Cleaning up shells and bones

[Swirlything]

Okay, firstly I have no idea if this is in the right place so... apologies if it isn't.

I'm one of these nature lovers that refuses to grow up, despite approaching thirty. I collect fossils, but I know for a fact that whenever I visit a beach I'm going to bring home all sorts of flotsam as well- shells, crustacean carapaces, feathers, cuttlefish, bones... (fish vertebrae and rabbit bones so far, but I would love to find a skull one day) these things fascinate me, and I like to draw them.

The trouble is, of course, they smell! And until I can afford to live alone, the people I live with are not going to be happy with me bringing back another bag of 'horrible dirty dead things.'

My usual strategy is to hang up the seashells outside in a mesh bag for a month or so until the elements and insects clean them up. That works fine for the robust stuff, but then there are the more delicate or, uh, yuckier things- like crab shells, bones, sea urchins and the like. Those I put under a box in the garden and wait for nature to do its thing, then varnish/glue as necessary.

Unfortunately though, the local cats are just as likely to do THEIR thing, and the elements here in wales can be pretty harsh so in the case of small delicate things like urchins they tend to disintegrate or break and then I have a jigsaw puzzle! I doubt they'd survive bleach either.

Does anyone know if there's a way to gently clean/preserve this kind of thing? It'd save a me lot of glares and finds being banished to the garden!

[Jim Ford]

I think if you put them in a net and put the lot in a pond, the pond creatures will scavenge the items clean. I've seen it mentioned somewhere, but not tried it myself!

Jim

[Swirlything]

Thanks for that, it's a good idea but unfortunately we don't have room for a pond. The 'garden' I mentioned is just a 6 x 3 foot strip of nettles, the rest having been concreted over years ago so someone who will remain nameless could build a garage. Grrrr!

[Jim Ford]

You could put them in any pond and just make sure it's hidden and the string tied to the net is also out of sight!

Jim

[Swirlything]

Hmm... I don't know of one in the area, but it's worth a thought

[triops]

Just put them in a bucket or smaller container of water and after a week or two pour the contents through a small aquarium fish net. If they are not clean just do it again!

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by triops

Just put them in a bucket or smaller container of water and after a week or two pour the contents through a small aquarium fish net. If they are not clean just do it again!

Good idea. Probably best to let the water 'mature' so it's got lots of micro-organisms in it. If you can get hold of some planaria from a pond, they're good for cleaning.

Jim

[Swirlything]

Should have thought of that! That I can do, thanks for the advice.

[Littlesparrow]

My brother use to boil small dead animal sculls in soda crystals and water. Not very nice but did the trick, don't get it on your skin. I have cleaned crab shells in bleach and then when dry after a few days varnished them.

[Marineboy]

For some specimens it is possible to use a preservative - either soak them in it, or if extremely careful inject it directly into body tissues and appendage - and then leave in a warm place out of direct sunlight to simply dry out. Depending on specimen, the dried tissues would hold it to any position you set it at to dry out.