tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post9017323056844961051..comments2023-03-17T06:36:16.037-04:00Comments on Bonelust: Most Important Thing For a Bone Collector? Patience.Jana Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-79306987718618021662016-07-12T16:36:47.405-04:002016-07-12T16:36:47.405-04:00Hi Mariha Cimino… You only need to macerate if the...Hi Mariha Cimino… You only need to macerate if there is some flesh/tissue remaining on the bone. If they have been in the elements for a while you probably do not need to degrease. Since you have a line bit of tissue left you could macerate. Would likely remove any remaining grease as well. Then move onto peroxide whitening. Or if you went straight to the whitening step it would probably be fine as well to be honest. good luck… janaJana Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-44899412754404564352016-04-27T00:00:24.855-04:002016-04-27T00:00:24.855-04:00Hi
I found some vertebrae comeplately clean of fl...Hi<br />I found some vertebrae comeplately clean of flesh with a very little connective tissue in between a couple that wipped off. Should I macreate these or degrease them? Or skip to whitening? They look like the have been in the elements for a bit and are really lighthe weight for the size. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04750021244580354310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-49170270737460794562014-04-10T21:10:21.589-04:002014-04-10T21:10:21.589-04:00Hi Leighla! For bones/skulls that have been outsid...Hi Leighla! For bones/skulls that have been outside in the elements for a very very long time there is really not much you can do to process/preserve them. At that point it will be very brittle, light, flaky, porous, etc. There are no natural oils holding it together now. Most you can do is carefully brush it off with a toothbrush. Even washing in water could cause it to fall apart completely. If you don't mind it being shiny you could try to clear coat it with something like a spray polyurethane. But really at this point best thing to do it not to handle it much. It should not decay much anymore indoors just sitting on a shelf.<br /><br />Good luck... janaJana Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-67646926001839117132014-04-09T11:41:46.599-04:002014-04-09T11:41:46.599-04:00Hi Jana,
I just got back from the desert and brou...Hi Jana, <br />I just got back from the desert and brought back a few cattle skulls with me. They look like they've been sitting out for a while, and have been picked clean, but caked with mud. I gently washed all the desert and mud out of them and left them to dry in the sun, but the Skulls appear to be weathered and splintery like barn wood. And the horns are flaking apart like old fingernail or tree bark. Are these beyond repair? Will they disintergrate? Should I remove the horn sheath and clean under? can i do anything to smooth the horn sheaths back out?<br />Thanks for your help!<br />LeighlaLeighlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07781862071192397240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-78048946538298118402013-09-27T10:48:44.915-04:002013-09-27T10:48:44.915-04:00Marissa - I really hardly ever post anything anywh...Marissa - I really hardly ever post anything anywhere in general about birds because of legal issues. Most birds you're going to come across in US/Canada are illegal to have any part of dead or alive because they are Migratory Bird Treaty Act protected species. If you were to macerate those you're likely going to end up with nothing but a stinky pile of mush. To process birds, rodents & small reptiles/amphibians you can't really macerate like larger medium sized animals. You literally have to carefully remove the feathers, skin & muscle with surgical tools, tweezers & scissors as best you can. I rarely do this myself because it is so tedious. If it is mummified it may be even harder to accomplish. Or you can soak a while in water & if you're lucky you can carefully peel away the skin from the bones & just hope that most of the muscle was already eaten away by carrion insects. I'll have to make a blog post about this sometime for sure. As well as a longer post about legal issues related to bone collecting.Jana Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-4294529929532220832013-09-16T00:27:25.783-04:002013-09-16T00:27:25.783-04:00First off, I love your blog and bone creations! I ...First off, I love your blog and bone creations! I came across your IG a few months ago and have been obsessed ever since... I am new to bone collecting and have yet to start my first project. I obtained a full bird and I am not sure of the best way to let nature do its decomposing thing. I tried letting a squirrel decompose in the yard, but the carcass disappeared within a few days. I assume another creature stole it. I had read about using a "bone cage" or burying the remains, but I am very excited about this bird and don't want to make the same mistake again. do you have a tried and tested method? Would you recommend first removing some of the flesh myself? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03751541978867340527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-12058427142472954172013-08-05T18:57:13.054-04:002013-08-05T18:57:13.054-04:00Thanx for the speedy reply.... I'll read furth...Thanx for the speedy reply.... I'll read further!<br />Happy decomposing!!mooshihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07039584410755504062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-90391176338367664702013-08-05T15:14:54.246-04:002013-08-05T15:14:54.246-04:00Hi mooshi, you can likely find your answers in my ...Hi mooshi, you can likely find your answers in my previous maceration blog posts here.<br /><br />The Mathematics Of Maceration - A HowTo Guide For The Impatient - http://bone-lust.blogspot.com/2012/05/mathematics-of-maceration-howto-guide.html<br /><br />BONELUST BONE PROCESSING Q&A: What should the remains look like to begin maceration? - http://bone-lust.blogspot.com/2013/04/bonelust-bone-processing-q-what-should.html<br /><br /><br /><br />Jana Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00177465719755670007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2555266887965093019.post-2860525196110322822013-08-05T14:34:17.587-04:002013-08-05T14:34:17.587-04:00Hey Jana,
I'm mostly a skull guy... I do...Hey Jana,<br /> I'm mostly a skull guy... I do like the idea of masceration. I have an opossum head I'd like to clean up. Do indeed to let it decompose naturally first before the long soak? And will mace ration compromise any connective tissue in the skull leaving me with just a small pile?? Thanks for the help!!mooshihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07039584410755504062noreply@blogger.com