maceration and grease???

[rancid]

Hello,I've read where some guys use macreation after beetle cleaning a skull.I think I read where the bacteria actually eats grease form the skull.Is it possible to use maceration as the main degreasing process?I seem to have a hard time removing grease form deep in jaw areas,and heavy bone areas.Will the bacteria get into the bone enough to remove what is left deep inside.Thanks for any thoughts on the subject.Rancid

[coyote]

No. If your macerating or using beetles, the skull/bones still needs to be degreased prior to bleaching. Beetles eat and remove the fat and meat. and maceration is a way  where bacteria eats away at the remaining fat and meat. All skulls and bones still need to be degreased.

 Coyote

[taxidermologist]

My opinion is that bacteria can indeed remove some of the fat within the bone. Depending on how long the specimen has been in the freezer, and whether fatty tissue was left in contact with bone material, grease can become locked into the bone. Dermestids can only eat what is reachable. Use of a degreaser (and I mean solvent in this case) will certainly remove enough of the fat within the bone to render it clean after the peroxide treatment.

The main drawback with degreasing bones is the large amounts of fat that is left inside the long bones. I have never liked drilling all the long bones on bear, coyote, or deer skeletons I have cleaned. The amount of fat just inside a large deer tibia can be close to 1/4 to a third of a cup. Beetles, except small instars, often cannot climb into the blood vessel canals that feed the marrow, and are unable to clean the fat out. To get all this fat out you would need to use large quantities of solvents, or maceration, which is my preferred method. If the fat is not removed, the skeleton will look fine after peroxide treatment, but will eventually yellow with fat leakage.

The main reason I use maceration after dermestid use on many skulls and skeletons is the degreasing factor. I have no easy disposal method for used solvents, and surface surfactants I have tried have never been successful in removing anything but the very surface grease.

[rancid]

Thanks alot for the info.It's very helpful..Rancid