Carving a lattice and acanthus pattern on an emu egg shell

Step 16 Beginning to prepare the egg for display

After you are satisfied with the carving and cutting portion of this project, prepare a solution of bleach and water. You will hear many different ideas on the correct proportions of bleach to water. I have used straight bleach and a mixture as diluted as 50/50. Obviously the diluted solutions will take longer to accomplish the task at hand. We are going to remove the film that is inside the egg. If you are patient enough you can put a piece of dental floss in one hole and out another to help you put the egg in the bleach. I just use a rubber kitchen glove since it gives me more control over how the egg enters the liquid. This process will raise a strong bleach smell as the bleach eats away the proteins. I wait until the surface of the liquid no longer has any bubbles or foam on it before examining the egg for any remaining inner film layer. (Steps 16 and 17 can be ignored if you choose not to pierce the shell.)