Sam Piassek🌿

Bone Collector | Skeletal Articulator.

[scuba-sam]

I’ve been getting some extra inquiries regarding memorials here on tumblr lately, and wanted to share some recent memorials I have worked on for three different beloved cats. These show some of the many options I offer, including skull and skeletal cleaning, heart preservation, pelt tanning, paw and tail preservation, inked paw prints, etc. My pricing does vary, and I prefer to give personalized quotes depending on different options that are appropriate for each individual. My messages and email are always open for any questions!🖤

To see much more of my work follow my Instagram, linked below!

𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐤𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐬 & 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 (@shinerskulls) Instagram profile • 365 photos and videos

5,475 Followers, 234 Following, 365 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐤𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐬 & 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 (@shinerskulls)

[scuba-sam]

Do you take domestic tanning commissions? I have a roadkill stray cat that’s skinned in my freezer and I can’t find anyone to tan him.

Hi! Yes, I do offer pelt tanning, as long as you are in the US. Feel free to send me a message or email to further discuss details, and I can send some more photos of my previous work. (I’m quite behind with sharing my work here on Tumblr.)

[scuba-sam]

hello! i hope you’re doing well in these difficult times. i was wondering what your prices are for pet memorial skull cleanings? i tried looking around your blog but couldn’t find any info, i’m new here sorry :( also how would one get the pet to you?? thank you very much 💕

Hello! I currently don’t have a complete list of pricing for memorials, as I offer quite a variety of options for various species. If you feel comfortable sending a message or email with a bit more info about a loved one you may want memorialized, and ideas or options you’re looking for, I can give a personal and appropriate pricing quote, as well as send info on how best to package and ship a loved one to me.

Thank you for the well wishes! I hope you are holding up well during this time, too!

[foxenswares]

Brandy’s skeleton is home! Temporarily at my parents’ house. Nimh came to check her out.

Thank you @scuba-sam for doing the articulation! She looks amazing and it’s good to have her home.

[scuba-sam]

🥰 So happy that Brandy is back home!

[scuba-sam]

If i send you bones can you tell me what they are? I have a few cow or horse bones. Vertebraes of a small animal. Please and thank you

Of course, feel free to send me photos of anything you’re wondering about and I can let you know what I think they are!

[scuba-sam]

How did you preserve cinnamon's heart? or is that a replica? She's a very cool piece!

Thank you for your compliment! To answer your question, it is Cinnamon’s real preserved heart that is in her dome memorial display! I first wet preserved the heart, and then let it dry, with a few steps in between. 😊

[scuba-sam]

I absolutely adore your work and your specimen etiquette. I actually plan on contacting you when my pets pass away (I also do VC work, but I don't think I'll be able to do my own pets). Keep up the good work, you're offering an incredible service

This is such a kind and thoughtful message- thank you!🖤 I absolutely love memorial work, even though it’s very emotional. I completely understand about having difficulty possibly working with your own loved ones, so while I hope it is not for a very long time, it would be an honor to help with any memorials you may need.

[shadyufo]

im kinda new to vc obviously since im asking this, but my cat is getting put down today. she doesnt have a collar or anything, and i want to keep her skull. unfortunately im squeamish as hell, so what should i do to collect the skull other than cut her up

So sorry you are going through this today, Anon. It’s never an easy thing to say goodbye to a friend but I bet she had a wonderful life with you. Sending lots of love and good vibes your way <3

One of the easiest ways to clean a specimen is to put it in a plastic bag such as a garbage bag with a few holes poked in it, place it under an overturned bucket or tote, weigh the tote down with some bricks or cinder blocks to prevent any passing scavengers from getting into it (and also stack a few around the base to keep it from getting flipped over), and let nature take care of the rest for you. You could also put the bagged specimen in an old animal cage in lieu of a tote, just make sure it’s heavy enough that nothing can drag it off. 

In warm, humid weather this method will have the specimen down to bones in a couple of months. If it is cold where you are then not much will really happen until the weather warms up. 

You can also macerate. Removing the hide makes maceration much quicker and easier but I’ve macerated plenty of whole animals before and it works fine—you’ll just have to pick bones out of fur once everything is clean. This method would work well if you don’t want to wait for the weather to warm up. You can use a fish tank heater or bucket heater to keep the water warm enough (85-110 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal for maceration), keep the bucket covered, and then check on it again in a couple of weeks. May take a little longer if you are doing a whole specimen. Don’t change the water otherwise you’ll lose your bacteria colony and the process will be much slower. There will be a lot of odor once you open the bucket so be prepared for that.

And you can also get in touch with someone who does pet memorials if you don’t want to process her yourself! @scuba-sam does stellar pet memorial work and there are several others in the VC community who do too. Just do whatever is going to be easiest on you and give you the most peace of mind, Anon. 

Hope that helps give you some ideas of how to proceed, Anon. Lots of love to you <3

[scuba-sam]

Some very helpful processing advice!💀🖤

[scuba-sam]

I haven’t posted all of my memorial and other skeletal work here in a while. I mostly post on Instagram (@shinerskulls) and FB (Facebook.com/shinerskulls) so definitely check there for much more of my work! But here are 3 kitties I’ve articulated a few months ago. From left is Mischief, “C”, and Yoda.🖤

[scuba-sam]

You know pet taxidermists yes?

Yes, I know of some pet taxidermists! My number one recommendation is Precious Creature (preciouscreature.com), as well as Gotham_Taxidermy on Instagram! There are some other great ones as well around the US (I am not very familiar with pet taxidermist that are outside of the US).

Hopefully this is helpful!

If anyone knows of other pet taxidermists please feel free to let me know of them!!

