How to Preserve Animal Skeletons

Scrub the bones with hot water and dish soap to remove any greasy residue. Rinse the bones and allow them to air dry.

Submerge the bones in hydrogen peroxide to whiten them. How long the bones need to soak depends on the peroxide concentration and how white you want the bones. Whitening can take anywhere from one to three days. Higher peroxide concentrations will bleach faster than lower peroxide concentrations. Also, some bone preserves prefer to retain some of the natural off-white coloration while others prefer totally whitened bones. As an alternative to soaking, highly concentrated peroxide, such as 35 percent, can be painted on. Allow the bones to dry before proceeding.

Secure the bone joints together. Several methods exist. Which method you employ depends on bone size, the nature of the joint and whether you want the joint to be stable or moveable. Options for stabilizing joints include drilling pilot holes through the joints and securing them together with screws and gluing them together with hot glue. For moveable joints, drill small holes through joints and wire them together. Larger joints may require two wires.

Spray the skeleton with three to four coats of polyurethane clear coat to create a protective sheen. When adding clear coat, apply only thin coats and keep the nozzle around 10 inches from the bones to avoid drips. Allow a coat to dry before adding another.