Search the Community

Hello @pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon I will tag you here again because I have seen in other posts that you have some knowledge about this. In this big mosasaur jaw plate, as they normally do in Oued Zem, it's covered in white glue. I want to try to take out the white glue layer from the bones without touching the matrix. I have started doing it with a scalpel. But obviously is a lot of work, i have seen in another posts the recommendation of using acetone. If i use a cloth with acetone and just use brush the bones carefully will this work? Is there another way? And it's a good idea to remove the glue even if it's just from the bone? Should I try to apply another varnish like paraloid b-72? O I can leave the bone without anything?

Ok, have large block (about 90 cm wide and 12 cm thick) covered in Metasequoia leaves and carbonized wood that due to being partially wet when I recovered it I used white glue to lock the carbon in place. My question is, now that's its totally dried out, can I put Vinac over that to help with the whole block, add more glue, remove glue (if possible?) then do Vinac, or just leave it be? I doubt there is a perfect solution but with the knowledge here maybe there is a usable answer Thanks, Steve

The current question about shellac reminded me to ask about this. I used to use white glue (WeldBond) for all my fossil stabilizing/reassembly. Lately I've noticed that a few of my older shale pieces from my local mountain collected 8-10 years ago with cracks/joints that were repaired/stabilized seem to have slightly wider gaps than I recall them having. I'm not sure whether the glue is slightly swelling or I was just more sloppy back then as to how tight I allowed a joint to be. Could be either, but I hope the latter. I know that white glue will sort of reconstitute when you get it wet, turning white again and swelling slightly, but I don't know if it will expand noticeably with simple atmospheric moisture. These have been kept indoors all this time and we are not known for being as humid as the Southern states for instance. Has anyone else who has used white glue noticed anything like this? I don't want to hear any "don't use white glue, use Paraloid instead", I only want to know whether white glue will swell from moderate humidity. I've been using B-72 lately, but most of my Tzuhalem collection from the past 10 years has white glue in it, and the vast majority of it, including most earlier specimens, show no glue alteration of any sort. Just those few pieces seem to have larger gaps than I'd like. (I know that some people have said white glue will turn yellowish over time but I haven't noticed anything like this yet. Also, I'm not sure that all white glues are the same - I gather Elmer's and the like are made from animal parts, or were formerly, but I don't think WeldBond is.)