[scuba-sam]

how did you were the sloth so it's limbs could move? I'm wanting to articulate wings and legs that can be moved for reference but I'm completely out my element!!

For the sloth, I actually used a replica human medical model skeleton that I own to see what kind of hardware is used for movement, and made similar smaller hardware. I really wouldn’t recommend this for any skeleton that you do not want to have completely loose bones, as the arms mostly just hang and can be moved up, down, left, and right. For a smaller skeleton, you could probably just wire the bones but not glue the bones together so that the limbs are slightly movable. It will probably take a lot of experimenting, and the sloth is the only movable/adjustable skeleton I have articulated yet.

[scuba-sam]

A few months ago I was asked to articulate a sloth skeleton, which I happily said yes to because, well, how awesome are sloths!? Then I found some more info on what was wanted.. a fully articulated sloth skeleton in a human medical pose, with movable arms! I accepted the challenge, and now this sloth is finished and on the way home to its new owner. It’s been a super interesting challenge, and I’m really happy I was able to do this!


☆ This sloth was sourced and the skeleton cleaned by @oddarticulations . It was not harmed for its bones or other remains.

[scuba-sam]

Could I clean a conure body in soil? Like bury her in a box with soil in the box too? How long would that take till the bones were clean? I became super attached to a conure at my work and one of my managers ignored my advice and sold her to a bad home that returned her dead 3 days later. Or how much would you charge to clean the bones? And/or articulate them? I'm not sure I want the skeleton all together tho (I could keep it in a jar with a few feathers).

Hi Anon! I’m sorry to hear about that sweet conure.😪 I hope your manager takes this experience into consideration for the future and can try to find much more suitable homes for animals, and listen to advice from others.

As far as getting the bones, you absolutely can clean them by burial. The idea you mention of burying her in a box that is also filled with soil seems like a good idea, though I will be honest in that I do not use burial as a method for cleaning bones, so I cannot give much advice. Another option that I know is popular is to bury her in a pot of soil, so there is less chance of losing any of her tiny, delicate bones. The amount of time will vary, but I usually see others recommending about 6 months to a year before trying to retrieve the bones, and even then sometimes it can take longer.

I am always happy to discuss options and pricing, so if you think you may want someone else to handle her memorial and skeletal cleaning, please feel free to send me a message to further discuss!🖤

[scuba-sam]

Hello! I was curious as to whether you have a weight or size limit on your memorials! And if so, what was the largest pet you have memorialized?

Hi!

I don’t really have much of a size/weight limit, though animals like adult horses and similar sized animals are a bit too big for me to work on currently.

At the moment, the largest pets in my care are two mastiffs, one French Mastiff / Dogue de Bordeaux (skull cleaning only) and one English Mastiff (full skeletal cleaning and articulation). Pretty much any sized pet/animal up to that is perfectly fine for me to work with and memorialize!

Neither of those pups are ready yet, but I will definitely share photos once they are!😊🖤

[scuba-sam]

Genesis the gorgeous ~20 year old black Scottish Fold is now finished! I was sent a beautiful painting of Genesis by her human mom as a reference for her pose, and I’m really excited to be able to meet with her mom again to reunite them in person soon. Genesis is such a unique cat, and although I know she is very missed, I am honored to have been able to memorialize and preserve her in a way that she can physically stay with her family for many many years. 🖤

♡ I am posting this memorial with permission. Genesis is a beloved family member, and only kindness will be tolerated. Please be respectful with text and tags.

✩ If you have lost a furry, feathery, scaley, or even spikey friend, and are interested in any of my memorial services, you can contact me anytime. I offer a variety of options, including (but not limited to): skull/skeleton cleaning, articulations, artistic displays, fur/skin preservation, wet preservation, and more.

[scuba-sam]

Jane the boa’s skull cleaning is all finished, and I couldn’t resist taking a bunch of photos of her surrounded by nature. I was told Jane loved being outside and in the grass, so I thought it was extra fitting to have the green leaves in her pictures.🌿 Many snake species have six rows of teeth- two rows on top and two on the bottom, and when they lose a tooth it will regrow. Snake skulls are also made up of multiple non-fused bones that can move slightly, with their mandibles only being connected in the front by soft tissue, which helps the snakes eat animals that are larger than their heads. In these photos you can also see that Jane has a few vertebrae that are fully fused together and to her skull, adding an extra unique trait to her.

♡ I am posting this, and any future updates with permission. Jane is a beloved family member, and only kindness will be tolerated. Please do not tag this post with anything disrespectful.

✩ If you have lost a furry, feathery, scaley, or even spikey friend, and are interested in any of my memorial services, you can contact me anytime. I offer a variety of options, including (but not limited to): skull/skeleton cleaning, articulations, artistic displays, fur/skin preservation, wet preservation, and more.

[b0chelly]

Quick question, does anyone offer or know of anyone that offers beetle work services? Would beetles be the best option for a kitten that is 9.5 inches from the nose to the base of the tail, or could maceration work without the bones falling apart? I really want to articulate her and don’t want to ruin the bones!

[bonecentre]

Any beetle people out there?

[myredraven]

@nabsthevulture ??? I think they have beetles but I’m not sure if they do commissions???

[nabsthevulture]

I wont have beetles again until it gets hot out. I’d suggest beetles for something that small/delicate. You could try reaching out to @scuba-sam , though I dont know if shes open for cleaning coms at the moment.

[scuba-sam]

(Thanks for the tag @nabsthevulture 🖤)

OP, feel free to message me. I am open for commissions and have a beetle colony and have cleaned kittens and young animals before.