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Hi all, I'm looking for what members would consider an accessible resource on adhesives and consolidants, their preparation and their use in the field and the lab. We primarily collect Paleozoic invertebrate fossils, but also some vertebrate fragments here and there. I'd be curious what people's go-to resources are... particular book titles, webpages, journal articles, etc. I'm looking ultimately to be able to reliably figure out what is needed to ensure our finds are stabilized in the field. We are finding more and more vertebrate fragments and I want to be certain they're kept in good order.

I'm about to stabilize some invertebrate shells from Tennesse. I decided on using paraloid B-72. What ratio can I used to hold the fragile shells together, without causing any major visual alterations?

Hello, I recently got this section of fossilized squid pen of the giant squid Tusoteuthis longa, from the Cretaceous Niobrara Chalk of Kansas, USA. It measures about 7cm long. After receiving it I realized that it seemed rather unstable, with small "splinters" flaking off like a fragile piece of wood. I hear it is recommended to consolidate vertebrate bones with something like Butvar B-76, but what about something like this squid pen? I don't know what the material even is. Does anyone have experience preserving these? Thanks.

Hi all, I recently decided to buy the below plesiosaur vertebra after having seen it for a long, long time. It dates to the Callovian of the Oxford Clay and was found at Peterborough. I suspect it may be attributed to Muraenosaurus leedsi, as it comes from a cryptoclidid plesiosaur, but is both larger and more elongate that the typical Oxford Clay Cryptoclidus vertebrae I'm familiar with. Supposedly coming from an old collection, it has a blackened exterior that doesn't cover the entire piece, with the more common buff colour visible underneath. As such, I expected the dark colouring to be simple dirt or may be some kind of consolidate that could be removed using acetone to leave a nice and clean looking vertebra in its place. However, since having tried acetone cleaning, the dark colour doesn't come off - suggesting that it isn't surface dirt and any consolidate, if present, is not soluble in acetone. I've also noticed that the black colour doesn't spread equally across the vertebra, which is most noticeable towards the top on the front face (first image) where one half of the vertebra is buff, the other black, with a hard separation in between. As this mottled pattern can be seen in other places on the vertebra as well, I thought that, may be, the vertebra might have been in a fire and have become covered in soot. I find additional support in the latter hypothesis in very brittle pieces of bone in one or two spots, with a charcoal-like grainy texture. Lastly, then, I've spotted a tiny edge of yellow staining/infill in an area where the vascular structure of the bone is exposed, with some white infill in an area adjacent - which I've now started worrying might be pyrite. My questions to you are: Origin of the blackening: Does the black clouding of the vertebra look like natural preservation? Related to the above: could the black clouding be due to pyrite decay? In contrast: could exposure to fire cause the clouding pattern seen on the vertebra? What consolidate might have been used to result in such colour patterning? Cleaning: Is there a way to remove soot from a fossil? Has anyone tried? Other than removal by acetone, what other ways might I try to remove an old, darkened consolidate? In case of decayed pyrite, I don't think there's anyway to clean the surface, other than, may be, through careful sandblasting, is there?

Which is the proper method of calculating the ratio of consolidant solution? Should you use a volume ratio or mass? My question comes from trying to label my solutions. Both my paraloid and my butvar were mixed in acetone to the same level of "tacky-ness" with 2 tablespoons of media per 1 cup of acetone. If I treat them as volume measurements I get a consolidant percentage of 12% for both. If I use grams of consolidant to grams of acetone I get 3.6% for butvar and 8% for the paraloid.

I am not particularly a fossil collector, I have come across some cheap Spinosaurus teeth. I know they probably aren't particularly interesting from a collection standpoint, but I think they are quite fantastic. I want to make them as hard and protected as possible, for the sake of ornamentation. I hope that isn't heresy. Point being, I am comfortable with using products that may not be appropriate for fossils that are of higher value and going on a shelf. I've read some about Paraloid B-72, and that it can be mixed (at a ratio of 1 paraloid/10 solvent??) with something like acetone. If I do that, would I want to just soak the fossil in the solution to maximize the penetration? How long should that be done? And I see that in drying I have to be careful since the wet fossil can end up bonding to whatever it's sitting on. Any other suggestions? And thanks for your time! And I can't figure out how to get notified of replies once I've posted, so I'm adding this to turn on notifications.

Hi Everyone, I recently decided to start preserving all of my pleistocene fossils and feel that Butvar-76 would be the best option. My problem is I can't find it anywhere. I contacted the Florida Paleontological Society and they said they don't carry it anymore. They recommended I either use Duco Cement in acetone or to look on the Museum Service Corporation website. On the Museum Service Corporation website it says that Butvar-76 has been discontinued, but they have an equivalent called B08SY Resin. Here's what they have listed: Butvar Resins White, free flowing powders. Generally soluble in alcohols, acetone and aromatic hydrocarbons. Forms films similar to polyvinyl acetate and is suggested as picture varnishes. Widely used to waterproof textiles. The films resist degradation by sunlight and heat. Average molecular weight is 30-34,000. Butvar B-76 has been discontinued. B08SY Resin is considered an equivalent resin to Butvar B-76, from a different supplier. It utilizes the same Polyvinyl Butyral resin as Butvar B-76. B08SY resin has the same solubility as Butvar B-76, but has a smaller grain size. Contact Museum Services Corporation for additional information, or to acquire a sample for testing purposes. F4503-001 B08SY 1 kilogram $34.00 F4504-001 B-79 1 kilogram $31.09 F4505-001 B-90 1 kilogram $25.08 F4501-001 B-98 1 kilogram $46.12 Has anyone bought B08SY or know where I can still get Butvar-76? If not, are there any consolidants that you would recommend using instead?

