# Site General > Off-topic Cafe > Creative Corner >  Skeletons.

## carlson

Hey everyone I've always found wired together skeletons cool (kinda an nerd haha) an ive decided to try it I've been looking up info an all. An gonna start with a rat since I have extras ha. Does anyone have pics of any skeletons they wired or any they bought wired?

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## 3skulls

I have made wind chime / mobiles. And a number of other things. Does that count?

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_Archimedes_ (04-20-2013)

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## carlson

Ha that looks cool is that deer?

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## 3skulls

That one is tiny. Some type of rodent or rabbit maybe. I used to do special effects makeup and make props etc. 
I have all kinds of skulls, bones and a freezer full of stuff :p

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## MrLang

You need some flesh eating beetles and veterinary anatomy books

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## carlson

The betels I can't find by me, I burry all my skulls but I think I'm gonna try cold water migration (? Is that what it's called) on a rat here in next few days see how that works. Far as references I don't have the books but I have found good stuff online and good pics so I think I can do it. I need a different drill and bit tho. Dude 3skulls that sounds like a fun job haha

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## 3skulls

That would be a tiny drill bit. 

Wait until spring, find some road kill. After the maggots eat away most of the "wet" matter, the dermistids come and feed on the dry left overs. You can collect them to start a colony or buy them online. If I had a building that wasn't connected to the house I would raise then. 
The brains are what really stinks but the beetles go nuts for it. 

I have had a full deer on the back porch for a few years, been wanting to wire it together for a while now. Just never get around to it. 
I also would like to work with lucite. Maybe stuff some T molts when they get bigger. 

Keep us posted with what you come up with.

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Juggalo (12-26-2013)

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## Raptor

I have an old chicken house that I have all my skulls in. I keep the heads in the freezer till summer, then I put them out. In 110F weather, you can have a perfectly cleaned skull in about three days.

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## carlson

Ill for sure keep you posted. Winter is the reason deboneing will be hard but I grew up butchering farm animals and I think this cold water way will work if I skin and all that first. Excited to try tho I've wired lots of skulls when I was younger tried with a bull that after it died my cousin accidentally shattered the skull so I tried putting it together after the chickens picked it clean, my mom was very mad haha I was 10 when I did that and my dad let me bring home the pieces lol that was a great night my mom was angry. She later helped me learn how to tan wessels and rabbits tho ha

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_3skulls_ (12-28-2012),_sissysnakes_ (01-24-2013)

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## 3skulls

My favorite find was a full horse, spotless skeleton. A friend of mine saw it a couple of years before. Had train tracks way back on the edge of his land. I'm guessing it got out and got hit :/

I'm sure a lot of people see it as morbid but I was always told that true beauty was on the inside :p

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## sorraia

Haven't wired any skeletons yet, but it is something I've wanted to try. I have a small collection of skulls I've found at work (a couple from my yard, gophers), and once in awhile I'll find a complete skeleton. Someone I used to work with had a fox skeleton they wired and glued together. It looked really neat! I do not have pictures of it though.

Look for a Dremel drill. You can get some TINY bits for it that will probably work for these purposes. I have a Dremel and all kinds of bits I use to customize model horses. Have been able to use them on the models that are about 3 or 4 inches tall.

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## carlson

Ya a dremel and 20 g wire is what I was thinking. And 3skulls my family has farms I can get horses, cows goats pigs all that lol I have only gotten a bull skull so far may get this goat he has now tho I like his little horns and he tried eatting my hunting jacket.

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## carlson

If I ever have money laying around for one of these I would have to buy to.  only 16k haha the emt mind of mine wants one tho

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LostWingsInTime (01-08-2015)

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## Mike41793

$16K?!?!? whoa thats crazy...

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## 3skulls

You can find them cheaper  :Smile:  
They won't have many teeth but still would be cool.

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## 3skulls

http://www.skullsunlimited.com/record_family.php?id=227

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_carlson_ (12-28-2012)

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## carlson

Ya I've looked around at a few. A lady I used to work with gave me one of those high quilaty human skull models cuz she was going thru a divorce and didn't want her husband taking it. she was a rn so every bone is labeled haha

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## 3skulls

Damn that is a good one!

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## carlson

Ya it's cool it's that weird ceramic stuff she said its made for medical students and she would rather I have it then her sob husband. Better pics I like it it looks like bone till you touch it

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_3skulls_ (12-28-2012),_Capray_ (12-29-2012),LostWingsInTime (01-08-2015)

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## 3skulls

That's awesome!

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## carlson

I found those beetles for decent price for starting colony of 1000 question can I feed Ts these beetles too or no cuz I'd rather only have one beetle colony lol

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## 3skulls

I'm not sure if they would make good feeders or not. Never seen any nutritional info on them. 

