Yeah, yeah, everyone wants to run away from work and become a comedian.
There are actually some serious unasked and as yet unanswered questions
that will drastically affect the answers.

1. What kind of skeleton? (human or non-human)
2. Articulated (wired in life pose) or disarticulated (loose bones in a box)?
3. Legally owned with all permits in place? (Federal trust species?)
4. To be used for what? (exhibition? research? classroom specimen?)
5. Cleaned of what? (adhering tissue, dust, grease?)
6. Field-collected? Purchased as a lab specimen? Legally collected?
7. What type of museum? Is this an appropriate donation?
8. Any other complicating factors?

Further information will result in better advice from the experts on this
list. And, no, dermestids are by no means the only or necessarily the
bast means.

Cheers,
Sally Shelton
Director, Collections Care and Conservation
President-Elect, Society for the Preservation of Natural HIstory Collections

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|                 San Diego Natural History Museum                      |
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On Thu, 3 Oct 1996, Barb Magers wrote:

> a museum not on the list would like to know the proper way to clean a
> donated skelton.
>
> Barb Magers
>