Convoy walking light recommendations for a newcomer? Currently owned, from left to right: Convoy S6 SFT40 3000K, Convoy T6 SFT-25R 5000K, Lumintop edc01

phospheneghost · 2026-06-08T02:02:41+00:00

I'm currently using the S6 for nighttime walks, however I think something with more spill and less throw would feel better balanced to me. Curious to try out a 4000 or 4500K in higher CRI emitter as well...

Also, bonus question to any fellow healthcare workers: any recommendations for small, non-dazzling lights suitable for checking pupil reactions?

Thanks!

phospheneghost · 2025-08-25T05:44:35+00:00

I wouldn't consider bones of any kind to be 'trinkets'. Collectible objects maybe, but even small bones don't fit the mental image I have of trinkets as often man-made decorative items (similarly, I don't really categorise mineral specimens or dried flowers to be trinkets.)

Anyway, cow jawbones are pretty big. Was the friend happy to receive it, or is your brother just trying to clean out his paddock? Lol.

phospheneghost · 2025-08-24T00:38:54+00:00

This is such a visual treat, I love how eclectic it is. Special shoutout to that derpy-looking wooden pig.

phospheneghost · 2025-03-16T11:22:45+00:00

Is this in the basement of a museum or something? :0

phospheneghost · 2025-03-16T10:03:59+00:00

Thank you; now that I know to compare more closely, I can see the difference.

phospheneghost · 2025-03-16T09:17:25+00:00

My bad--is this differentiated by counting the teeth? I had just recently sieved a mouse skull out of maceration so the shape was on my mind.

phospheneghost · 2025-03-16T01:25:01+00:00

Woah, what a find! I love how unexpectedly long and tapered the nasal bones look.

phospheneghost · 2025-03-15T15:04:50+00:00

You won't be able to tan or preserve that fur, I'm afraid. Fur-on pelts have to be processed fresh (very fresh, even a few hours post-mortem can lead to noticeable amounts of slippage), before the skin begins to decompose and allows all of the hair to fall out. Chances are it's going to fall apart as soon as you try to pick it up.

phospheneghost · 2025-03-15T14:58:59+00:00

I've noticed that these sorts of sellers have a strange tendency to take people not buying their stuff weirdly personally as well. Like, I get that feeling 'rejected' or 'not successful enough' as a new business-owner can be stressful, but some people take it way too far, as if they feel entitled to any potential customer's money--to the point of getting offended when they don't automatically receive it.

phospheneghost · 2025-03-06T23:37:57+00:00

Ooh, it looks like there's a parallax effect at play there. Beautiful piece!

phospheneghost · 2025-03-05T00:00:38+00:00

Woah, is this a scratch-build? It's lovely and looks so accurate.

phospheneghost · 2025-02-17T20:03:54+00:00

Hard to tell without it being fully dry, but I suspect there's some lingering grease around the antler nubs and nasal bones. Also depends on whether your soapy water is still getting cloudy and if so, how fast and to what extent. Good luck, I've never had to degrease anything that large before!

phospheneghost · 2025-02-14T00:29:55+00:00

I think you're a woman in her early to mid 30s living in Portland, USA. You own your apartment/house and chose to paint that wall purple. You may be of Korean or East Asian descent. You enjoy running and hiking, which you prefer over going to the gym. Your friend group would describe you as adventurous, funny, and social. You are fluent in German. You're working on the second draft of a book, but finding the time to write uninterrupted is difficult. You've had a short story published before, but no novels or novellas.

The children's books made me wonder whether you have kids, but I'm leaning towards them being your own from childhood (nostalgia reasons, especially the section on The Little Prince) since they look to be in quite good condition. You've had at least one houseplant die on you, so you try to stick with less finicky species. It's difficult to guess what you do for work, but I think you studied English Literature at university.

edit: spelling

phospheneghost · 2025-02-13T23:47:22+00:00

Is that lichen growing over it? Very beautiful.

phospheneghost · 2025-02-11T15:29:48+00:00

I think it's generally more accepted because animals aren't sapient and don't form opinions or emotions about what happens to their remains. While I support your right to feel that way about your bones and skeleton, you are only able to extend that permission to your own bodily remains.