On the other hand, I wonder if dubias would clean a skull. I have gave them left over pinks and they destroy them in minutes. 

Hmmm

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## carlson

That would be something to find out. If a Dubai colony can strip a adult male rat, if you have an extra laying around you should try! Haha

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## carlson

Have you tried preserving any Ts? I've seen on live people did it by just coating the t in poly or something? It looks cool just like the living one

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## 3skulls

If it was warm out I think I would try it. A rat sitting in a 90* tub would be stinking up the house in no time :p 

I did a little searching on dermestids as feeders and can't find anything. Some sites talk about how they add them to roach and cricket colonies to help keep the tubs clean.

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## 3skulls

I haven't yet. I have done local spiders. Just pinned them and let them dry.

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## carlson

I suppose I never think about how bad it will smell haha. I'm sure ill figure something out. I want to try making one out of a t one day and a snake would be cool I seen a retic skeleton in the local zoo it's sweet

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## Raptor

This  is something I've been working on:

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## carlson

Is that a goat? I'm trying to figure out when to start trying this the rat I'm gonna use is just hitting large may give him another week or so to grow. I'm sure the cleaning is gonna be no fun but if I'm able to do it maybe look into beetles

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## Raptor

Yeah. That is a goat. A yearling to be specific. I have the horn sheathes off to my left.

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## carlson

I was wondering if goats lost their horn parts like bulls do. I forgot what they called already ha, my cousin has a goat that tried eatting my hunting coat I want his skull

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## Mrl249

I got a cat skeleton for Christmas.   :Smile:  going to put it together soon  :Smile:  ill post pics.

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LostWingsInTime (01-08-2015)

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## carlson

Ooo cool what company did they go threw? Are you gonna run wire threw each bone or do you super glue bone to bone? I was on a taxidermy forum but noone was posting on skeleton building some cool skull info I really wanna try a bronze painted skull like a guy had done on there

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## carlson

Here is what I wanna do to a skull, better yet do it to a whole rat skeleton before I put it together? Haha

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LostWingsInTime (01-08-2015)

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## sorraia

That painted skull is neat! Now I'm thinking of doing that to some of mine.... Off the top of my head, I have a couple oppossum, a horse, goat (complete with nice horns), sheep, big, dog, and a couple gophers. I used to have a cat skull I found under my shed, until something stole it while I had it outside drying.  :Mad:

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## carlson

The guy said he painted it copper first let it dry then he painted it black and wiped it away before it dried letting it settle in the cracks. I got this guy that may look sweet like that.  it's back under ground till spring tho

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_sorraia_ (12-29-2012)

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## I-KandyReptiles

Cute toes nick.
 :Wink: 

There's a guy at the expo who has things like this. Crazy nuts, and expensive too  :Sad:

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_carlson_ (12-29-2012)

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## carlson

If I become good at it ill give you one for frees haha an I'm cute all over  :Wink:  lol

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_I-KandyReptiles_ (12-29-2012)

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## I-KandyReptiles

:Wink:  oh yes, yes you are.

I'm going to stop and check his prices. I mean, that gtp he did was ridiculous! 

I don't think I could do that but bones are really cool. Especially when it's different (like cats, snakes)

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## Capray

> Ya it's cool it's that weird ceramic stuff she said its made for medical students and she would rather I have it then her sob husband. Better pics I like it it looks like bone till you touch it


Man I would love to have that! Coolness. Yeah once I learn more about anatomy I wanna do that. At a summer camp I went to they had the kids try to arrange the bones of a deer correctly on the ground. it was pretty fun!

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## carlson

I will do a snake one day hope ha. I'm gonna try a rat soon as he gets little bigger and see how it goes I wanna make a copper lookin rat

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## I-KandyReptiles

http://www.boneroom.com/bone/budgetskel.htm

Budget skeletons

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_carlson_ (12-29-2012)

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## carlson

> Man I would love to have that! Coolness. Yeah once I learn more about anatomy I wanna do that. At a summer camp I went to they had the kids try to arrange the bones of a deer correctly on the ground. it was pretty fun!


Thanks  :Smile:  I was pumped when she gave it too me cuz their not that cheap outta my price range at least lol. I've always liked the bones of an animal just how they are made from outside down to genetics I really like I'm a nerd kinda lol

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## carlson

Next trip to my parents I'm getting all my skulls an that an ill post pics of all it i got a good amount lol

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## I-KandyReptiles

I have bone and black wood hanging earrings.

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## carlson

I used to have bone stretching plugs they were 1/2 inch

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## I-KandyReptiles



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LostWingsInTime (01-08-2015)

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## carlson

My bone plugs were curved like that but flat at the end I didn't have cool ones

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## youbeyouibei

Check out the Sedlec Ossuary in the Czech Republic. The history behind why they used the bones as they did is what caught my attention about it. That and how unusual it is as far as a church and what they used to "decorate" it. Never actually been there but maybe at some point...anyway, here's a link if you're interested:

http://www.sedlecossuary.com/

A Googel image search has some interesting shots from the interior.

