Hi, Gail... welcome to the forum! Getting new bulbs is always exciting, and we're happy to help get you started!

The outer brown husk can be peeled carefully... Hippeastrum bulbs are built rather like onions, in layers. The outer skin is nothing more than a dead layer that offers some protection for the bulb flesh, but since you'll probably be potting them, it really won't need that.

Once I have the outer husk peeled so I can see what the bulb looks like, I dust a little bit of Captan anti-fungal powder around the edge of the basal plate at the bottom of the bulb, and I make sure I dust any bruises, wounds or raw flesh. This will help keep any rot from setting in.

If you find any soft, rotting areas, carefully cut them out with a clean, sharp knife... and make certain to dust well with an anti-fungal powder! Cinnamon will work in a pinch, but it's best to use a product like Captan, by Bonide. If you end up cutting away any areas that will come in contact with soil once potted, don't pot it right away... dust it with anti-fungal powder and set the bulb somewhere away from direct sunlight to dry for a few days... then pot up, taking care to keep the wound out of moist soil if possible.

Next, I choose a nice pot with drainage holes... I prefer unglazed clay, but any pot will work as long it has drainage holes. When you pot the bulb, you want at least 2 inches of space between the bulb and the wall of the pot. I like them larger, but I use a very fast-draining medium that doesn't retain moisture. I mix my own medium, and I don't use the bagged soil available everywhere.

Next, I pot up the bulb, keeping at least 1/2 to 2/3 of the bulb above soil level. I don't pack the soil... instead, I gently tap the pot side to settle it in. Then, I give it a nice drink of tepid water, and place it in a warm, sunny room to grow. Water again after new growth begins, and then on a regular basis, as the soil becomes dry at root ball level.

Don't panic if growth is a little bit slow to start... some bulbs take a little bit to wake up from dormancy. If growing Hippeastrum bulbs teaches us anything, it's to have patience, and to be observant.

Good luck with your new bulbs! If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask! We're here to help! :-)

If you don't have a chemical anti-fungal substance I'd recommend to use coal powder. In every pack of coal for barbecue you've got some dust on the bottom. It should have a slight anti-fungal property, I use it on every new bulb.

If you cut out pieces of a bulb's layer you can be sure that this layer won't stay healthy for much longer. Damaged layers soon become dry and papery, so cut as few as possible but as deep as you must if you still find clear red marks, especially if the bulb is moist or squashy on these points.
How exactly do your not pristine bulbs look like?

Like Jodik I'd reccomend a medium pervious to air for damaged or stressed bulbs. Normally I use cocofibre but for bulbs with few roots or those that struggle with a mycosis (nearly all bulbs are infected with this fungus but just the ones in bad conditions will suffer from it) I'd also go with Jodik's medium.

For me it doesn't have to be clay, I use mostly plastic pots and am generous with the size. Just don't plant them in too small containers or either they won't like it or you'd have to repot them in the middle of the season.
I drill more and bigger holes in the plastic pots and cover them up with fly screen, that way the pots are nearly open at the bottom but none of the soils comes out. But I also water from below.

Fertilize with every watering in a small dosis (I prepare my "plant water" for all the plants indoors). Especially after flowering they'll need the nutrients, I've seen bulbs shrinking after the flowers where gone.
Water when the soil feels dry, don't water too much in the beginning. When they haven't got leaves they're not able to exhale the water!

Thanks for the responses. They confirm that I'm on the right track. (I've read through the old responses - or what's left of them.)
Fortunately, none of the bulbs are soft, although one has some mold on the side. One has a dried cut on the side. One is red with mycosis. One has a 1" basal plate that needs to be trimmed. I'll clean them up and I'll dust all the bulbs with sulfur.
I do prefer clay pots and will be using a bark orchid mix with some CHCs added. I always have some plant water prepared.
Two of the bulbs came with a pup - Yea! Most of the bulbs are showing some growth. The "Papillio" has 5 - 24" inch leaves with no flower spike. Can I still expect a bloom on it soon?
Thanks again,
Gail

The evergreen H. papilio works a little different. New leaves grow during fall to winter, after them the scrapes should emerge. I haver a newly purchased one that pushes a scrape and leaves in the same time. In summer it rests with the old leaves hopefully still intact.

I don't know whether your papilio will still bloom, perhaps someone else knows better.

I could have sworn I responded yesterday... are we still experiencing disappearing posts?

Anyway... Papilio is a bit different than the other hybrid varieties of Hippeastrum bulbs. It's considered an "evergreen" variety, meaning it doesn't keep the same schedule as other hybrids... it tends to grow leaves all year... although, mine go through definite periods of leaf loss and rest.

When growers prepare bulbs for sale, they usually put them through a cold storage period/dormancy, so once we get them and pot them up, they're primed to bloom. If you purchased your Papilio through a retail company, it may very well be primed to bloom. If you got it through a private party, such as an ebay seller, it may not bloom for you now.

I wish I had a definitive answer for you... but without knowing the history of your Papilio, I couldn't say with accuracy whether you'll get blooms right away, or not. If you do, though, you'll be stunned by its beauty!