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Help On Preparing

Discussion in 'Skulls and Skeletons' started by Susan Nelson, May 1, 2019.

  1. May 1, 2019 #1
    Susan Nelson

    Susan Nelson New Member

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    Hello everyone! I am new and have been researching to no avail on how to restore/preserve some skulls that I acquired from a friend of mine. They have been sitting in the Arizona sun for quite some time and are pretty dilapidated. Because of the sun exposure, I didn't know if I would be able to seal them with anything to prevent more damage and if I should reclean them with the peroxide method because I know they were just left in the sun to have everything fall off. Any suggestions on how to care for them would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
     

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  3. May 1, 2019 #2
    Sea Wolf

    Sea Wolf Well-Known Member

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    Taxachusetts
    Sun and weather is brutal on bone, especially in climates like Arizona. What you can do, is just take a tote of water and put some dish detergent in it. Put the bones in and let them soak for a day, then scrub them gently with an old toothbrush or similar to get off as much dirt as possible. What you have looks pretty bleached but it is up to you if you want to soak them in peroxide for a few hours. After they are cleaned, put them aside for several days to dry. In the meantime, read about Paraloid B27 on here. It is what museums use to do exactly what you need done, consolidate that damaged bone and prevent further loss (among other things). It is what I use to seal all my skulls. You have to order the resin online and then dissolve the crystals in acetone or denatured alcohol. Alcohol is easier to use but takes longer to dry. The end result is the same. Soak them for a day in the paraloid solution then take them out and hang to dry. The resin effectively plasticizes the bone and prevents further damage. The resin lasts a very long time in solution and can be used over and over again for a lot of projects.
     
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  5. May 2, 2019 #3
    Susan Nelson

    Susan Nelson New Member

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    Thank you so much for responding Sea Wolf. I truly appreciate it and all the information you have given me. After finding this site and going through the forums before I posted, I started researching about the Paraloid B-27. I had never heard of this before as being very new. The acetone or denatured alcohol is also only available online? Or is that something I am able to pick up at a certain place? I plan on doing more research about it, just wanting to know if I should do it all in one purchase instead of extending the time in getting them taken care of. Should I be using a tote or actually buy something that has a better seal for the mixture of Paraloid and acetone? With summer almost upon us, the temperatures in Arizona gets well over 100 for most of the day into the night. I would be storing it in the garage and don't want to ruin it because I am trying to go out into nature and scavenge more skulls and bones for my collection. I currently have the skulls in the house because I am trying to keep them from getting more damage due to the arid climate.
    Again, thank you for all the information you've given me to start off with. I really appreciate it and I want to hang them as soon as I can. With all the damage..I'm not quite even sure how to hang them . This is definitely more tricky than I thought it would be, but am super excited about the process and doing it on my own.
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2019
  6. May 2, 2019 #4
    Rausch

    Rausch Well-Known Member

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    Missoula MT
    You can get acetone at any hardware or painting supply store.
     
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  7. May 2, 2019 #5
    Susan Nelson

    Susan Nelson New Member

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    Thank you so much! I wasn't quite sure if that was the correct kind or not.
     
  8. May 2, 2019 #6
    Sea Wolf

    Sea Wolf Well-Known Member

    14,141
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    Taxachusetts
    Acetone and denatured alcohol can be bought in hardware and paint stores. Probably cheaper in Walmart or a Home Depot. Acetone is more expensive and has to be handled more carefully. Treat it like gasoline. Also, it dissolves a LOT of plastics so make sure your container/bucket/tote has a 2 in a triangle on the bottom. Acetone is also highly volatile so, whatever container you use, it must be tightly covered. Denatured alcohol is a lot more user friendly as well as cheaper per gallon. If your temperatures are hitting 100, I would use the alcohol. You use it the same way but it is easier to contain as well as safer.