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_carlson_ (12-29-2012)

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## Mrl249

Coming together

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_3skulls_ (01-02-2013),_sissysnakes_ (01-24-2013),_Valentine Pirate_ (01-02-2013)

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## carlson

Sweet! Are you glueing the pieces together or wire method? I'm thinking I'm gonna try the super glue method first

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## Mrl249

I strung galvanized wire down the vertebra and yes hot glue since it is my first time

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## 3skulls

Keep posting pics as you work on this  :Smile:

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## carlson

Here's some of the stuff I have going on a shelf in the snake room. 
 antelope skull I believe one of my dads friends found it out west elk hunting.
 fox skull
shark jaw 
 my little gator I got my first time in Florida when I was eight 
muskrat skull from one I trapped. 
 found this on the beach when I was eight in Florida too ha
 my grandma got me these I think I have a couple more tho. She passed away few years ago  :Sad:  and last  my little six point on a big shed horn my dad found

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_3skulls_ (01-08-2013),LostWingsInTime (01-08-2015)

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## CatandDiallo

Just wanted to pop in to say your projects are cool.

I have minimal experience with animal bones (aside from digging them up), but have a lot of experience with human bones. I personally own 1 male adult skeleton, and have worked with many others.
I'm now working with fetal, infant and child skeletons.

Maybe one day I'll string my human together!

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## carlson

That's cool I wish I could afford a human one they outta my price range right now but a articulated one would be super cool any pics?

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## Mike41793

How does one, and why does one for that matter, trap a muskrat...?

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## CatandDiallo

I don't even want to know how much a human one would cost/what the requirements would be to get one now a days.

My father purchased it in the late 1970s or early 1980s I do believe, and I'm sure it was much easier to get a hold of them then. 

I take a lot of Osteo courses, so it got passed on to me.

I don't have pictures on this computer, but he just looks like a normal, clean, bleached laboratory skeleton.

I worked with a skeleton in the summer that was uncleaned, unbleached and over half a millenia old, though. He was missing a lot of his bones. If you want to see him, send me a message and I can show you.
I would rather my work not be posted on a public forum.

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## carlson

K ill do that. I like the human ones cuz emt right now and when I finish my fire man course taking paramedic haha

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## 3skulls

I like that muskrat skull. 

Thought you might enjoy some of these. 










A bunch of goodies in the deep
Freeze.

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_Capray_ (01-08-2013),LostWingsInTime (01-08-2015)

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## carlson

Dude I want your deep freeze!! If you ever have a passed away snake you want to sell I would be so interested haha I know weird I just seen one in there so I figured asking you wouldn't seem weird haha. Are those bats in there? If I find a dead bat around this year I'm gonna grab it up ha I find them alot up here. And you have some cool skulls I wanna visit your place dude you got so much cool stuff! O an muskrat was my first one I'm gonna try bleaching then painting it one day just for poops and giggles lol

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## carlson

I ment muskrat was the first one I trapped not first skull lol

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## 3skulls

If I ever get one I can part with. 
That's one of my Carpet girls that passed away with cancer a couple of months ago  :Sad: 

Yep I have 2 bats in there. A bunch of small furry types. I keep thinking I'll do something with them one of these days. 

I'll look around this week and see what else I can dig up to share.

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## 3skulls

Oh and that fox skull is pretty freaking cool too  :Very Happy:

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## carlson

O ya I'd never ask you to part with one you couldn't that's why it's a weird request lol I didn't know how quite to word it. I've read that the Beatle way off cleaning will keep the bones connected still so you can place them how you want then spray a sealer on it an that will freeze it in place. Not sure on it yet tho I may try it this summer if I come across a good bat.

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## Valentine Pirate

I was so excited when my co-worker found a cormorant under the boat lift dock at work. I'm a sucker for bird skulls. I've worked with some rats and partial roadkill for articulations (and craft bits, depends on what it is)


Pets can be hard to work with. I've always wanted to articulate a cat skeleton in a reclined pose to guard the book shelf, but they're very expensive. My cat has been buried long enough that I know there's a perfectly good skeleton to work with, but I just can't bring myself to use him  :Sad:

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_3skulls_ (01-08-2013)

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## 3skulls

I also read that they keep almost everything intact. When boiling and bleach can loosen up some parts of the nasal cavity. I would love to work with them some day, I wish I had a shed or something out back. 

I stopped the other day to pick up a huge deer but it was rank :p

In the summer I find dead snakes on our driveway at work. If I find anything thats in pretty good shape, I'll send it out to you.

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## 3skulls

Bird skulls are really cool. 

