ive left it in water for weeks and the tissues havent macerated much, although they become pliable and once I let it dry they hardened. Im sure to remove the soft tissues I will have to break the pelvis apart. Can I possibly keep the pelvis as is without removing the tissues for decor or will it rot and stink at some point? <br /><br />Also love your website, I've learned so much, thank you for all the info so far! :)tohuwabohuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01887324821896454521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-28383153135198501142016-02-17T15:38:44.106-05:002016-02-17T15:38:44.106-05:00My guess, knowing what the animal looked like when...My guess, knowing what the animal looked like when harvested (and after reading some of your responses above), is the skull was not completely fused. Pretty much every suture is loose, but only two pieces have fallen off, one nasal bone and the occipital. The brain actually came out within 2 days of maceration. I checked today and it's almost done, there are very few bits of flesh left, but like I said, all the sutures are coming apart. Guess I'll be spending a bit of time gluing it. Cool website, thanks for the response!Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16073461338752607322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-47249312598237005422016-02-16T20:40:40.293-05:002016-02-16T20:40:40.293-05:00Hi Thomas, I normally let the maggots remove the b...Hi Thomas, I normally let the maggots remove the brain for me before I macerate. The sutures in the nasal area are not uncommon to come off during processing for goats/sheep. It will be easy to put them back on with a tiny dab of white school glue. If it is the suture on the top/front of the actual skull, yes the brain expanding could possibly be doing it. I really can't say without seeing what's going on. Some younger animal's skulls are not fused. So that's also something to consider. I'd consider trying to remove the brain then continue maceration, degrease, peroxide bath. Good luck! janaJana Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-87236507023316192462016-02-13T19:09:00.739-05:002016-02-13T19:09:00.739-05:00Hi Jana,
Beginner question here. I harvested a sm...Hi Jana,<br />Beginner question here. I harvested a small Barbary Sheep and decided I would try to make a European mount myself. I got the horns off OK, and put the skull in a cooler with an aquarium thermostat. I let it go a couple days, pulled some flesh off, etc. Today (day 5) most of the big chunks of flesh are off and it's breaking down nicely, but I noticed the sutures on the front of the skull are coming apart. Possibly because I didn't remove the brain before water maceration, I don't know. Anyway, what would you recommend? Continuing on, degreasing, whitening, and gluing back together at the end?Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16073461338752607322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-13559300794885297402016-02-11T16:43:44.763-05:002016-02-11T16:43:44.763-05:00Hi Catherine... I let the maggots remove the brain...Hi Catherine... I let the maggots remove the brain for me before macerating. See my bone cage blog here - http://bone-lust.blogspot.com/2015/03/bonelust-q-can-i-just-leave-animals-to.htmlJana Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-90431520832329336712016-02-11T16:02:30.318-05:002016-02-11T16:02:30.318-05:00Hi Jana, how do you remove the brain before macera...Hi Jana, how do you remove the brain before maceration? Or is it necessary?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09617848817412871346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-77784911765498756352016-02-04T23:57:27.209-05:002016-02-04T23:57:27.209-05:00Hi Rashika, please note in the above blog post the...Hi Rashika, please note in the above blog post the section that starts with - PRECAUTIONS ABOUT MACERATION ADDITIVES. I've never used biological powder in any of my processing so I would not even know where to begin. I know Jake of Jake's Bones online uses biological power. I would check out his blog and perhaps try asking him. Normally maceration is done in a couple weeks so it sounds like you've possibly macerated too long and the biological powder weakened your skull. Good luck.Jana Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-56026779892478398172016-02-04T23:38:37.123-05:002016-02-04T23:38:37.123-05:00Hi! I acquired a goat skull last June and I starte...Hi! I acquired a goat skull last June and I started doing a cold water maceration with biological washing powder. I got very busy and could not finish the process with changing the water until today. The skull didnt contain a whole lot of tissue and I already removed the antlers beforehand, but I found that the jaw bone had become brittle and