THE PROCESS
We take in animal bone donations and process them in-house, which allows us to preserve their authenticity and honor the animals from which they came. We also do this to avoid paying for what would otherwise be discarded, and to create art that connects us with these animals and with you.
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Here is a more detailed overview of our bone processing process:
01
The Specimen
The first step in our bone processing process is to acquire the specimen. We do this by salvaging bones from roadkill, accepting donations from hunters and trappers, and sometimes receiving specimens from farmers and breeders. We are grateful for all of our donors, who help us to create art from what would otherwise be discarded.
02
Cleaning The Bones
Once we have acquired and removed the bones from the specimen, we begin the cleaning process. The state of the specimen will determine which method we use. There is no best method. There is just your preferred method.
If the specimen is fresh, we remove as much soft tissue as possible and place it in a bucket. If the specimen is far along, then it goes straight in the dry bucket. We cover with a lid leaving just enough room for flies to get to the specimen. We let nature handle the rest. Weather plays a factor of how long the maceration process may take.
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We are patient and respectful throughout the cleaning process. We understand that the bones we are working with come from living creatures, and we treat them with dignity and care.
03
Sunning
Sun bleaching is a natural and sustainable way to whiten bones. It is also a very slow process, which allows us to preserve the integrity of the bones.
We take the trays out each day, depending on the weather, and bring them back in before dinner. This process can take several weeks to several months, depending on the size and condition of the bones.
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We sometimes have more than 50 trays of bones to sun at a time. It is a labor-intensive process, but it is worth it to see the beautiful white bones that emerge.
04
Degreasing
The most important step in this whole operation is making sure the bones are properly degreased. Bones are full of fats and oils. We use dish washing detergent to degrease. This process takes several weeks.
05
Whitening
Back out in to the sun they go. We find this is the best way to whiten bones given our busy lifestyle. The size of the animal will determine how long this step make take. The UV rays work like magic and it does help that we live in southwest Florida.
06
Sanitization
There is only one bone approved artificial bone whitening chemical that should be used for bones and that is hydrogen peroxide. (H2O2). We started using hairdressers developer which has 9 to 12% hydrogen peroxide and we now use Swimming pool grade hydrogen peroxide and dilute for a slower whiten time. This takes about a week.
07
Final Sunning
This is the final stage before tagging and bagging the bones to be brought in. By this stage, the pristine beauty in the bone really shines. To us, it is very exciting when bones are ready to come in and be built with.
We take great care in preserving these bones, and we are committed to providing you with the highest quality artwork. We believe that these animals deserve to be honored, and we hope that our art will help you connect with them on a deeper level.