I'm glad there are others out there that like this stuff :p

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## carlson

That would be awesome, I'm thinking a tub of the flesh eaters in my shed for summer wouldnt be bad and I could get the skeletons easier. I'm upset the rat I wanted to work with died in his cage when I was at work an I didn't find him till next morning stank and chewed on I had no desire to use him so ill try again another time. He had some weird brain problem I think and the cage mates chewed after he died.

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## carlson

> I'm glad there are others out there that like this stuff :p


Your telling me haha my mom says I'm weird lol I can't help it all this stuff is cool to me it's why I'm an emt and after my fireman schooling am doing paramedic  :Smile:  medical minded and a tad weird haha

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## Valentine Pirate

I've had a lot of luck letting the flesh rot off. Definitely not a pleasant experience (I wouldn't be able to do it this way if I didn't have an old chicken coop so it's isolated smell and scavenger wise) but the bones turn out beautifully with a rinse and a light peroxide wash. Again, not pleasant, but after the carcass or limb has been sitting in a bucket of water for 2-3 months it's a piece of cake

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## 3skulls

I would post some of my horror prop stuff but I don't think everyone here would want to see it :p
I think you would get a kick out of some of it. 
Maybe I can fit in some of the tame stuff :p

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_Valentine Pirate_ (01-08-2013)

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## carlson

So you just throw hole thing in water pull it out and wash it? Do they stay intact like the bugs do? I heard of taking them apart then soaking them

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## 3skulls

I bet that water was foul haha

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## carlson

> I would post some of my horror prop stuff but I don't think everyone here would want to see it :p
> I think you would get a kick out of some of it. 
> Maybe I can fit in some of the tame stuff :p


Horror prop stuff! Yes! If they don't wanna see can't they just close their eyes? Haha d

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## 3skulls

Hey it's art! Right? Haha. 

I'll take a look around this week.

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## carlson

Yes it is art an best kind of it haha. One day I want to paint a snake skeleton (big snake) do it in a way it looks metal and have a pray item skeleton also painted by it with the snake striking haha I seen them before but not painted so I wanna do it

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LostWingsInTime (01-08-2015)

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## 3skulls

That would be pretty cool. I used to spray paint cicada molts silver.

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## Valentine Pirate

> So you just throw hole thing in water pull it out and wash it? Do they stay intact like the bugs do? I heard of taking them apart then soaking them





> I bet that water was foul haha


I'm not sure I'd call it intact. All the pieces are there! By the time I rinse/wash it's a pretty foul cocktail, but all the gooey/fleshy parts come off with very little effort, and no damage to the skeleton. I don't have any experience with beetles, just didn't have the resources (or bug friendly house) to do it in but I think it would be kind of fun to have a different kind of functional pet  :Razz: 

And it is absolutely an art!

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## carlson

So you would glue the bones together or the wire and glue method? Sorry lots of questions just trying to start getting into skeleton articulation. I'm watching aferica on discovery and wow I want a rino skull and as I type this I feel as tho saying that makes me weird haha

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## Valentine Pirate

I use a wire and glue combination after everything is dried and laid out (usually lots of research goes into the anatomy part). Wish I had my old photos! I gave most of my projects away as gifts and haven't worked on anything in years.

I know what you mean though, I have mixed feelings about having a wishlist of animals who's bones I want to collect  :Embarassed:  baboon skulls are crazy

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## carlson

It's a wish list you don't tell friends lol. I think I'm gonna try one wire and glue and one just glue see which rat is best. I  want a few different ones I wish I could trap where I live now there is a huge skunk around here that I would like to try

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## carlson

Speaking of wish list if anyone ever finds a rattlesnake I would buy that too haha we don't have many wild snakes here we do but not rattlers like I want. I think there is a pit viper in Minnesota tho people tell me so I never seen it

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## 3skulls

my riding buddy



And found this on my phone.
Look away now..... Oh the horror!!! Haha we will start off slow.

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_Valentine Pirate_ (01-09-2013)

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## carlson

Is that a coyote or dog skull? And dude that would be so much fun making horror props that's so cool, do you use clay for the face?

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## 3skulls

Raccoon skull. 

I transferred most of my photos off my phone. 
Sculpt it out of clay then make a mold. Once the mold is done you can fill it with latex. It's like a mask. 

this was the start of a mask. 




Here is a Pinhead baby and corpse. :p


I haven't made anything in a few years :/

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## carlson

Those are cool! If I had that talent I'd be making stuff all the time and I'd place them in spots to completely screw with people lol like corpse in a public bathroom

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_3skulls_ (01-09-2013)

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## 3skulls

Haha. 
Cost and time keeps me from it now. 

