Hayley Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Guys, please tell me how to prepare a mastodon tooth and jaw that was excavated within the past two weeks. It is already starting to dry out and crack. I need help from what I need to do to stabilize, to clean, and to make it look like museum quality. The bones are so fragile and are starting to crack and crumble. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Wow, that is a nice tooth! Good luck with prep and stabilizing. I think something like Paleobond might be in order. But wait until the more experienced folk come calling. I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrehistoricWonders Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 I would ask @PrehistoricFlorida on IG, he usually responds, or @Harry Pristis. But why do that when you can just send it to my doorstep! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 If it is wet, you could put it in a plastic bag and seal it, then open it just a wee bit and let it dry out over the next year. This is what the Denver Museum did with all the soaking wet fossils they collected at the SnowMastodon Site. Don't put any preservative on it until it is dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 I have never understood the 'slow dry' approach to preserving bone. I find it counter-intuitive. I would consider this an emergency salvage operation if it were my fossil. I hope, and will assume, that the jaw was cleaned when it was first unearthed. At this point, I would flood the bone with consolidant, white moisture film be damned. You can always remove the white film. My approach would include heating the bone and tooth with an infra-red lamp, which would reduce or eliminate the white film; but, don't hesitate to consolidate now because next week you'll have an infra-red lamp. You can find extensive comments about the techniques of consolidating vertebrate fossils by searching the TFF archives. Or, you can go to my profile under "About Me" to see my technique. Good luck! Let us know your outcome. http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayley Posted October 4, 2020 Author Share Posted October 4, 2020 21 minutes ago, Harry Pristis said: I have never understood the 'slow dry' approach to preserving bone. I find it counter-intuitive. I would consider this an emergency salvage operation if it were my fossil. I hope, and will assume, that the jaw was cleaned when it was first unearthed. At this point, I would flood the bone with consolidant, white moisture film be damned. You can always remove the white film. My approach would include heating the bone and tooth with an infra-red lamp, which would reduce or eliminate the white film; but, don't hesitate to consolidate now because next week you'll have an infra-red lamp. You can find extensive comments about the techniques of consolidating vertebrate fossils by searching the TFF archives. Or, you can go to my profile under "About Me" to see my technique. Good luck! Let us know your outcome. Thanks, Harry. I have been working this morning to clean off what I can and order and catalogue the pieces so I know what goes where. After I’m finished cleaning I’m going to use elmers glue and consolidate. Considering epoxies later in the week to assembly and do a full coat of epoxy to seal after it dries. I will read up on what you have in your profile. Thanks for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 No! No! No! Don't use white glue before you consolidate -- you'd have a mess on your hands! Consolidate the pieces, then glue the pieces together with whatever seems appropriate. Do not coat the jaw with epoxy when finished unless third-graders are going to be passing it from hand-to-hand at a 'show'n'tell'! 1 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayley Posted October 4, 2020 Author Share Posted October 4, 2020 I thought that coating the bone in an aqueous solution of Elmer’s glue which is PVA based is supposed to consolidate it? That’s what I’ve read - especially for fossils that have not dried out all the way yet. What do I need to do to stabilize the bones and prevent them from cracking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 4 hours ago, Hayley said: I thought that coating the bone in an aqueous solution of Elmer’s glue which is PVA based is supposed to consolidate it? That’s what I’ve read - especially for fossils that have not dried out all the way yet. What do I need to do to stabilize the bones and prevent them from cracking? You can find extensive comments about the techniques of consolidating vertebrate fossils by searching the TFF archives. Or, you can go to my profile under "About Me" to see my technique. http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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