Guidelines for Handling Specimens

[Owl_Roker]

Hi All,

 

Apologies for the double post. I originally posted this in “General Fossil Discussion” but realise this is probably the more appropriate forum.

 

I was hoping people might be willing to share their tips for handling fossils. For instance, should gloves be worn (i.e., can the natural oils and acids on your hands cause damage)? Obviously, a delicate touch is required, and handling techniques will vary by specimen type, but I would be interested to hear about best practices and how members of TFF handle their own collections.

 

Thanks,

Robert

[Fossildude19]

No worries, Robert.   

Duplicate deleted.  

[Owl_Roker]

12 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

No worries, Robert.   

Duplicate deleted.  

Thanks, Tim!

[Fossildude19]

As far as handling, I don't really handle my fossils all that much. I haven't taken any precautions such as gloves, when handling. 

Obviously, lighter shale can sometimes be stained by dirt and oils. But for the most part, fossils are rock or mineralized, so they can be rather sturdy. 

The exceptions being fragile fossils.  I always use extra care when handling those.

 

Those I tend to not touch too much, or make them more sturdy by shoring them up with consolidant, or wooden backing. 

But most fossils you can find or purchase are quite sturdy. 

 

 

[Owl_Roker]

8 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

As far as handling, I don't really handle my fossils all that much. I haven't taken any precautions such as gloves, when handling. 

Obviously, lighter shale can sometimes be stained by dirt and oils. But for the most part, fossils are rock or mineralized, so they can be rather sturdy. 

The exceptions being fragile fossils.  I always use extra care when handling those.

 

Those I tend to not touch too much, or make them more sturdy by shoring them up with consolidant, or wooden backing. 

But most fossils you can find or purchase are quite sturdy. 

 

 

Cheers, Tim! Good to know!

[FossilNerd]

I’m with Tim. I have never really taken any extra precautions when handling most of my fossils. I do have a few delicate ones that I handle as little as possible, and am very careful when I must. 
 

I dig 90% of my fossils out of the dirt myself. Years of weathering and erosion have done far more than my fingers could.

 

I’m sure there are some fossils, from certain places that require precautions like gloves and whatnot. I know certain ones are more susceptible to humidity changes, and thus moisture exposure, so maybe sweaty hands would not be a good thing in those situations.

[grandpa]

Hello Robert.  I must have missed your introduction post so let me welcome you to TFF.  I have enjoyed how you've jumped right into the flow of things and been active and constructive in your posts. 

 

As for the handling of fossils, my experiences/advice are quite in line with @Fossildude19, and @FossilNerd.  As FossilNerd, Wayne said I also self-collect most of my material and find it to be robust or it would not have survived the environs.  I take no special precautions in handling these fossils either.

[Sjfriend]

As the others said, most rock is pretty sturdy as long as you don't "manhandle" them. But, some types of matrix tend to be brittle, crumbly or fracture easily. Those can usually be made more manageable with consolidating. I don't have anything that I would worry too much about needing gloves for. If something really light colored and had to handle a lot then maybe?? Most fossils though tend to be looked at (or not seen at all in cabinet) way more then held so I don't worry about mine.

 

Welcome and enjoy the TFF life

[Owl_Roker]

22 hours ago, FossilNerd said:

I’m with Tim. I have never really taken any extra precautions when handling most of my fossils. I do have a few delicate ones that I handle as little as possible, and am very careful when I must. 
 

I dig 90% of my fossils out of the dirt myself. Years of weathering and erosion have done far more than my fingers could.

 

I’m sure there are some fossils, from certain places that require precautions like gloves and whatnot. I know certain ones are more susceptible to humidity changes, and thus moisture exposure, so maybe sweaty hands would not be a good thing in those situations.

Thanks @FossilNerd. Looks like most here aren't using gloves either. I'll go without and just limit the amount of time I actually spend handling the specimens.

[Owl_Roker]

16 hours ago, Sjfriend said:

As the others said, most rock is pretty sturdy as long as you don't "manhandle" them. But, some types of matrix tend to be brittle, crumbly or fracture easily. Those can usually be made more manageable with consolidating. I don't have anything that I would worry too much about needing gloves for. If something really light colored and had to handle a lot then maybe?? Most fossils though tend to be looked at (or not seen at all in cabinet) way more then held so I don't worry about mine.

 

Welcome and enjoy the TFF life

No manhandling. Got it!

 

I don't have any specimens yet with a brittle matrix like you mentioned, but I'll keep that in mind as I'm sure I'll come across one eventually!

 

Thanks for responding and welcoming me to the forum!

[Owl_Roker]

21 hours ago, grandpa said:

Hello Robert.  I must have missed your introduction post so let me welcome you to TFF.  I have enjoyed how you've jumped right into the flow of things and been active and constructive in your posts. 

 

As for the handling of fossils, my experiences/advice are quite in line with @Fossildude19, and @FossilNerd.  As FossilNerd, Wayne said I also self-collect most of my material and find it to be robust or it would not have survived the environs.  I take no special precautions in handling these fossils either.

@grandpa thanks for welcoming me to the forum!

 

I'm jealous you get to self-collect! I'll have to do some research re fossil hunting in Ireland.

 

The consensus seems to be no gloves or other precautions--the fossils are sturdy enough after weathering the elements for millions of years! I'll be doing the same for now. Thanks for the advise.

[DPS Ammonite]

You might want to use a glove or at least wash your hands if handling fossils with flaky labels on them and or fragile paper labels next to them. Sort of like handling old valuable books.

[Ludwigia]

11 hours ago, Owl_Roker said:

I'm jealous you get to self-collect! I'll have to do some research re fossil hunting in Ireland.

I can warmly recommend the following publications:

 

Classic Geology in Europe 6: Leinster. Chris Stillman & George Sevastopulo

Classic Geology in Europe 5: The North of Ireland. Paul Lyle.

 

Just google the titles and you'll find them.

 

 

[Owl_Roker]

On 6/15/2020 at 10:05 PM, DPS Ammonite said:

You might want to use a glove or at least wash your hands if handling fossils with flaky labels on them and or fragile paper labels next to them. Sort of like handling old valuable books.

Thanks @DPS Ammonite! Makes sense to me!

[Owl_Roker]

On 6/15/2020 at 10:13 PM, Ludwigia said:

I can warmly recommend the following publications:

 

Classic Geology in Europe 6: Leinster. Chris Stillman & George Sevastopulo

Classic Geology in Europe 5: The North of Ireland. Paul Lyle.

 

Just google the titles and you'll find them.

Amazinggggg... Cheers for the recommendations @Ludwigia. Will be sure to check these out. I'll keep you posted when I eventually go fossil hunting here in Ireland. I know Tim @Fossildude19 went a while back and found some pretty neat corals.

[Ludwigia]

@Owl_Roker If you check out my gallery albums "Echinodermata", "Corals" and "Brachiopoda", you'll find some samples from various Irish sites there.

[Owl_Roker]

13 minutes ago, Ludwigia said:

@Owl_Roker If you check out my gallery albums "Echinodermata", "Corals" and "Brachiopoda", you'll find some samples from various Irish sites there.

Thanks @Ludwigia! I'll take a look later this evening!