Now back to skeletons. 
I might take a skull or skeleton then fix it back to look like road kill or something. Maybe a zombie dog or something :p

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## carlson

Zombie dog would be perfect for holloween haha I asked my cousin to keep any coyotes or wolves he shoots on his farm so I'm hoping to get one of them soon cuz they getting bad up there he lost a baby cow couple nights ago

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## 3skulls

I took a walk through the woods yesterday and found nothing. 

A wolf would be cool.

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## carlson

I passed a deer the other night that had a good upper half but i had to trade my truck for a tiny car so I can't grab any deer nomore ha if I can get a coon before people smash it I'm always trying but people like to hit them over an over again here

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## 3skulls

The deer I pass everyday has been there for a while now. If it was warmer it would be clean. I'll wait it out a bit longer.

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## carlson

Ya I have a tiny car now so I can get a motorcycle ha and I don't think ill try putting anything in it. Brush wolves bad around here tho so next time I see one I may have to grab it. I want the skull and if fur is good tan it and use it in the gun case I'm building

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## 3skulls

Any updates on any projects? 
I might pick up that deer today  :Smile: 


I'm also trying to figure out a way to make a beetle shack out back. 

I know that cricket breeders use dermistids and sometimes you'll get one or two in with your crickets. 
I might ask the petshop if I can just buy a handful from them.

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## carlson

Nothing new my bull skull is frozen under ground so I've been busting hump to finish my snake and rat room. I just finished rat rack one. If your using tapatalk they have a taxidermy forum on it and people sell those betels for decent price if you look for their adds it doest seem as busy as bp is

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## 3skulls

I do use it, I'll check it out. 
I'll post a pic if I get the deer today  :Very Happy:

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## carlson

K nice is it a buck or doe? When I move outta trailer I wanna save the deer I shoot one year an try a full deer too I think that would be easier than rat bigger at least haha

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## 3skulls

I think it's a doe. 
I have been watching for a few months.

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## carlson

Nice should be fun to work with I wanna have a wolf and a deer skeleton on a mount together think that would be sweet. Gots to slowly learn i guess tho

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## 3skulls

Wow this thing stinks!!!

bones with fur below!!!! 
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.

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_satomi325_ (12-20-2013)

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## carlson

Haha I bet it does smell

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## 3skulls

A lady at work saw the deer in the back of my truck, so I had to explain :o

Well today she came in with this!!



She said "I thought you might like to have it". Freaking score!!!

Those horns are almost as wide as my truck.

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LostWingsInTime (01-08-2015)

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## Mike41793

Thats sick 3skulls!

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_3skulls_ (02-05-2013)

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## Valentine Pirate

> A lady at work saw the deer in the back of my truck, so I had to explain :o
> 
> Well today she came in with this!!
> 
> 
> She said "I thought you might like to have it". Freaking score!!!
> 
> Those horns are almost as wide as my truck.


Freaking score is right! Haha, awesome addition  :Razz:  

I was so excited when I found out the new travelift operator at work also went around picking up roadkill in the area (she's also got years of collecting in her freezer!). I trade feathers for the occasional skull or carcass to clean. She's also a great source for finding the odd fossil, at 40 some she has a couple decades on my familiarity with the islands

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_3skulls_ (02-05-2013)

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## 3skulls

Good to know there is more of US out there :p

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## carlson

Dude soo jealous over that bull skull! Mine the horn parts always seem to be off them but I think it's cuz my cousin throws them in his pond.(the fresh skulls) driving my work van I passed a looked like a brush wolf body with a big eagle eatting it I so wanted to pull over take pics I'm gonna go back Friday when I'm off and see if the wolf still there i want that skeleton!

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_3skulls_ (02-06-2013)

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## OsirisRa32

dammit...epic horns there dude!!!

Wish I had more space right now to get into some of the skull stuff I want to do :/ 

Cant wait to move!!!

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_3skulls_ (02-06-2013)

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## carlson

I can't wait to have a house my trailer is awesome but i need more space. Snakes and rats need own room and I need a room for skeletons haha with a table in the middle for putting them together  :Smile: . Give me a four bedroom house with a nice basement and a big garage and ill be happy.

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## OsirisRa32

Carlson...sounds like you need a lot of space, land, rooms and man cave-iness in general dude!! lol

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_carlson_ (02-06-2013)

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## CatandDiallo

I've recently been working with foetal skeletal remains, and thought this was cool:



Here's the right half of a mandible and a scapula, all in the palm of my hand!

This is from a foetus in the second trimester.

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_3skulls_ (02-06-2013)

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## 3skulls

> I've recently been working with foetal skeletal remains, and thought this was cool:
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the right half of a mandible and a scapula, all in the palm of my hand!
> 
> This is from a foetus in the second trimester.


Wow. How are you getting to work with that?