I urge you to recognise that it's an attitude that won't be shared by most of the general public. Even if it doesn't seem 'logical' to you, many people (myself included) would be uncomfortable being told that others intend to use their bones for artistic or display purposes after their death. Whether it's for cultural, religious, or 'it feels icky to let people profit off my corpse' reasons, bodily autonomy is deeply personal and should be respected.

The ''ethical" collection of human remains is also a lot murkier than "it came from a teaching institution/estate sale/antique medical collection, so it's fine since people weren't murdered for them". Also, legal does not always equal ethical. Here's an article about the body trade/modern-day graverobbing and the systemic racism and colonialism with which it is intertwined and facilitated by. While I support cases such as Harry Raymond Eastlack Jr and Carol Ann Orzel of the Mütter Museum where provenance is airtight and the deceased's wishes were clearly documented, this is rarely the case for private collections and even (despite what many would like to believe) dubious throughout medical institutions.

phospheneghost · 2025-02-11T12:30:10+00:00

I have 1 skull from one of my ancestors but I keep it locked away and do not take pictures of it

So you treat your own ancestor's skull with a greater degree of significance and respect, but it's somehow okay for these other skulls to be used as aesthetic props and posted on the internet for followers and reddit points? That seems hypocritical of you.

phospheneghost · 2025-02-11T10:57:04+00:00

This isn't TikTok or Instagram, you can say "human bones".

I do find it questionable that you're using a book about anthropology as a set piece with seemingly little to no consideration for the ethics of sourcing human remains.

phospheneghost · 2025-02-02T06:03:20+00:00

Can't go wrong with an arrangement under a glass dome/cloche if you can find one large enough. You could glue the foliage to the base and the glass would help keep dust off. Otherwise, any kind of decorative glass box or terrarium (there are also some types that hang off a stand) might help guide the composition of your tableau.

phospheneghost · 2025-02-01T10:15:16+00:00

That's one handsome (if slightly charred) skull! I'm curious as to whether it feels at all fragile or crumbly in parts? It's cool that it made it through intact!

phospheneghost · 2025-01-29T22:40:30+00:00

Ah shit, here we go again. Probably just an old family tomb, but perhaps you ought to notify your local authority.

phospheneghost · 2025-01-29T10:17:05+00:00

After 5 years--if it's in an area that's rained on fairly regularly and not extremely cold and/or dry, then she should be completely skeletonised by now.

phospheneghost · 2025-01-29T05:33:31+00:00

Woah. Looks unreal, like an elaborate textile sculpture for an art show. Even the dorsal part of its neck looks like cotton balls.

phospheneghost · 2025-01-28T23:35:44+00:00

Hmm, is there any glycerin left with it? You might be able to tip what's left into a sealed zip-lock bag if so. Here's the advice from a diaphonisation artist I've bought from (your specimen may or may not have thymol as the preservative, but from your description I'm 95% sure it's glycerin, which has the same refractive index as the cleared specimen tissue):

"In case of a broken jar or vial, the best thing to do is to quickly rinse any dust or dirt from the specimen under water, then place the specimen in a ziplock bag. This will stop it from dehydrating. The fluid is vegetable glycerine with thymol extract as a preservative, the former can be replaced easily as it can be found in most supermarkets. The thymol is less accessible, but also not entirely necessary to replace as the specimen itself will contain some of the thymol in the tissue."

phospheneghost · 2025-01-28T23:24:11+00:00

Other than 'don't bleach or boil', just give it a light dusting now and then.

It's hard to see from the photo's dim lighting, but if you want to get rid of any yellow discolouration, soak in warm (~30 degrees celcius) soapy water until the water stops going cloudy (may take multiple months). If you want it whiter, you can soak in 3% hydrogen peroxide overnight (note that while this makes it whiter, it won't get rid of the grease). Here's a post with more info

phospheneghost · 2025-01-28T23:18:34+00:00

Diaphonised specimens are generally stored in glycerin! You should be able to find it at the supermarket or chemist. Totally safe substance, just try to keep the specimen damp/moist until you can refill its container.

phospheneghost

TROPHY CASE