My guide for the best fossil consolidant and adhesive resources. Please let me know if you find any better ones to add to the list. "Understanding and Use of Adhesives" by Amy Davidson, (AMNH), series of videos by Association for Materials & Methods in Paleontology LINK Davidson, A. and S. Alderson. 2009. An introduction to solution and reaction adhesives for fossil preparation. In: Methods In Fossil Preparation: Proceedings of the First Annual Fossil Preparation and Collections Symposium, pp 53-62. Brown, M.A., Kane, J.F., and Parker, W.G. Eds. LINK Davidson, A. and G. Brown, 2012. ParaloidTM B-72: Practical Tips for the Vertebrate Fossil Preparator. 2012 Collection Forum 26 (1-2): 99-119. LINK Where to buy consolidants/adhesives: LINK

Hi folks. I left my PVA beads at home. This is what I normally use as a consolidant. PVA beads in acetone. Anyone think of a readily available substitute? Something that could be available at the hardware store and is reversible with acetone or another solvent. Cane across a shop selling plastic beads as stuffers for toys etc. I wonder if polystyrene would work as it dissolves in acetone, might not be as hard as PVA.... Any ideas?

Heres how I prepare Paraloid b-72 for use as an adhesive and consolidant. Generally I use the approximate mixing ratios shown below which have been taken from a paper written by Amy Davidson and Gregory W. Brown called Paraloid b-72: Practical tips for the vertebrate fossil preparator, which can be found here: https://www.academia.edu/1237393/Paraloid_B-72_Practical_Tips_for_the_Vertebrate_Fossil_Preparator Approximate mixing ratios: Paraloid ratios.tiff However, if you want to create a solution of a known weight by volume percentage such as 20% (w/v) theres a trick. Since weight by volume solutions are worked out as the mass of the solid in the final volume of the solution, you need to know the volume of your final solution. For example if you had a 100ml bottle that you want to fill with a 20(w/v) solution of Paraloid what you would do is: 1) fill the bottle with 100ml of liquid. 2) mark on the bottle where the top of the liquid is. 3) weigh out the amount of Paraloid, which in this case would be 20g = (20/100)x(100 mL) as Mass of Paraloid = (Percentage of solution/100)x( final volume of the solution). 4) add the Paraloid to the bottle and fill with the solvent (acetone in this case) up to the 100ml mark. Say you wanted to make 2 litres of a 5% solution of Paraloid. You would follow the above steps replacing the 100ml with 2000ml = 2 litres. The mass of Paraloid would be (5/100)x(2000) = 100g. Note: it is important to keep you units consistent so if your volume is in mL your mass will be in grams. If your volume is in litres your mass will be in kilograms. Another form of concentration is a weight/ weight percentage, which is the percent by mass of the final solution where: Concentration of solution %(w/w) = (mass of solute)/(mass of final solution) This is a bit more complicated as you don't know how much volume of solvent to add or what the final volume would be. This technique is usually used to make big batches of the solution and is probably not all that useful for the weekend warrior. Hope this helps someone.

For many years I have used Vinac diluted in acetone as a consolidant and as an adheasive for non structural repairs of trilobites (ie when the exoskeleton flakes off as you are prepping). I currently have about 1/4 ounce of clear Vinac beads left. I already have both Butvar B76 and Paraloid B44 but do not think they work as well as the Vinac. Mind you it could all be in my head as I am generally quite resistant to change. I have used a thick application of Butvar as a reversable adheasive with good results. Does anyone have any Vinac that they would be prepared to sell or trade with me. Not looking for a huge quantity about a pound would last me forever. The last batch I got was only 4 ounces and it lasted me about three years. (got it as part of a trade I did) Obviosly I would cover the shipping costs by the cheapest method. Alternatively does anyone know a supplier that actually has Vinac that they are selling. A number of people have told me that some suppliers may still have old stock but no one could actually say who these suppliers were. I have tried contacting the Florida Paleontological society a few times and never get a response, as someone had metioned to me that you can still get it from them ut that was about a year ago. I got my Butvar and Paraloid from museum Services Corporation but they do not sell Vinac. Thay are recommending the Paraloid as a replacement. I have heard conflicting reports that a) it is no longer manufactured, it is still manufactured but under a different name. Black Hills institute indicates that Vinac is no longer manufactured and that they are no substituing for Vinac in order they take PVA-15 from McGean-Rohco. Do any of you know if this is actual the same as Vinac. I found another reference that indicates PVA-15 is the generic name for the compound and Vinac was the trade name.