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Tiiiiny little ~1" Ecphora - what should I use to clean and stabilize it?


Mara_Masina

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It's about 80-90% complete. I've never tried to preserve a fossil shell before. I'll of course follow the sticky threads, but I don't even know if it's safe to run it under tap water to rinse off the dirt. Thanks!

 

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It's difficult to say if it is too fragile for water just from pictures but if you don't want to risk it I'd recommend gently using a toothbrush and needle (to scrape) to clean it before you consolidate it.

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I'd avoid water.  Usually these clean up well with a pin and soft bristled toothbrush.  If you have to "wet" any hardened bits of matrix, I use acetone as it softens mud/clay but it evaporates quickly and so doesn't soften the shell much.  Be sure to use acetone in a well ventilated area away from anything that could ignite it.

 

Don

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I would only stabilize it if it is extremely fragile. If not, there's no need to stabilize shell. If it is, then further discussion is needed to determine the best method of stabilization. You have to consider whether or not it would survive a soak in a Paraloid bath. If it will, that's the best method. If not, there are other methods.

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