Polishing Fossils?

[KDF-TX]

I see in the preparing and restoration threads that using glue and fillers is okay.

How about polishing? Does it add or detract from value?

gastropod? and bivalve?

2 1/2 x 4 x 5 and 2 1/4 x 2 3/4 x 3 inches

TIA

Kevin

[Malcolmt]

I am a bit of a purist I do not like fossils that have been polished. I do not mind a flat matte krylon coat for protection and to bring out contrast but never been into shiny. Having said that I have seen some spectacular polished ammonites over the years. So for me it would detract from the value, but for most of us they end up in our own collections so the real answer is whatever you like is ok........

[Auspex]

With simple steinkerns like these, I see no harm in it.

[Scylla]

Noooooooooooooo! OK, maybe to show inner structure like the end of a petrified wood log, or an ammonite's chambers, or some old corals,etc. But in general, don't do it. That's just my opinion.

[KDF-TX]

Thanks for the replies!

[PrimitivePast]

Hi Kevin..Polishing can add to the value of a fossil if you are interested in reselling. It can also turn an outside garden rock back into a top shelf piece. As Scylla and Malcolmt have stated, polishing is not popular with most serious collectors who require all natural specimens. The bottom line is if you like the look of it do it. If you collect largely for the aesthetics of an object polishing can be a great benefit.

[PrimitivePast]

Here is a piece of Eocene aged coral from the Tampa area. In its natural state it is an interesting fossil, but when it is cut and polished it reveals a new beauty.

[Scylla]

I was going to add agatized coral to my list of situations where I thought polishing was OK, but coral was on the list so...

But your example shows beautifully how the specimen is enhanced by cutting and polishing.

[Missourian]

Polishing is desirable if you want to reveal internal structure and details, as with these fusulinids:

[Terry Dactyll]

KDF... You do with your fossil what you think is best is the answer I give to this question...Obviously Auspex has a point bringing 'rarity of the specimen' into the equation...We have fossil purist preachers here in the UK who suggest that you dont polish fossils.... yet are quite happy with big Asteroceras in their own private collection with all the outer shell ripped off for 'asthetic purposes' ...If I was a purist Id want one with the shell still intact...

[DeloiVarden]

It depends on a lot of factors, the most important question though...what does the buyer want. I know many folks that polish peeled megs. I am not a fan, but am amazed when folks pay more for a polished meg than an similarly sized meg with no peel and nice enamel. If you don't plan on selling it, then it is up to you. If you are unsure, give it some time. You can always polish it later, but you can't unpolish it.

[painshill]

I’ve never been too keen on exterior polishing, unless it is for the purpose of “improving” an inferior item to the point of it becoming “home décor” rather than a palaeontology specimen. There’s a place for that.

But I would agree with the consensus that, in general, it’s not desirable - with a few possible exceptions. Here’s a nice ammonoid heteromorph which I would regard as an example (but I draw the line at those horrible polished orthoceras slabs that seem to be in every fossil shop):

Polishing a cut face to bring out structural detail which would otherwise be lost unless you are prepared to wet the specimen each time you re-examine it is, I think, perfectly acceptable. I would add 3-D items like pine-cones to the acceptability list. I have a really nice one where the exterior is preserved “au naturel” on one side and minute structural details are highlighted on the other. That’s the best of both worlds, I feel and can also help “salvage” a broken specimen.

I certainly have no difficulty about cutting and polishing slabs of hard fossiliferous matrix where prepping is difficult. I have several slabs of marble with shelly or coralline structure which are greatly enhanced as a result of this and some nice polished slabs of rock with stromatolites.

Every rule has its exceptions. How about this section through a length of icthyosuar vertebral column?:

Enhanced or not? I think so. Picking it out of the matrix would have just given me a bunch of disarticulated bones… which are not too difficult to find where this came from (Lyme Regis in England). I would say this presentation is more informative as well as more visually appealing.

Edited August 5, 2012 by painshill

[Carcharodontosaurus]

I’ve never been too keen on exterior polishing, unless it is for the purpose of “improving” an inferior item to the point of it becoming “home décor” rather than a palaeontology specimen. There’s a place for that.

But I would agree with the consensus that, in general, it’s not desirable - with a few possible exceptions. Here’s a nice ammonoid heteromorph which I would regard as an example (but I draw the line at those horrible polished orthoceras slabs that seem to be in every fossil shop):

Polishing a cut face to bring out structural detail which would otherwise be lost unless you are prepared to wet the specimen each time you re-examine it is, I think, perfectly acceptable. I would add 3-D items like pine-cones to the acceptability list. I have a really nice one where the exterior is preserved “au naturel” on one side and minute structural details are highlighted on the other. That’s the best of both worlds, I feel and can also help “salvage” a broken specimen.

I certainly have no difficulty about cutting and polishing slabs of hard fossiliferous matrix where prepping is difficult. I have several slabs of marble with shelly or coralline structure which are greatly enhanced as a result of this and some nice polished slabs of rock with stromatolites.

Every rule has its exceptions. How about this section through a length of icthyosuar vertebral column?:

Enhanced or not? I think so. Picking it out of the matrix would have just given me a bunch of disarticulated bones… which are not too difficult to find where this came from (Lyme Regis in England). I would say this presentation is more informative as well as more visually appealing.

I love that vertebra section.

I have mixed views on polishing fossils. For some fossils, it increases the aesthetic value, but polishing something like a mammoth tooth or an Edmontosaurus femur is a big NO in my opinion. However, I have no problem with you polishing those steinkerns.

[PetrifiedDoubleGulp]

Malcom, is the Krylon matte an alternative to using something like Paraloid?

 

 

[jpc]

On 8/3/2012 at 7:45 PM, Scylla said:

Noooooooooooooo! OK, maybe to show inner structure like the end of a petrified wood log, or an ammonite's chambers, or some old corals,etc. But in general, don't do it. That's just my opinion.

And mine...including the loud prolonged Noooooooooooo

[Ptychodus04]

On 3/13/2017 at 1:48 PM, PetrifiedDoubleGulp said:

Malcom, is the Krylon matte an alternative to using something like Paraloid?

 

 

 

It would be but doesn't provide the same results.

 

Things like polyurethane sprays are meant for furniture and are not conservation worthy. They chemically cross-link and yellow over time, turning your beautiful specimen into an ugly nightmare decades down the road. I have fossils that I inherited from my father that he used various furniture clear coats (varnish, shellac, polyurethane, etc.) on around 30 years ago. I have had to go through the tedious process of removing this mess on them in order to prevent further deterioration.

 

Also, spray on finishes only provide a surface coat and don't provide any consolidation internally. I have had several old bones that were only held together by their clear coat because they were VERY unstable internally and were not properly consolidated.

 

Once upon a time, collectors had to make due with what they could get their hands on for preservation materials. With the advent of online shopping, this is not the case. Conservation grade materials are readily available and inexpensive.

[PetrifiedDoubleGulp]

Very cool,  thank you!