Step 1:
Here is the kidney some 120 days later. I would like to say that this was the traditional length of time the Egyptians mummified things for, but I think I just forgot about it. 70 days is usually quoted as being how long things were mummified for.
As you can see from the weight on the scales, it is now only 65 grams. So it has lost 130 grams or 2/3 of its weight through the water loss.
It does not smell at all. Some things you read suggest that the mummification process must have been extremely smelly, but of course, if it doesn’t go off, it doesn’t smell.
Step 2:
Here is the kidney neatly wrapped in linen and tied up into a neat little parcel. The salt has been just dusted off. I decided not to add any perfumed oils at this point as I did not want to reintroduce any moisture.
Step 3:
Wrapped in linen bandages. It was fun trying to get a nice pattern. Some of the mummies you see in museums have very complex patterns of wrappings, and you can imagine the mummifiers getting more adventurous and skilled as they gain experience.
Step 4:
Resin. A friendly local violin shop gave me all their spare bits of old resin, which I meltred down on the stove. Now this bit really does smell!
Step 5:
When the resin is melted, it looks like caramel.
Step 6:
It does begin to dry out quite quickly, so you need to work fast.
Step 7:
I didn’t work quite fast enough, so my finished product is a bit crispy. But not bad for an apprentice mummifier on my second organ!
