icycatelf Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 I found a really cool Calamites fossil with exquisite detail on a wet day a couple months ago, but after a week or so of keeping it indoors, the details started to fade and the colors became dull. It springs back to life when damp, but that only lasts so long and I fear that annually applying water might eventually wear the fossil. I think I've read somewhere that you can use vegetable oil to keep rocks/fossils looking saturated, but I was wondering if that might cause any structural damage or any other ill effects to a sandstone-based fossil. Thanks! Casual surface-collector and Pokémon fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 Oil-saturated sandstone would be a problem to display for reasons beyond structural damage. You can avoid these problems, and get the effect you want, by consolidating the fossil with an acetone/plastic solution -- Butvar B-76, Vinac, et al. are some of those plastics. Do a forum search for "preserving fossils" for lots of info, or go to my profile, the "about me" button to find extensive comments on this process. . 5 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 4 minutes ago, Harry Pristis said: Oil-saturated sandstone would be a problem to display for reasons beyond structural damage. You can avoid these problems, and get the effect you want, by consolidating the fossil with an acetone/plastic solution -- Butvar B-76, Vinac, et al. are some of those plastics. Do a forum search for "preserving fossils" for lots of info, or go to my profile, the "about me" button to find extensive comments on this process. . +1 Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelhead9 Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 Butchers wax or conservators wax will provide the same effect and is removable. Be sure to buff the fossil after applying the wax. Do not put wax on the matrix. 2 Still Life Fossils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBrewer Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 What Harry said. John Map of UK fossil sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 Vegetable oil also goes rancid after a while and will give your treasures an unpleasant odor. If you were to go the oil route on something, I would stick with mineral oil (baby oil) lightly applied to just the fossil itself. However, the methods listed above would be the best way to go. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 Two words... oil bad 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icycatelf Posted May 15, 2017 Author Share Posted May 15, 2017 Got it, no-go on the oil. Glad I ran it by you guys before trying! Thanks for the feedback! I'll have to check-out these materials. Casual surface-collector and Pokémon fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBrewer Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 Also this stuff is great https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax I use it in work but have used it on fossils. John Map of UK fossil sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshuajbelanger Posted May 15, 2017 Share Posted May 15, 2017 I'm a huge fan of Butvar. Not only will it protect your specimen for a lifetime, but it brings out nice wet look. Just make sure to clean off your fossil and let it dry fully, or you may it end up with white splotches. This tusk was crumbling pretty bad, after consolidation its solid as a rock and has a nicer appeal. -J oh yeah, I have plenty of butvar, if you would like me to send you some to test out. A little bit of this stuff goes a long way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icycatelf Posted May 16, 2017 Author Share Posted May 16, 2017 On 5/15/2017 at 4:46 PM, joshuajbelanger said: I'm a huge fan of Butvar. Not only will it protect your specimen for a lifetime, but it brings out nice wet look. Just make sure to clean off your fossil and let it dry fully, or you may it end up with white splotches. This tusk was crumbling pretty bad, after consolidation its solid as a rock and has a nicer appeal. -J oh yeah, I have plenty of butvar, if you would like me to send you some to test out. A little bit of this stuff goes a long way. That does look nice and damp! How long was it after application that you took the new pic? Really? That would be lovely! I'll shoot you my address in a bit. Thanks! Casual surface-collector and Pokémon fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bguild Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 I had a similar issue with some plant imprints I had found. I wanted to find a way to preserve their detail while highlighting the fossil. I ended up using a solution of Acetone mixed with PVA beads. Now it's become a standard procedure to coat any new plant imprints I find. Check out the thread I've linked below on the topic. http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/70335-how-to-highlightpreserve-plant-imprints/#comment-745352 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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