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Published: 2010-12-24 23:52:38 +0000 UTC; Views: 4810; Favourites: 51; Downloads: 28
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Ok, here is STEP 3 which deals with whitening. If your bones or skulls still have dark spots on them see STEP 2 again or read on.If your bones or skulls still have dark spots in/on them this is grease. Sometimes a soak of whitening and then returning to STEP 2 will help loosen the grease so you can try step 2 again now or do a short version of step 3 to shock the grease and then return to step 2 (step 3 will need to be revisited).
Some people refer to whitening as "bleaching" but bleach has nothing to do with the process! What you need to use is Hydrogen Peroxide. A 24hour soak in the stuff should be enough to whiten your bones. Various people here have various rules on the time but you don't want to soak it longer than a few days.
HP can be reused so if the stuff is still foaming when I take the bones out, I re-bottle it. It does tend to have a short shelf life but if there's foam, it's still good!
Once out of the peroxide I rinse the bones off under the facet or dunk them for a short soak in clean water to leech the peroxide out. You don't have to do this, it's just a quirk of mine to get all the stuff out of the bone before calling it "finished".
Let them dry for a few months now before moving onto step 4. Sometimes I place them in front of a fan for a few weeks to help speed the drying. Remember, bones and skulls are very porous materials, it can take months and even years for moisture and grease inside them to surface if just left to sit. Heat and moving air can help speed the process.
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Comments: 16
M-Lee08 [2014-05-01 04:50:06 +0000 UTC]
I have never whitened before is there a type of ideal container to put your bones in?
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Bronzewinged [2014-03-31 10:49:26 +0000 UTC]
You have forgot to connect part 2 to 3 and part 3 to part 4.
This was an intresting read. I've had the luck of finding bones just laying around more than once.
Possibly cleaned by all of natures little workers since I've never had any flesh on them.
I still wonder how bones can wash up high on shore and just lay there. The ice in winter possibly help but still.
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JaggedBobcatBones [2013-07-05 00:20:00 +0000 UTC]
why only a few days in the hydrogen peroxide, i thought it was harmless?
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grygon In reply to JaggedBobcatBones [2013-07-08 16:38:42 +0000 UTC]
it will start to harm the bone... and if you are having to leave it for days in there, then you did not fully degrease.
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JaggedBobcatBones In reply to grygon [2013-07-08 16:41:36 +0000 UTC]
eep, how bad? i always believed it did no harm so my stuff stays in it 1-3 days or maybe more
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grygon In reply to JaggedBobcatBones [2013-07-29 23:50:30 +0000 UTC]
If you haven't noticed any damage then maybe it is fine to leave in for a few days. I had one set of elk teeth develop pocky marks and I had left them in peroxide for a week.
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oxeous [2013-06-09 00:30:43 +0000 UTC]
hello i have a question, does the type of 3% hydrogen peroxide matter ? because i live right across the street from wall greens but there are different kinds with a range of pries, i am so confused a little help would be wuth appreciated X)
here are the three they have.
[link]
[link]
[link]
sorry for the long question .
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grygon In reply to oxeous [2013-06-12 18:58:13 +0000 UTC]
any of those will do. so go with the cheapest. they're all the same, as far as i know.
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turtlesaur [2011-05-30 18:01:29 +0000 UTC]
Yey, now I know how to clean the bones. xD
Out here where I live, farmer's cows die out here in the heat all the time (lol, typical desert) and I got a jaw bone, but I have no idea how to clean it. xD So thank you very much for putting this up! : D
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grygon In reply to turtlesaur [2011-06-01 00:52:29 +0000 UTC]
No prob, if you have any questions just ask.
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IanMelbourne93 [2010-12-25 08:47:24 +0000 UTC]
So... When's part 4 coming
These are very informal about a topic that I haven't much considered myself but realise now would be interesting for me. How do you piece the skeletons together and keep them in one piece?
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grygon In reply to IanMelbourne93 [2011-04-23 17:02:25 +0000 UTC]
step 4 will be released today
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grygon In reply to IanMelbourne93 [2010-12-26 08:55:14 +0000 UTC]
Soon, I hope! I'd like to get this series up and done by the time my "vacation" is over.
I'm not sure I'll do one on skeleton reconstruction as it's nothing I have done yet. But basically just follow my tutorial series starting at #1 and let the skeleton fall apart. Once it's cleaned up to at least #2 (many people don't whiten) then you simply glue it back together with Elmer's Glue, using references to get it anatomically correct (unless you're going for a fun/artsy look). If it's a heavier skeleton you can drill holes in the bones and use a combination of wires and industrial strength adhesives to keep it together. Some skeletons are done just with bolts and wires for easy disassembly.
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