Fossil Cleaning?

[koscojo]

When you find fossils, how do you clean them? I want a way that won't harm them in any way, shape, or form. Most of my specimens have sand in crevices. Any ideas?

I did check out some books from my school library, but they're VERY old books and they suggest gasoline for some and to paint the fossils to make them stand out. I didn't think this was modern protocol lol.

[bdevey]

I've had some luck using a soak in Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to clean up some rocks. Should not harm your fossils unless there mummified.

Edited November 24, 2011 by bdevey

[glacialerratic]

I haven't used these 2 techniques yet (hoping to use the acetic acid one for conodonts), but here's a couple of papers, though they may not exactly pertain to what you're working with:

An Easy Way to Remove Fossils from Sandstones DMSO Disaggregation.pdf

The Optimal Acetate Buffered Acetic Acid Technique for extracting Phosphatic Fossils.pdf

[MikeD]

What you use and the technique you use depends on the fossil and the matrix. Perhaps a picture of one and some more info on the fossil and matrix will help us pin it down for you.

Never use gasoline for cleaning, especially fossils. You will never get the smell out, not to mention that it is just plain dangerous.

[Fossil Foilist]

I soak my fossils in vinegar for a couple hours. Then soak them in water and baking soda for 2 days (this gets rid of the acid in the vinegar)