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Preserving Old Bull Skull

Discussion in 'Skulls and Skeletons' started by Erin Walker, May 17, 2019.

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  1. May 17, 2019 #1
    Erin Walker

    Erin Walker New Member

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    I just purchased an old skull in a re-sale shop. Its history is a mystery to me, and its horns are crumbly (break to the touch). Also, this topic is new to me. Since I don't know if it was ever properly preserved, is there anything you could recommend I put on it that would help it from being so delicate?
     
    Last edited: May 22, 2019
  3. May 17, 2019 #2
    Sea Wolf

    Sea Wolf Well-Known Member

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    Use the Advanced Search on here and search for paraloid in the skulls and skeletons section. There are a lot of posts on it. Paraloid B72 is a clear resin that you dissolve in a solvent. In your case I would use denatured alcohol. Soak the skull in it for a day or two and then let it dry. It soaks into the damaged bone and will stabilize it. Though, as bull skulls are cheap, you might want to get a good specimen and clean it yourself and have something really nice and solid for the cost. I use this to seal all of the skulls I do. It's washable and does not yellow and it is what museums use for this and other situations.
     
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  5. May 17, 2019 #3
    Erin Walker

    Erin Walker New Member

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    Hey, thanks, Sea Wolf. I had noticed that Paraloid in other threads, but wasn't sure it applied, and couldn't get a sense on whether it was easy to find or not. Also, is it chemically too strong to use a plastic tub to let it sit - should it be metal instead? I also so an uncertainty about how long to let the resin dissolve before submerging the skull. I just came upon this skull and thought I'd try it out. I'm not in it enough to want to start from scratch, unfortunately. Don't think I have the stomach. Thanks for your direction.
     
  6. May 18, 2019 #4
    Sea Wolf

    Sea Wolf Well-Known Member

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    Any container that holds denatured alcohol will be fine. Will it fit into a 5 gallon bucket? The paraloid itself is non reactive and comes in clear crystals. You have to order it online. Your other option would be to make up a gallon of it or so and use a brush to keep continually soaking all sides of the bone for a while so it takes up as much of the solution as possible. A plastic tub would be fine. You could also keep scooping up the solution and pouring it over the surfaces. You have to allow the resin to dissolve fully and that can take a couple of days with you stirring it around to keep the crystals loose.
     
  7. May 22, 2019 #5
    Erin Walker

    Erin Walker New Member

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    I'm not sure whether it will fit into a 5 gallon bucket or not. It's fairly large - with horns, it may be a couple feet wide. The trouble is the horns are the most delicate part, so I have to be careful with the size of the container. I'm looking at a thread on mixtures; how many gallons would you recommend I need? Would a half-pound of paraloid be enough? Or a pound?
     
  8. May 25, 2019 #6
    Sea Wolf

    Sea Wolf Well-Known Member

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    Answered this a couple of days ago but apparently somehow it didn't post. .. I would go for a pound. I would say that you are going to have to make up enough of this to cover it to soak and it might be a few gallons worth. Look at the storage totes that are sold in places like Walmart. They should also be good to use with alcohol. If the skull fits horns down flat on the bottom, soak that part first then rotate the skull to submerge the other sections. With a tote, you can even angle it to make the solution deeper on one end. After you are done, allow the alcohol to evaporate off and you can save the resin to use again in the future.