# New Hide Idea.



## Gruni (Jan 2, 2015)

Hey guys just looking for some advice for prepping a new hide I found. I found an old turtle shell that has lost all of its enamel and looks like bleached bone. It has some dark patches on the top and I want to clean the dirt and stuff out of the inside of the shell but I don't want to use bleach in case I lose the markings.

I'm thinking of a soak in a bucket of disinfectant and a bit of dishdrops, a light brush out inside and then when it dries painting it with some Cabots Gelcoat to seal it and finish it off.

I'll try to get a pic of the shell up tomorrow.


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## DarwinBrianT (Jan 3, 2015)

I'd soak it in f10 for an hour, let dry and then put it in.


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## arevenant (Jan 3, 2015)

or sugar soap to get any remnants off it...


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## izzys1 (Jan 3, 2015)

Bi carb soda is good for scrubbing without being dangerous if you add some vinegar it foams and remove tough grime and scents


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## CrazyNut (Jan 4, 2015)

You could just leave it over night is a diluted bleach solution. Just mix in some water to weaken and dilute the bleach, that should work well. If you can be bothered to go to the effort, try ordering a bunch of hide beetles from Minibeast wildlife or similar company. They are used by museums to pick clean bones. Place the shell in with the beetles, should take a few hours to a few days. You can than just degrease it (simple process many how to's on the web), than finally disinfect it  you could also leave to soak in water for a week or so than just degrease and disinfect it.


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## GBWhite (Jan 4, 2015)

Sounds like a good idea Joerg but I think you might find that even though it's an empty carapace it's still illegal to possess it in NSW.

Cheers mate.


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## Gruni (Jan 4, 2015)

Thanks for the replies guys. It has no meaty bits to worry about so beetles are not an issue it is just dirty on the inside and I want to keep the grimy exterior look to it. 

Thanks also for the heads up George, in this case I think I would have to be very unlucky and the officer would be having a really bad day if they were going to get prissy about an old carapace that was drifting around the shore of Pindari Dam.


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