DeaEK Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 Hi there! I am brand new to the forum, but have been a fossil lover all my life. I am hoping to learn the best way to preserve sandstone leaf fossils. I've been finding them since I was a kid and my mother use to coat they in polyurethane, I believe. I'm just not convinced this is the best practice. I imagine the chemicals would deteriorate the stone overtime? Anyways, I would appreciate any and all advice. Thanks in advance! Dea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 Hi Dea- Welcome from Casper. Can you show a photo of your sandstone leaves? Some sandstones are very tough, and others are just fall-apart brittle. So, it depends on the rock. In general, you don't want to put any preservative on the leaves themselves if you don't need to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeaEK Posted September 25, 2020 Author Share Posted September 25, 2020 Photo 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeaEK Posted September 25, 2020 Author Share Posted September 25, 2020 Photo 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted September 26, 2020 Share Posted September 26, 2020 Nice finds! If the fossils are not degrading (and I don't think they are), then they shouldn't need any coatings, as jpc said. I hate to think of the others you have coated - anything really spectacular? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted September 26, 2020 Share Posted September 26, 2020 Yeah, these don't need coating. Nice leaves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeaEK Posted September 26, 2020 Author Share Posted September 26, 2020 Thanks jpc and Wrangellian! I appreciate the intel. Yes, many of the others that were coated are stunning, theses are a few of the "lesser" finds actually. Hopefully the coating won't cause too much damage, but I guess only time will tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted September 27, 2020 Share Posted September 27, 2020 Hopefully not. The problem with most coatings (one of the problems, at least) is, if they are shiny, they produce glare when you try to photograph the fossil. Some substances will turn yellow or perhaps opaque/dull with age. I could show some horrific things that lapidary/rockhounds did to fossils in the old days with something like epoxy/resin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewisjenr Posted April 15, 2023 Share Posted April 15, 2023 On 9/25/2020 at 1:24 PM, jpc said: Hi Dea- Welcome from Casper. Can you show a photo of your sandstone leaves? Some sandstones are very tough, and others are just fall-apart brittle. So, it depends on the rock. In general, you don't want to put any preservative on the leaves themselves if you don't need to. JPC- any recommendations for the brittle sandstone? I have some recovered from a quarry in WY and would like to put a protective coating on some of them to keep the fish fossils safe from flaking/ damage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted April 16, 2023 Share Posted April 16, 2023 15 hours ago, lewisjenr said: JPC- any recommendations for the brittle sandstone? I have some recovered from a quarry in WY and would like to put a protective coating on some of them to keep the fish fossils safe from flaking/ damage Pictures would go a long way to helping us answer this question. Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadrosauridae Posted April 16, 2023 Share Posted April 16, 2023 15 hours ago, lewisjenr said: JPC- any recommendations for the brittle sandstone? I have some recovered from a quarry in WY and would like to put a protective coating on some of them to keep the fish fossils safe from flaking/ damage It would also be helpful to start your own thread instead of posting into a 2 year old one. "There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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