Flaking finds

[Yoda]

So last week I went on my 2nd collecting trip to Yaxley. 
Was a bit disappointed. Didn’t find much. 
Just a clam, and this ammonite and gastropods

 

The ammonite and gastropods are very flakey. If you barely touch them, some of the white material comes away

 

What is the best way to stabilise them?

 

 

[Yoda]

And the gastropods 

 

 

[Ptychodus04]

Use a solution of Paraloid B72 at 1 part m plastic to 50 parts acetone.

 

with a very fine artist’s brush, allow the Paraloid to wick from the brush into the cracks. You can also use an eye dropper or a large syringe To apply a drop at a time. I like the brush as it is less aggressive, even though it will take a long time.

 

once you have gotten plenty of plastic into the cracks, you can gently apply Paraloid to the surface.

[Phevo]

I have not been to Yaxley, however in Holzmaden there is a layer with thin Ammonites and my experience is to make sure to dry them slowly --> make sure they do not get any sun exposure or high airflow on the surface, alternatively put them in a plastic bag with some small holes in it and let them dry over time, when they are dry enough apply some Paraloid b72 like stated above

 

My experience with applying paraloid b72 on wet specimens has not been very successful, but maybe @Ptychodus04 has a trick up his sleeve?

[oilshale]

Wrap the fossils in newspaper and put them in a plastic bag - then they dry out slowly and evenly. 
Paraloid 72 b is soluble in acetone but precipitates when water is added. If a solution of Paraloid 72 b is applied directly onto a damp matrix, unsightly white spots will appear and the consolidant will not penetrate into the matrix. If the matrix is first rinsed with some acetone to remove the water, it can work (depends on how much water is present).

 

Edited October 11, 2020 by oilshale

[Ptychodus04]

I was not aware that we were dealing with a wet specimen. Slow drying is the way to go. If you can’t dry the fossil, you can do an internet search for Primal WS24. It is good for damp fossils.

[oilshale]

Primal WS 24 is a fine-particle, carboxylated acrylic latex that can be used as a primer. The polymer content is around 30%. For the application the material should be diluted with water - I would use at most 1 part latex with 3 parts water (otherwise the surface can become shiny).

 

Similar to Elmer's glue, it is also a latex (polymer beads dispersed in water), but has the following advantages:

- The surface is less sticky - the polymer is harder and gets less dirty.
- The particle size of the polymer beads is about 20 times smaller than that of Elmer's glue. The polymer beads penetrate porous material better (deeper).
- The polymer does not tend to yellow.

 

I use a similar material from my own laboratory - although very rarely.

Edited October 12, 2020 by oilshale

[Yoda]

On 12/10/2020 at 3:05 AM, Ptychodus04 said:

I was not aware that we were dealing with a wet specimen. Slow drying is the way to go. If you can’t dry the fossil, you can do an internet search for Primal WS24. It is good for damp fossils.

The rocks themselves were in London Clay which was sodden due to a huge amount of rain we have had recently.

But not sure how deeply the water would have permeated the actual rocks ????

 

Due to their fragility, I had carefully wrapped each one in bubble wrap. 

Will check on them in the next day or so and see how they are looking. 

[Bobby Rico]

4 hours ago, Yoda said:

Due to their fragility, I had carefully wrapped each one in bubble wrap. 

Will check on them in the next day or so and see how they are looking. 

I would use an old towel and dry very slowly, bubble wrap might contain the moisture in the drying process.