RooBug Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 (edited) Hi guys, I am new here so I hope I am doing this right, haha. I have a trilobite I was hoping to get cleaned up. It is enrolled with just a bit of limestone leftover on it. I was told that vinegar could be used to clean it off but I am worried it might damage the fossil. The visible eye has pretty good detail, so I want to make sure I don't do anything that would damage that in particular. I just want to know if it will be okay to use vinegar, or if anyone has tips for other cleaning methods? I have a few brachiopods to practice cleaning with before I try the trilobite. Each are about an inch long. Here is a pic of the trilobite with two of the brachiopods: Also, I was asked to identify some rocks&minerals by someone and was unable to identify one of the minerals. It had a hardness of at least 5.5 and had a sub-metallic luster I believe. I was just curious if anyone knew what they were and was hoping to be able to identify them for her. I have them pictured here: I forgot glass had hardness of 5.5 and not 7, so I fixed that. Thanks in advance, and it's nice to meet you guys! Edited February 28, 2016 by RooBug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raggedy Man Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 I wouldn't use vinegar to clean the trilobite. As far as the minerals are concerned, it looks like red cubodial fluorite. Best regards, Paul ...I'm back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 (edited) Welcome to the Fossil Forum!! Try a dental pick to remove the extra matrix. The mineral appears to be an oxidized iron pyrite. There may be a secondary mineral encrusting it that gave a false hardness or You misinterpreted the results. I know of no mineral with the habit of these that would be that hard. does not have the correct fracture/cleavage to be a fluorite. Tony Edited February 28, 2016 by ynot Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raggedy Man Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Do you know where she found that mineral piece? It looks exactly like the fluorite found around Creede, Colorado. Oxidized iron pyrite is also a possibility and one I didn't even think about. ...I'm back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 I can understand than one could think that the mineral is fluorite, but if the hardness is really 7, then that rules it out completely, since fluorite has a hardness of 4. Pyrite is 6.5, so that's close enough, but it could also be a pseudomorph, which means that one mineral, in this case fluorite(?) has been transformed into a harder one. It would need a good analysis in order to determine it properly. As far as the trilobite is concerned, don't use vinegar or any kind of acid on it. Ynot's suggestion is good. You could also try scrubbing it carefully with a soft metal brush under running water, but your best bet would be to find someone with an air abrader. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RooBug Posted February 28, 2016 Author Share Posted February 28, 2016 (edited) Thank you guys so much for the quick responses! I think I will avoid using the vinegar then. For the mineral she got it at an estate sale. It is black/dark gray, with a few red spots, but has a silver inside. I thought it might be pyrite, but it was darker than any I have ever seen before. It did leave a scratch on a glass jar, but I forgot that minerals with a hardness below 7 can also scratch glass as well, so sorry for giving bad info! I figured since there are hundreds of different types of minerals, it won't be too big of a deal if I don't get its name. I did not know that pyrite could get that dark, so that is good to know! I really appreciate all your answers, thanks again! Edited February 29, 2016 by RooBug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sTamprockcoin Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 As far as the mineral goes research either Galena (streak/hardness/crystal habit) or less likely Sphalerite and either one with a secondary coating of Iron Oxide. “Beautiful is what we see. More beautiful is what we understand. Most beautiful is what we do not comprehend.” N. Steno Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdsnl Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 I remember reading that trilobite eyes are made of calcite and would dissolve in vinegar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluros Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 You may find that soaking the trilobite in water overnight may soften the matrix enough to remove it with a nylon bristle brush or a brass brush. I read in an 1800s journal that German paleontologists used this technique with a sewing needle and a brass brush to clean fossils. I used this method with moderate success on some limestone before getting my microabraider. You are correct to use the brachiopods first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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