I just returned from Africa,and I "snuck'' a few leopard bones into my luggage!!
The bones are clean, but are taking on a grey color with a fishy odor...What would be the best process to make them nice,clean, and white?

quote:

Originally posted by Wolfgar:
I just returned from Africa,and I "snuck'' a few leopard bones into my luggage!!

haha you sly man... i heard boiling bones in a water/bleech mix works. probably better methods but that ones simple.

Wolfgar, I had a similar experience when a bottle of sow in heat urine 'accidentially' fell into my bag when packing...

As for the bones, I have put skulls in the dishwasher on a regular cycle to great effect.

Wolfgar,
The "fishy" odor indicates that they may not be comletely clean. To clean them, macerate them in a covered bucket of water in the sun. The bacteria that develops in the water will eat away the protien left in the bones after a couple of weeks of macerating. After a few weeks, take them out and rinse them off, then you can whiten the bones a couple of ways.

A paste mixture of 40 volume Hydrogen Peroxyde (purchase at a beauty supply store like Sally's...NOT the 3% stuff from Wal-Mart) and Magnesium Carbonate painted on the bones and left overnight will do the trick. Just rinse it off in the morning and put in the sun to dry.

You can also submerge the bones in a 50/50 mix of the 40 volume hydrogen peroxyde and water for 8 hours or so, then rise and dry in the sun as above. If they dont whiten up enough, re-submerge for another session unitl they are to your liking. The bones should be white and have no foul odor when you are finished.

I degrease skulls/bones this way. Given the condition you mentioned they are in, I'd boil them in a 2-3 gallon pot of water with about 1/2 cup liquid "Tide with Bleach" and 1/4 Dawn Dishwashing liquid. Its important to use these EXACT products and only slowly boil them for about an hour.

Dump out the water, rinse out the pot and bones. Then reboil slowly in just plain water. They should come out white and clean.

Hugh