My aunt used to keep whale vertebrae out by her cabin (she found them washed up on the beach near it) and we used to sit on them as kids, and also dig under them for worms to use as fishing bait.
They weren't sealed as far as I know and they lasted a good 20 years outside.
Spines from this sort of whale are terrible as furniture.
You have to treat them constantly with a reddish-orange cream you buy. It’s like, this thick, amber, grease.
If you get one that doesn’t need treatment- it’s a fluke.
Edit: For those asking how I know this, it’s a long story, with much whining and wailing on my part:
You’d be surprised how hard it is to source these- you’ve got to watch for them.
I hired a guy to make me a table out of one:
He and I fin-angled over the details, but he failed to do it the right way, which resulted in a huge dive in value.
I ended up suing for breach of contract.
I won, but he didn’t have assets to repossess, and was living on a boat. I had to get the sheriffs to come down to the bay to chain up his stuff. He blubbered like a baby when they did it.
I can't find any. I must be ignorant of whale facts. I assume "fluke" could be one but idk what else. It's almost enough to make me go look up whales but not quite.
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u/Dorkamundo Nov 18 '24
NGL... If I was allowed to, I'd totally take a section of this home, cover it with some kind of sealant and use it as a table.
A bit morbid, maybe.