Will Vinegar Destroy Impressions?

[bamontgomery]

Hi, all. My family and I only got into fossil hunting in July, but we already have made a few trips to collect them since them. Most of what we've found are small impressions in larger rocks. It's nothing that would likely impress anyone here, but we like them.  We would like to clean them, and I have seen a few YouTube videos showing how to use vinegar to remove dirt and some of the surrounding surrounding rock. If I put a fossilized impression in vinegar for a few hours, would it destroy it? If so, what would be the best way to clean/prepare them?

[Nanosaurus]

It depends on the rock. Is the rock calcitic, like a limestone or limy mud? If the impressions are in rock like that the vinegar will dissolve the rock and the impressions with it. That being said, I often use vinegar on fossils in limestone to clean them. But I soak the fossils only very briefly depending on how delicate they are. The longer they are in the vinegar the more of the rock/fossil that can dissolve. I would experiment with only a few minutes at most on fossils that you are least worried about.

[Wrangellian]

I agree with Wayan - if the fossils are just impressions in the matrix, then vinegar would only tend to erode them. You're limited to brushing loose dirt/dust off, or other mechanical means. You would only use vinegar on fossils such as shells that have been replaced with silica, which is more resistant to acid than the surrounding limestone, but even then you should be careful and not leave it too long, and always give it a good rinse/soak afterward in fresh water to wash out any remaining acid.

[bamontgomery]

Thanks for the quick replies!

[erose]

Start with soap and warm water. Then use a soft brush, like an old tooth brush, to scrub. Soak again, scrub, repeat. It is surprising how much that simple procedure will do.  Acids of any sort, including vinegar, can wreak havoc.  Read what folks here on the forum have to say about using vinegar.   IMHO much of the "advice" and how to's on Youtube are bogus...

 

[tombk]

Please share a picture sometime. The Forum is not really to impress people (although that's always fun) so much as to share a mutual interest in all things fossil. Welcome to TFF!