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## carlson

> Carlson...sounds like you need a lot of space, land, rooms and man cave-iness in general dude!! lol


Haha yes I do! All my girl friends (the just friend kinds and the gf kinds) tell me that my trailer is like the man house of man house. I'm always building so my kitchen and dining room are a wood working area so that drives girls nuts too.  here's my entertainment wall haha

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## carlson

> I've recently been working with foetal skeletal remains, and thought this was cool:
> 
> 
> 
> Here's the right half of a mandible and a scapula, all in the palm of my hand!
> 
> This is from a foetus in the second trimester.


Wow that's cool what's your job? The structure of the human body is cool as crap ever since I started medical field I've wanted a full size human skeleton

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## CatandDiallo

I'm actually a student (and I've worked in Archaeology).

I'm taking a class right now called Bioarchaeology of Children, which is essentially Subadult Osteology.

I had to get my head around touching children and fetuses (especially since infant skulls look like aliens), but it's turned out to be really cool so far.

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_3skulls_ (02-08-2013)

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## carlson

That sounds like a fun class I almost went the science route but not enough funds with my student loans

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## carlson

I ordered two paintings the other day. First one is an already done painting its a small 4x4 it'll come framed up nice gonna put it among the skull collection once I get them in their final spot.  the other one is a 16x20( both are inches) it is one i had him paint for me not sure what itll look like its fire fighter themed with a skull that's all I told him and let him have control he's got a cool darker style good at skulls and that so excited to see my other one

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_3skulls_ (02-15-2013),LostWingsInTime (01-08-2015),_Mike41793_ (02-15-2013)

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## Ginevive

It's great to see other bone/skull collectors  :Smile:  I have a pretty good collection going of skulls and bones. Some skulls I have are opossum, raccoon, deer, feral cat, coyote, and more. Our house is full of tanned hides and bones everywhere; I use them for crafting. I also tan hides at home for family/friends who hunt, and for myself, and am teaching myself taxidermy. 

Be sure to check out your state and federal laws on certain species parts. It's pretty nitpicky and specific, what laws are out there.

Degreasing is a pretty important step that a lot of people leave out when cleaning skulls and bones. If you just take a beetled skull and paint it, it might look good, but there's trapped grease inside of the skull that can seep out. Even with a coating of paint, it's better to get rid of that grease instead of having it around your house. Degreasing involves a long Dawn dish soap/water soak in heated water. 

Bones and skulls are fun! I will close with a few pics of my environment  :Smile:  

This is my second taxidermy squirrel. I had to sculpt the form for its head and left arm, because the ones attached to the original premade mannikin were too small. Skin was harvested by my cousin and tanned by me.



Here is a pure white piebald deer backhide that I tanned for a friend. The human skeleton is a cast replica, as they are not legal to own here in NY without medical permits of some kind. You can also see the first taxidermy squirrel mount that I did, on the doorway  :Smile:  My goldfish tank is also visible; I love those guys. And my kitchen, which luckily as cleaned when I took the pic; lol.



Here's the face of an oddball raccoon piece that I am working on. It was harvested by my cousin and I tanned it at home. I used a real coon skull and glass beads for the head mannikin, and may either make the body stuffed, or into a rug.



And this is my favorite piece. It is mostly made of feral cat bones, but has a few red fox and raccoon bones in it as well. It is Not anatomically correct, and I sculpted it more to be decorative. You can see a great example of a bone with left-in grease in the cat's leg; see the discoloration? I know; practice what I preach; I bought this skeleton already-cleaned, though, and it is art, so oh well; lol!

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_3skulls_ (04-20-2013),_carlson_ (04-20-2013),_Mike41793_ (04-20-2013)

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## Mike41793

That first squirrel pic is awesome!  :Good Job:

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## carlson

Nice! One day I want to learn how to mount a skin, when I got more time ha. I've been thinking about running a trap line again if Im aloud to have one by my place. Lot of big coons, some mink and martins in the woods behind me

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## Ginevive

Thanks Mike!

I would love to live in a spot again where we could hunt, and trap. I have my cousin to get me stuff, for now. Hide tanning is a very rewarding hobby. It took me awhile to get a good soft tan, but through trial and error, it happened. I still hate degreasing raccoons though; greasy critters!

My best works to date are a whole fox, and almost-whole deer blanket (no feet or tail, although I have the tail separate; it was just accidentally severed.) I am still learning how to mount a deer head; have most of the supplies here, but I have to get a few more before I begin.  :Smile: )

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## carlson

I seen a huge coon at my trailer park the other morning I thought it was a dog until I seen the little bandit face ha.

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_Ginevive_ (04-21-2013)

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## Ginevive

lol! They can get huge.

