Let me tell you about the time I almost got myself into serious legal trouble over a beautiful blue jay skull I found on a hiking trail.I was so excited – the skull was perfectly clean, bleached white by the sun, and sitting right there on the path like it was waiting for me. I […]
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act: What Every Collector Needs to Know (and Leave Behind) Read More »
Top 10 Places to Find Bones One of the questions I get asked ALL the time is: “Where do you find all those bones?”I totally get it. When Isabel first started her bone obsession at three years old, I had NO idea where to look either. I remember walking around our local park thinking every
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Start Bone Collecting Today My daughter Isabel has been obsessed with bones since she was three years old, and honestly, it’s one of the best hobbies she could have picked up. (Well, maybe not the BEST according to grandma, but definitely up there!) Over the years, we’ve built an incredible collection, and I’ve learned that
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How Dermestes Beetles Revolutionise Specimen Preparation How a chance encounter with museum beetles transformed one collector’s approach to osteological preparation and revealed nature’s most precise cleaning specialists When Jack Williams first heard about using live beetles to clean animal bones, his reaction was typical of most people encountering the concept for the first time. “I
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From Roadkill to Remarkable: The Origins of a Curious Craft For Jack Williams, founder of Dem Bones, what began as a teenage curiosity has transformed into a full-time craft that merges science, art, and ethics. “I was always the weird kid who’d stop and look at roadkill,” he laughs. “But instead of just being grossed
I Clean Skulls for a Living: Inside the World of Bone Art Read More »
When most twelve-year-olds stumble upon a skeleton in the wilderness, their first instinct is to run. But not Dianne. “I found an animal skull on a walk and was immediately fascinated,” she says. “There was something beautiful about it—delicate, structured, almost sculptural. I brought it home, cleaned it the best I could, and displayed it
Sealing and Finishing Bones for Long-Term Display So, you’ve cleaned the bones. Degreased them. Whitened them. And now you’re wondering—how do you seal and finish bones so they stay looking great for years? Let’s walk through everything you need to know about sealing and finishing bones for long-term display. Whether you a creating a display
I’ve written about how to clean and whiten animal bones before on my website. However, skulls from horned animals like deer, moose, caribou, and elk require a slightly different approach which I will go over here. Want to become a bone cleaning expert? Check out my eBook. It’s got lots of tips and tricks about how
How to Clean Antlers: The Complete Guide Read More »
Bone Cleaning Product Recommendations Ready to get started? Here is where you can buy supplies you’ll need for cleaning animal bones. For Whitening Bones: For Removing Tissue from Bones: For Degreasing Bones: Other Supplies:
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One of the first large skulls I cleaned and whitened was a deer skull. Isabel’s friend found it for her (what other 6 year old is lucky enough to have a friend who saves bones for her?). The skull was free of soft tissue, but was still really dirty and stunk badly. I didn’t realize
Tips for Cleaning Very Large Skulls or Bones Read More »
