How to Clean Ostrich Egg Membrane

Egg shells from ostriches are used in many different crafts and art forms. They're painted and carved with intricate designs by craftsman and artisans from many different countries and cultures. A small hole is knocked through the bottom of shell and the contents removed in a process referred to as 'blowing out' the shell, but the membrane inside the shell remains intact. In order to use the egg for crafts and art, the membrane should be removed.

Things You'll Need

• Water
• Soap
• Chlorine bleach
• Tweezers
• Pipe cleaner

Instructions

1. Wash the egg thoroughly with soap and water.

2. Submerge the egg in a bleach bath for 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Insert tweezers into the hole in the egg and grasp the membrane. Gently extract the membrane from the inside of the egg.

4. Wash the egg thoroughly with soap and water.

Tips & Warnings

• If the design to be used in carving the egg requires that the blow out hole be small and is too small for tweezers or the membrane remnant too far up inside the shell to reach with tweezers, insert a pipe cleaner to gently scrape the membrane and draw enough out the hole to grasp and remove. The membrane may not come out in one piece. Repeat the process until all the membrane has been removed.

References

• The Process of Carving Eggs
• Egg Carving
• Egg Cleaning

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish