flakey skulls

[kingtex22]

I have two deer skulls that are flaking ..is there an easy way to clean these up so they dont peel anymore? are there any house hold items to use or that I can get???
second..I have a cow skull with some brain matter in it..its been there for the better part of 6 years, how do I go about getting it out with out damaging the rest of the skull?

[George Roof]

Paint them with Elmers White Glue.  Now just asking here, but you didn't, perhaps, boil them with sal soda did you?

[RD Martin]

I would guess the deer skulls were cooked/boiled possibly? I would paint or dip them with elmers glue diluted with water to seal. If they are flaking now it might get worse later on. I have seen cooked skulls simply fall apart with age.
The cow skull I would soak in water to hydrate the brain and try puling it out thru the nueral canal/hole.

[RD Martin]

 George, you posted while I was slow typing ...thinking the same thing???

[kingtex22]

no no boiling ..they've been in the sun for years, they never got finished so they dont look bad ,but I dont want them to get worse here later on when there finished.........

.now george is there any way to keep the natural look and not paint them..or is that the best course of action at this piont??

[Evelyn Billington (Superpig)]

afterwardsis not a paint. I dries clear and you won't see it once it is dry, but it will bind the skull fragments to the bone and prevent further flaking. The skull may have a low shine to it afterwards, but the color will be natural. You can also use matte finish modge podge instead of the Elmer's glue. You can get that at the hobby stores. It is used to glue puzzles together. 

The rain over the years leached out the calcium in the bone that's why its flaky. Boiling does the same thing to bone, just faster.  In nature that's called chemical weathering.

[kingtex22]

thanks for all the help folks when i get some of this done Ill post some of the work.. many thanks from a hobby begin'er thanks again..Im sure Ill have more questions later ..but thanks