preserving claws for jewelry

I have several sets of claws from different animals and I would like to preserve / de-funk and eventually use them for some of my jewelry making. I have had them in salt for some time and will pick up a bottle of borax and apply that to the flesh on the backs of the claws and scrape that off...

Is it OK to boil or otherwise "cook" these claws to sanitize/flesh them?

Is there a solution or brand I should pick up that could assist me in this?

And finally, what would you recommend to remove the "smell"?

Thanks in advance,
Heather

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I've used gator claws

After removal I place them in rubbing alcohol. Next I'll trim all the meat from the claws, and return them to the rubbing alcohol. Since I use them mostly for keychains (also works for necklaces) I'll submerge tiny eye-bolts in the alcohol too and then screw them into the boney material at the back of the claw. I try to make sure nothing that hasn't been sterilized touches the claws. After this I attach line to the eye-bolts and dunk the claws in polyurethane. Let them dry to tacky and dunk them in the polyurethane again until you've got about 5 coats on them. That's it.

I've had friends not keep them in the alcohol and then outer shell of the claw detaches from the inside and pretty much ruins them.

There may be much better methods but this has worked well for me.

thanks :)

Got them in the soak now.