Dear Adam,many good suggestions have been made...acouple of notes of
caution.I work on fish bone and have cleaned many skeletons and without
a wet-lab to process in can be a problem.DO NOT use any of the enzyme
pre-wash products such as Biz they will damage the bone.There are some
degreasing products that are used in Taxidermy and are biodegradable.
If you have access to a microwave oven,it can be useful to process fish.
Put a small slit in the belly(so it won't explode)and put the fish on
a plate or in an unsealed zip-loc bag and "zap"it.The length of time
will depend on the size of the fish.Micro-wave in small increments...
don't overdo it and remove the flesh searching for bones as you go.One
of the hardest things to remove is the brain,but it can be done.I save
the scales as well.After you've gotten it clean you can degrease.I use
a detergent called Alconox it's a lab glassware cleaner,but other
products will work as well.Be sure to rinse bones thoroughly.
I hope this is helpful.If you have questions just give a yell.
Cheers
Peter
Peter Burns
Zooarchaeology Laboratory
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
Harvard University
11 Divinity Avenue
Cambridge,MA 02138
USA
Phone: 617-495-8317
|