Preserving Tapir Fossil

[AOMO]

I have a Vero Tapir foot bone fossil. The fossil is in very good shape with very few cracks, being not terribly old since Vero Tapir's went extinct some 11,000 years ago, (11,000 years seems pretty old to me though!)  I am pretty new to fossil hunting, so I was curious whether or not it is necessary to put some kind of preserving agent on it? Are there any advantages or disadvantages either way? I appreciate any help!

[Huntonia]

I would suggest consolidating it with paraloid. Take paraloid B-72 and disolve it in acetone with a mixture of 1 part paraloid to 50 part acetone based on weight. Dry the fossil in the sun, or under a lamp (optional but recommended). Then dip the fossil in the mixture until it stops bubbling. Then place it on cardboard to dry. If it makes the fossil more shiny than you like you can wet a rag with acetone and rub the fossil to dull the color.

[Fossildude19]

Moved to FOSSIL PREPARATION.

[digit]

A great description of using a consolidant like B72 to strengthen a fossil to keep it from falling apart. Though if you don't happen to have any B72 on hand you might not want to order any online if this is the only item you are thinking about consolidating. Toe bones (and other phalanges) tend to be pretty solid bones and that is why we tend to find more of them than other less weight-bearing bones like ribs. Unless your specimen seems likely to be fragile--cracking or otherwise falling apart, you may not need to do anything at all to keep it in the shape it is presently. I have several toe bones in my collection and they are solid enough that I have not done anything to consolidate them. I have had some turtle carapace fragments that were not well mineralized dry out and crack or turn to dust but have not had issues with more solid bones like phalanges.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Harry Pristis]

16 hours ago, AOMO said:

I have a Vero Tapir foot bone fossil. The fossil is in very good shape with very few cracks, being not terribly old since Vero Tapir's went extinct some 11,000 years ago, (11,000 years seems pretty old to me though!)  I am pretty new to fossil hunting, so I was curious whether or not it is necessary to put some kind of preserving agent on it? Are there any advantages or disadvantages either way? I appreciate any help!

 

       If you value a vertebrate fossil (I exclude shark teeth here) -- and you want it to last -- consolidate it with a plastic.

      You cannot reliably judge by eye what will happen to the bone after 2 years, or 5 years, or 15 years in your drawer. Bones with which you could drive nails when first collected may split after years in your drawer. Teeth, when thoroughly dry, may split. These splits cannot be repaired to the original condition because of distortion to the bone or dentin or cementum.

      This may happen to any bone, so, if you're going to keep the bone, play the probabilities. Consolidate! Impregnation with plastic will prevent many later headaches (I'm not telling you to soak your head in consolidant). I am saying that there is nothing more disheartening than to open a drawer and to find a prize specimen tooth split in two.

      Trust the decades of museum experience.

[digit]

1 hour ago, Harry Pristis said:

This may happen to any bone, so, if you're going to keep the bone, play the probabilities. Consolidate! Impregnation with plastic will prevent many later headaches (I'm not telling you to soak your head in consolidant). I am saying that there is nothing more disheartening than to open a drawer and to find a prize specimen tooth split in two.

      Trust the decades of museum experience.

The voice of experience--well said, Harry!

 

If it did prevent headaches, I'd consider soaking my head.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[AOMO]

I really appreciate all the input guys! Looking forward to getting this fossil on display.

[AOMO]

Another question. Is there a specific Acetone you guys use, or will just any Acetone do?

[Ptychodus04]

I agree with @Harry Pristis. Consolidate every fossil bone. If you are concerned about the sheen of the Paraloid, you can make the same solution using ethanol rather than acetone. It will take longer for the plastic to dissolve and will take longer for the solution to dry but there will be less of a sheen when finished.

[Ptychodus04]

4 minutes ago, AOMO said:

Another question. Is there a specific Acetone you guys use, or will just any Acetone do?

you want straight acetone from the hardware store.

[digit]

Yup. Skip the nail polish remover. You should be able to find straight acetone in the solvents aisle near the paint section of your local home improvement store. Sources of small amounts of Paraloid B-72 can be found quite easily with an internet search--what did we do in the old days?

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Ptychodus04]

16 minutes ago, digit said:

what did we do in the old days?

A lot of stuff that didn’t really work well.