Tag: pretty dead things

flayote:

sooo holy shit!!

as soon as i found out we would be going to yellowstone, and that that meant going out of state, i realized i might have a chance to legally buy a wolf pelt, if i could find a place that sold them (here in CA, you can own wolf parts, but not buy/sell them within the state). i found a shop in west yellowstone, Eagle Rock Fur, and started saving up. 

i kept browsing through pics of wolf pelts during the months leading up to the trip cause i was excited, and ended up really gravitating toward the salt n’ pepper/“blue” coloration. it became my dream holy grail wolf, but it’s not a common color at all, so i definitely was not at all counting on the ONE shop i happened to be going to having one even close to it.

when i got there they had a couple really nice pale wolves hanging up outside, one almost pure white, that i would have been perfectly happy with. but then i walked inside and THIS BEAUTIFUL GIANT BOY was there!!!!! taking up the whole length of the 7ft ladder he was hanging on!!

i still can’t believe it; i was excited enough that the place we went to had wolves at all, let alone the EXACT one i wanted, and at a price i could afford. if that’s not some meant-to-be divine intervention shit i don’t know what is.

I just recently found a sheep skull and was wondering what i should to to clean it up. Do you only have to boil it or should i bleach it… I really don’t know.

roadthrills:

Never boil and never use bleach. I’m not sure how those methods keep getting passed around. Both can seriously damage bone.

Depending on the state of decay, it’ll be easier for you to just put it in a lidded tub of water with some dawn soap or biological washing powder and let it sit somewhere warm for a while. If most of the flesh is already gone it shouldn’t take more than a few weeks. Remember to keep track of the teeth because they’ll probably fall out at some point. This is going to smell, so make sure you’ve got it somewhere it won’t be bothered.

After the flesh is off, you have the option of degreasing and whitening if you want. To degrease, you can use ammonia or heated water with dawn. I use ammonia because I find it’s easier, but remember not to mix it with other chemicals and always work somewhere well-ventilated. Also, ammonia has to be recycled at a chemical recycling center, you can’t just dump it down the drain. If you use dawn, the water has to be heated constantly, so if you have a heated bucket or fish tank heater, that would be your best option. With either option, this step takes a few more weeks.

If you want it whitened, you can put it in a bath of hydrogen peroxide overnight. You won’t get a very bright white unless it’s been fully degreased, though. I do suggest degreasing, because it preserves the bone longer and removes any oils that might come to the surface over time.

If you have any more questions, let me know. Good luck!

zooophagous:

thegreenwolf:

I am ridiculously excited about my latest creation in my Etsy shop! It’s a wearable tail made with real horse caudal vertebrae and hair, and has a really nice sway as the wearer walks around. Check out the hand-painted horse skull patch, too. A lot of work and design went into the creation of this piece, and it’s available for purchase at http://www.etsy.com/listing/545092827/horse-bone-tail-real-vertebrae-glass

THIS IS SO COOL