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## 4theSNAKElady

Those are kewl! The goat skull is really awesome. Ive always wanted a fox skull, still kicking myself for not picking up the one i saw at the ren faire for $15... :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):   I dont really have the patience for cleaning and putting together skeletons myself. Ive only ever pinned large moths and butterflies, and a few other assorted insects like cicada killers and beetles. Ive always (and still) wanted a mounted red fox. A real nice one tho...cuz ive seen tons of really crappy mounts.

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## carlson

Well done mounts look so good. I wanna have a wolf mount that's my goal some day ha

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## 4theSNAKElady

> Well done mounts look so good. I wanna have a wolf mount that's my goal some day ha


Awooooooo!

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_carlson_ (04-22-2013)

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## 4theSNAKElady

Idk what it is, but i have a thing for the TAIL lol. I have quite a collection of gorgeous fluffy fox tails, coon tails, coyote tails, even a skunk tail and i have a mink tail as my cell phone charm! I love to feel and pet them. Is that wierd? Lol

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## 3skulls

I'm sure most people who look at you as weird. :p

I don't think the people posting in this thread can talk much. 
I have a skull, bones or animal pretty much anywhere look in my house. The roofers must have loved the rotting deer in the backyard

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## 3skulls

Oooh and I found a whole coyote the other day  :Smile:

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## carlson

Lucky I've been hoping to find something cool like that!

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## 3skulls

I'm going back to check on it in a couple of weeks  :Smile: 
Made a rock grave around it so nothing would come drag it away.

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## carlson

Hopfully some magots come eat some of it up for you. I like burring for like six months but that takes forever to see an sometimes it's not long enough

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## 3skulls

It was covered in dermestids and flies  :Smile:

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## 4theSNAKElady

> I'm sure most people who look at you as weird. :p


Yep. I was called wierd ever since i was a kid. I still get called that. But i dont give a sh***. Its the way i am, an i like bein me. Wierd. :p
Im sure all of us here feel the same way  :Very Happy:  go us!


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_3skulls_ (04-24-2013)

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## carlson

Haha I tell people when I meet them, I'm weird and I'm very stubborn and very thick headed so we can be friends but you gotta understand my weirdness and stubbornness. Noone listens specially girls they just stare at me not listening then couple weeks go by an they complain bout it an I'm like I warned you!

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## 4theSNAKElady

Its ok Nick. We all love you here. :Very Happy:

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_carlson_ (04-24-2013)

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## carlson

Yay!! Haha your all my friends  :Smile:

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## 4theSNAKElady

> Yay!! Haha your all my friends


Sometimes i feel like this place is like my second "virtual" family lol

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## carlson

> Sometimes i feel like this place is like my second "virtual" family lol
> 
> Sent from my H866C using Tapatalk 2


Haha ya you all are funner to talk to than lotta real life people I know and if someone here annoys me they can't keep anoying me if I ignore their posts haha real life not as easy

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## 4theSNAKElady

But Nick, we are real life people!  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 

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## Mike41793

I am a real life people too

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## carlson

I'm not Im a ghost!

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## Mike41793

I'm a velociraptor

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## I-KandyReptiles

I'm a t rex and ima eat chuuuu

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## Mike41793

> I'm a t rex and ima eat chuuuu


You can't catch me.

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## Coleslaw007

I'm a coleslawasaurus!!!

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## 4theSNAKElady

Imma Archaeopteryx...cuz I luv feathaz.

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## 4theSNAKElady

Any of you guys ever watch that show "Immortalized"?

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## carlson

I seen one can't member what one it was tho

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## 3skulls

Don't have cable  :Sad:

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## carlson

Gonna pull my bull skull back outta the ground soon trying to figure out what I wanna do with him. I've wanted to try the painting then mounting, would make sense to do it with a skull I can get any time I want too. Just not sure how hard it would be an if I'm gonna screw it up or not

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_3skulls_ (05-23-2013)

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## 3skulls

Never tried to paint them. I need to see if my coyote is still there. 

Take pics when you pull it from the ground  :Smile:

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## carlson

I was looking at the bronzing method looks like a pain but cool

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## Ginevive

> Idk what it is, but i have a thing for the TAIL lol. I have quite a collection of gorgeous fluffy fox tails, coon tails, coyote tails, even a skunk tail and i have a mink tail as my cell phone charm! I love to feel and pet them. Is that wierd? Lol
> 
> Sent from my H866C using Tapatalk 2


I collect tails too! Fluffy fox tails are the best. Check out the website Glacierwear; really great prices but nice quality. If you ever have any that you want to trade (fox morphs) let me know!

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## carlson

I used to have fox an coon tails. My moms cats ate them tho  :Sad:

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## 4theSNAKElady

> I collect tails too! Fluffy fox tails are the best. Check out the website Glacierwear; really great prices but nice quality. If you ever have any that you want to trade (fox morphs) let me know!


Ok! You gotta let me know what you got, i got a lot of big silver tails. Lookin for a nice big red  :Very Happy: 

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## 3skulls

Wet back and got the coyote skull today!!

