Anne Hall -
        Forensic science is not necessarily interested in bone preservation.  It
may offer info on defleshing and skeletalizing of bone but those methods
are probably inappropriate for museum collections.

        Wood epoxies may be the standard to used with bone specimens but I would
hesitate to use it because of its irreversibility.  PVAC (poly vinyl
acetate) will also provide structural support and it is reversible.  Wood
epoxies may not be able to seep into the bone structure and support through
out, but PVAC will.  PVAC beads can be purchased at conservation supply
houses.

Sorry no citations.

At 11:31 PM 4/25/98 EDT, you wrote:
>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
>
>