Hello

I am looking for information regarding preparation of recently aquired
bone for display.  Any articles or information or contacts which any of
you could pass on or provide citations for would be most appreciated.
I am a student working on a project  on the different ways of curing and
preserving whale bone and baleen, and am having a hard time in that
nearly all I can find is bone of a purely archaeological nature ...
however, Paleontology is the first place I thought to start asking
questions, then forensic science and museum studies, please forgive me
if this is the wrong forum, perhaps you know of one more appropriate?

Is there a difference in the final density of a cured bone of a juvenile
v: an adult in mammals?  With the amount of residual oils in whale bone,
what would be the most effective way of removing the oil while
maintaining strenth?  Is there an effective way of preserving baleen
over a period of time at all?  Are there certain methods required that
are different for a pedimental display versus a suspended display, or
can all those decisions be made at a later date?

Currently the carcass that I am focusing on for my project has been
rendered and the parts are in various burial locations and beetle farms,
I am also interested in the different methods involved here that any of
you have had experience with.  Which are most efficient, etc.  In
initial cleaning of the bone, is it detrimental or beneficial to wash in
detergent, weak ammonia or an Hydrogen peroxide wash as both have been
suggested to me.

Are wood epoxys really used to provide structural support?  Would the
same kind of epoxies viable with 'new' bone?  Woudl you suggest a light
coat of eposy with an outer coating of a renewable wax?  Or what kind of
treatment?  Is there any literature out there that is somewhat readily
avilable to the public at large?

Thanks in advance for your consideration and help.   Anne Hall