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_carlson_ (05-27-2013),_Mike41793_ (05-27-2013)

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## carlson

Nice it looks good. You gonna soak it to clean it? I'm getting ready to get my bull out but not sure how to clean it

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_3skulls_ (05-27-2013)

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## 3skulls

Yeah I'm not sure. 
I couldn't bring it home because I took the bike today. With me, my girl and 2 of the dogs. I didn't have any room :p

I might just let it sit out in the sun for a week or so.

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## carlson

Nice, I've been hoping to stumble on some deer antler sheds in my walks through the woods but I never seem to find them

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## 3skulls

Animals eat them up quick!
I have only found them a couple of time and we have deer all over work. 

Your dog would love them :p

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## carlson

I'm sure she would lol I like to use them to mount skulls on. Luckly I've only shot one buck so far an found one antler shed the next year so my deer skull is on that. The shed is from a lot bigger deer too lol

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## 3skulls

I have it in a diluted peroxide bath. 
It's getting funky :p

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## carlson

Starting to whiten?

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## 3skulls

It helped a little. Still pretty fresh so I'm going let it sit in the sun for a few days



Something I haven't seen before but the teeth are really pink. 
I'm not sure if they are stained from it rotting or what. 

And what's a good glue to hold the teeth in place. They fall out really easy on this one.

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## carlson

Looks nice, an I'm not too sure most mine it's just been if they stay they stay ha if not well noones perfect lol. Maybe a dap of super glue? I'm sure there it a proper taxidermy glie

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_3skulls_ (05-28-2013)

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## 3skulls

A few days in the sun.

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_carlson_ (06-03-2013),_Mike41793_ (06-03-2013)

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## carlson

Nice bleached it good, im gonna have to see if the sun works on my bull

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## 3skulls

Another deer skull.

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_ChrisS_ (12-05-2013),_Mike41793_ (12-05-2013)

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## Mike41793

Saw a deer wrecked on the side of rt 9 last nite. Wish i had a truck so i coulda stopped to get the head. My brother would have killed me haha :p

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_3skulls_ (12-20-2013)

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## satomi325

This is a really awesome thread! I'm subscribing.
I've always wanted to have whole skeleton displays in my room.

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_3skulls_ (12-20-2013)

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## SlitherinSisters

This is really cool! 

This is probably really weird, but I wish someone could articulate my horse. It would be so cool to see her 'immortalized' (not at my house though). Or at least her skull bc she fractured her forehead and broke her brow bone off 9 years ago, it would be neat to see what it looks like, but I would have no part in the process of getting her skull... 

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_3skulls_ (12-20-2013)

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## Badgemash

I just stumbled onto this thread during insommnia time, but so cool! I had no idea there were so many bone articulators (sorry, I'm sure there's word for it, I just don't know what it is) out there! 

The bronze painting idea gave me another idea. I think once things calm down in the studio (everyone gets crazy busy around christmas), I might try to get my hands on some little rodent skulls and parts and see if I can cast them in actual bronze. Might make for some interesting jewelry if I can get them to burn out properly. 

Thanks for the inspiration, and more pics please!

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_3skulls_ (12-23-2013),_Mike41793_ (12-23-2013)

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## ChrisS

Remembered this thread from a while back, so I thought I'd share this monkey skull I obtained from a friend for temporary use to sketch a new tattoo 


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_3skulls_ (05-28-2014)

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## I-KandyReptiles

Not a skull but I bought a snake fetus necklace!!




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LostWingsInTime (01-08-2015)

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## 3skulls

Seeing if some dermestids will finish this one up.

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_Mike41793_ (05-29-2014)

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## sunnyscales2day

I love this thread!  :Smile: 
It reminds me of when I was a girl and would go explore the creek and find treasures. One of them was this, never did figure out what it is though. I found it just like it is, cranium cut off and everything, I'm thinking it was something with antlers? Anyone here know?

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_Mike41793_ (06-04-2014)

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## Mike41793

Human!! Lol idk

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## DooLittle

Awful big eye sockets.  How big is it?  Horse maybe?

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_Mike41793_ (06-04-2014)

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## Mike41793

> Awful big eye sockets.  How big is it?  Horse maybe?


NO NO NO NO NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN 

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## sunnyscales2day

Sorry this took so long, thanks for all the input!

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## sunnyscales2day

It's small enough to be a foal, but the nasal sinus seem to thin in the front to support front teeth, so maybe cow? But it still doesn't seem right, I found it in a creek behind a nice neighborhood, maybe someone went hunting out of country? It would really be cool if it was a gazelle or something. Is that even legal? I don't know anything about hunting abroad, I do know some neighbors did it though. 
Or maybe it's an alien? Or an extraterrestrial's dinner? Lol

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