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<body class='hmmessage'><div dir='ltr'>Dear Becky,<br><br>Recently, we have been using a dilute ammonia solution (5% in water) applied with a soft brush to scrub fatty secretions from Whale bones. The ammonia turns the grease into foam which can be removed with a vacuum or simply wiped away. We did find however that any remaining cartilage will soften on contact the solution, so we are extra careful with these areas as we want to preserve them. Once the ammonia evaporates though, the cartilage hardens once more. This method might be just as effective on turtle grease, though you may want to conduct a cleaning trial to test the strength of the shell.<br><br>I hope this is of some assistance, <br><br>All the best,<br><br><font class="ecxApple-style-span" style="text-indent:0px !important" face="Verdana"><font class="ecxApple-style-span" style="text-indent:0px !important" color="#595959"></font></font><font style="" color="#595959"><font style="" face="Verdana">Bethany Palumbo<br><br>Conservator of Life Sciences<br>Oxford University Museum of Natural History<br>bgpalumbo@hotmail.co.uk<br></font></font><br><br><div><hr id="stopSpelling">Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 11:58:28 +0200<br>From: becky.desjardins@naturalis.nl<br>To: nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu<br>Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Leatherback turtle help needed<br><br><div dir="ltr">Hello all;<div><br></div><div>We have a <span>leatherback</span> turtle that was half prepared. The bones and skin were removed but the shell sat in the freezer for about 4 years, where it curled dreadfully. We uncurled it by soaking in 4% Formalin for a weekend, and then dried it out flat for about a month. It looks okay; it is nice and flat, but it is really greasy. There is still a fair amount of meat under the shell, (15-20mm in some spots) but I really don't know how much is safe to remove without damaging the integrity of the shell. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you!<br>
<div><br></div><div><br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr"><div> <div>Met <span>vriendelijke</span> <span>groeten</span>,<br></div><div><br></div><div>Becky <span>Desjardins</span></div>
<div><span><br></span></div><div>Taxidermist/<span>Preparator</span><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>
<div><img src="http://logo.naturalis.nl/logo.png" alt="" border="0"><br></div> </div> <br> <span style="font-size:xx-small;font-family:arial,sans-serif;">T 071-5687544 , M 06-47922634<br><br><span>Darwinweg</span> 2 - 2333 CR Leiden<br>
E <a href="mailto:Becky.Desjardins@naturalis.nl" target="_blank">Becky.<span>Desjardins</span>@<span>naturalis</span>.<span>nl</span></a> I , <a href="http://www.naturalis.nl/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.<span>naturalis</span>.<span>nl</span></a> <br>
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