almost broke in half and the bones have become slightly discolored. This is my first time doing this and I'm very uncertain as to what's the next steps I should take before I end up accidentally worsening the rest of the skull and antlers. Can you offer me any advice on how I should go about this? Thank you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-69349257403940509172016-02-01T13:58:12.647-05:002016-02-01T13:58:12.647-05:00Gregg Kusumah-Atmadja - Maceration is to get rid o...Gregg Kusumah-Atmadja - Maceration is to get rid of everything other than bone. So no, the deer spine will NOT stay together if you macerate it.Jana Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-7861365543302777922015-12-15T09:14:24.321-05:002015-12-15T09:14:24.321-05:00Greetings. I want to use a cold water maceration t...Greetings. I want to use a cold water maceration to clean a deer's rib cage and spinal column. Will everything stay in tact afterwards? Is there anything i should watch out for?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07246866393812620445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-83846440549702672282015-09-27T04:13:03.171-04:002015-09-27T04:13:03.171-04:00Laine Krassner, It sounds like possibly it could h...Laine Krassner, It sounds like possibly it could have started to decay the bones themselves. The bacteria will keep eating away at whatever is available. When the fleshy bits are gone, it starts in on the bone.Jana Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-60333798597351315782015-09-27T03:50:02.531-04:002015-09-27T03:50:02.531-04:00Zuhal Yorgancioglu, bad smell usually means it nee...Zuhal Yorgancioglu, bad smell usually means it need to be degreased, had flesh still on it and/or it need a peroxide bath. Longer peroxide bath in your case possibly. The fat certainlly will smell bad so I'd star with trying to remove it first. 10 days is a really short amount of time for maceration for me personally. Good luck!Jana Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-69380304139418858472015-09-27T03:38:38.124-04:002015-09-27T03:38:38.124-04:00Mitchell Barazowski, they came apart where they we...Mitchell Barazowski, they came apart where they were not yet fused. That's normal for some bones. Especiall in juvenile animals like the calf. You'd just need to carefully piece them back together when done processing.Jana Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-19800959643337777712015-08-25T16:10:42.714-04:002015-08-25T16:10:42.714-04:00I had a mostly clean calf skull and turtle shell w...I had a mostly clean calf skull and turtle shell which I left outside for a few months then macerated to remove the remaining bits of flesh. They cleaned up really nicely but started to separate at the seams as if the bones shrunk. Is there a way to prevent this? Would a clear coat help keep the bones together for the future?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04270909874884872605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-37371568167511104132015-08-23T10:18:58.096-04:002015-08-23T10:18:58.096-04:00Hi Jana,
So I cleaned almost all the tissue from a...Hi Jana,<br />So I cleaned almost all the tissue from a calf's skull and then let macerate for 10 days without disturbance. All the remaining soft tissue came right off, save for bits of fat stuck in tiny crevices around the jaws, and a bit of tissue right at the beginning of the spine. I put it in a peroxide bath (59% concentration, but with around 8/1 water/acid ratio) for two days, washed it out with plenty of water, then with soap, and set it to air out.<br /><br />The problem is that it still smells awful. I've used peroxide for smaller animals such as cats and squirrels, and they never smelled this bad after a bath... (I can still smell the rotting tissue)<br /><br />Would you say this is the case because of the bits of fat still stuck here and there, because the peroxide wasn't strong enough, or because I didn't let it soak long enough? And do you know how I might be able to get rid of the smell?<br /><br />Thanks!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00331393371537721313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-7020074578265134312015-07-21T22:32:01.745-04:002015-07-21T22:32:01.745-04:00Can bones macerate too long? I had a deer skull an...Can bones macerate too long? I had a deer skull and spinal column in the container for probably 8 months, without checking on them. The weather is always mild (between 75-35 degrees) and I used tap water. The bones were clean when they came out, but they seemed weaker/more porous. <br /><br />Thoughts?