PLease help..I think we already made a big mistake.
we found an already white, fully in tack, baboon skull hiking [ live in South Africa now] and my husband put in in bleach to get rid of any minor creatures and smell. It is now beautifully bleached [ which i understnad was the worse thing we coudl have done]. WHat next?
1. can we do something to stop the continuing bleaching?
2.we need to glue thone tooth and the jaw bone - what kind of glue?
3.should we then coat it with something to preserve it? - it is now a family project
So happy we found you as we are in the bush often and want to learn about skulls. THank you again.
Lydia - the internet mom
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Sodium thiosulfate will stop the action of typical household bleach. You can get it from dyeing/painting supply places. Soak the skull for a few hours in a solution of that stuff (at manufacturer's directions) and then rinse until the water runs clear.
While you're at it, soak the skull in nail polish remover for a few days. That's called degreasing. It will get rid of ugly yellow stains in the bones.
Use a strainer in the sink to avoid losing teeth, ear bones, and sinus bones.
You can use super glue to put the teeth and jawbone back together.
Once dry for a day, you can then immerse the whole skull in a 50%/50% white glue (like Elmer's) and water mixture. Leave it there for an hour, stirring very frequently. Then take it out and hang to dry by a very narrow wire.
Once that is dry, you can clearcoat the skull with a clear gloss or matte (non-yellowing) spray paint.
There's nothing you can do to undo the bone damage from the household bleach.
Thank you so much for your assistance. Will do it !