When is preservation necessary?

[anatomicalheart]

Hello,

Total amateur collector here. I found a mastadon tooth yesterday in a Florida river, with some beautiful enamel.

 

My question is, how do you know in advance which fossils are unstable and will need preservation? Is it okay to let things dry and just see what happens? Are there general rules? I know tusks are fragile, but have been having a hard time getting more information!

 

Thanks!

[Jackson g]

I think you mean consolidation. Try reading this post-

 

[anatomicalheart]

Thank you so much! I figured it had been asked already, but was having a hard time finding a good thread!

[Ludwigia]

Fantastic find!

[Ptychodus04]

Teeth tend to be fairly stable in my opinion but beware of letting it dry quickly as they can crack just like bones and tusks.

 

I'm of the opinion that every vertebrate fossil should be consolidated. Sometimes, the degradation is very small and slow. Everything looks fine until one day it isn't. Consolidate everything. If you don't like the slight sheen from the plastics used, wipe the surface of the fossil with acetone after consolidation to remove the top most layer of plastic to reduce the sheen without compromising the consolidation.