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04755375680260658416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-987336043375157212015-07-21T22:28:42.910-04:002015-07-21T22:28:42.910-04:00Is it possible to macerate bones for too long? It ...Is it possible to macerate bones for too long? It was never particularly hot, weather is always between 70-30 degrees. I left a deer skull and spinal column in the container for probably 8 months without checking on them. When I dumped out the water today, they were very clean, so that's a success, but I also think they have degraded slightly. They seem more porous/weaker than they were when I put them in. <br /><br />Is that normal? Or I though maybe it could be that the tap water around here has a small amount of bleach in it (for treatment)...but the mace ration process was successful. There wasn't a ton of remaining flesh/tendon on the bones when I put them in, so the water wasn't too gross, but it seems like bacteria were thriving enough to clean up...<br /><br />Thoughts?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04755375680260658416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-19049247590653598752015-05-26T18:19:04.481-04:002015-05-26T18:19:04.481-04:00Yes that's OK wild_warrior, I put it in my own...Yes that's OK wild_warrior, I put it in my own veggie garden. The plants love it. Just be sure not to splash it on the plants.Jana Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-9826063386890043292015-05-26T14:51:50.104-04:002015-05-26T14:51:50.104-04:00I read above that maceration water is good for pla...I read above that maceration water is good for plants, is it okay to put in my vegetable garden? wild_warriorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06760305455141911810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-90116027095783172192015-05-15T02:12:47.958-04:002015-05-15T02:12:47.958-04:00Hey Joey... that's a tough one without seeing ...Hey Joey... that's a tough one without seeing the skull in person and know the whole processing history. Stink could be from maceration and just need a peroxide bath (don't get the antlers in it, will bleach out color!). Or it could still need to macerate more. Or could need a degrease. It is absolutely going to smell very badly after maceration. So try peroxide first. Good luck! janaJana Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-90735335894368245722015-05-09T20:52:41.556-04:002015-05-09T20:52:41.556-04:00Hi Jana,
I got a deer skull with antlers attached ...Hi Jana,<br />I got a deer skull with antlers attached that looks to be processed (there isn't visible flesh attached) However, on the underside of the skull there is still a noticeable smell from about a foot away. If there is flesh it would be down in the nooks and crannies around the teeth, etc. Does this mean the skull needs additional maceration or would hydrogen peroxide kill the smell too? Thanks for all the info and help!Joeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16376416250892708160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-60015014995921878512015-04-20T00:32:52.662-04:002015-04-20T00:32:52.662-04:00Hi Alison... I never do burial processing so I'...Hi Alison... I never do burial processing so I'm not 100% sure how to answer your questions. I will say though that if there's zero flesh maceration won't do much of anything. I'd probably go ahead and give it a good rinse/scrub then a peroxide bath. You can always degrease after that if needed. Good luck! janaJana Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-44966330750821353992015-04-19T23:00:54.803-04:002015-04-19T23:00:54.803-04:00Hi Jana,
Last June I found a dead Fisher on the s...Hi Jana,<br /><br />Last June I found a dead Fisher on the side of the road and buried it in my backyard. I dug it up today and found the skull (what I'm after) free of all flesh/fur/tissue. It does seem to be a little oily/greasy though.<br />I have gone over all your posts but just can't seem to decide what to do next. I am willing to macerate, but I'm wondering if it is necessary and if it will even work considering I am up in Canada and it is still quite cold here. Can I just wash it off and throw it in a peroxide bath? What happens when you do that to greasy bones? Should I attempt to de-grease it? Thank you in advance for any input!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03485955823251105959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-3270674167206190222015-02-03T15:53:16.795-05:002015-02-03T15:53:16.795-05:00Hi Richter... The bacteria is not going to be able...Hi Richter... The bacteria is not going to be able to grow in the water or on the specimen. Your best bet is to get the flesh off under VERY low heat by hand keeping a very close eye one it. Keeping in mind that any kind of head can compromise the bone structure. especially do not boil. I'd skin off as much as you can by hand first. Good luck! janaJana Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.com