How do you preserve leaf fossils?

[gldndrms]

Hi everyone! I am totally new at collecting fossils. My family and I went to a place south of Vernal and dug in the Green River Formation and found several leaves and insects.

My question is do I need to put something over them to protect them? I have read about duco cement for bones, but I didn't read anything for leaves. I am assuming that the insects found in the same formation would be preserved the same way.

 

I included pictures of some of the insects we found.

 

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

 

Anthony

[ynot]

Welcome to TFF!

@sseth or @FossilDudeCO should know what You should do.

 

Nice insects.

[FossilDudeCO]

The insects won't need any coatings, but the leaves may.

Can you upload pics of the leaves?

 

Thanks for the tag @ynot

[gldndrms]

Here are some of the leaves.

[gldndrms]

A cool leaf, a stick and an insect.

[FossilDudeCO]

You should be good there. Some of the layers in the Green River will flake, but those are pretty stable.

Your stick may be of the biggest concern if it is 3-D at all.

 

If you REALLY want to coat them, you have 2 options.

 

1. 10 parts water to 1 part elmers white school glue.

2. About 5-10% solution of paraloid.

 

Long story short. Elmers is cheap, easy, and fast.

Paraloid is professional.

 

Either way your rock may darken a bit, but will help adhere the carbon imprints for pretty much ever.

[gldndrms]

The stick is 3-D. What should I do for it?

[ynot]

1 hour ago, gldndrms said:

The stick is 3-D. What should I do for it?

see below.

1 hour ago, FossilDudeCO said:

You should be good there. Some of the layers in the Green River will flake, but those are pretty stable.

Your stick may be of the biggest concern if it is 3-D at all.

 

If you REALLY want to coat them, you have 2 options.

 

1. 10 parts water to 1 part elmers white school glue.

2. About 5-10% solution of paraloid.

 

Long story short. Elmers is cheap, easy, and fast.

Paraloid is professional.

 

Either way your rock may darken a bit, but will help adhere the carbon imprints for pretty much ever.

 

[RJB]

I would not use Duco Cement.  Just not good.  Thats what I started with 24 years ago.  You can take some vinac or aquivolent glue at a watery solution and apply with a small art brush only on the fossil such as your branch.   And maybe the leafs.    Hope this helps

rb

 

[Wrangellian]

I wouldn't coat any of those fossils with anything, I've got leaves and sticks like that from various places and they're fine if you keep your grimy mitts off them and preferably keep them in a drawer or cabinet so you don't have to dust them regularly.

[Ludwigia]

If you do want to coat them for protection, another possibility is to use the spray fixative that artists sometimes use to hold the pastel color down which is available at most paint shops that also cater to artists.

[gldndrms]

6 hours ago, ynot said:

see below.

 

Thanks! I wasn't sure if there was a different procedure for the 3-D or not.

Thank you everyone for all the advice! I think I will try the Elmers on a couple pieces to see if I like it or not.

[Wrangellian]

Elmers is not the most easily reversible option (can be a b**** at the best of times).. If I were you I'd first try either the spray or the Paraloid/Acryloid which is much more easily removed with acetone than Elmers is with anything. That's if you can find some Paraloid, maybe a forum member can set you up with some.

[RJB]

I also would NOT use Elmers !!!     Just for some examples, this first pic is a leaf where I sprayed the intire rock with a clear coating of acrylic.  I wish I never did that, but that was when I was perty new at fossil hunting.   The second picture is of a leaf that had a somewhat cloudy surface covering the leaf and the second I put on some Glyptal it turned nice and dark and took the cloudyness away.  Was a very smart move in my eyes.   The last pic is of a rock with 5 leafs on it where 3 of the leafs were a bit on the faint side and hard to see.  Once coated with Glyptal the 'Popped' a bit and became much easier to see.  Hope this helps. 

 

RB

[gldndrms]

Thanks for the examples! I do not like the shininess of the clear coating of acrylic. Is Glyptal the same as paraloid? Can I buy them online?

[Wrangellian]

Nice leaves, RB. I'd like to know what Glyptal is, too...

[RJB]

Glyptal is very old school.  But once I started using it, I fell in love with it.  It is a laquor based glue and comes out of the can quite thick.  I reduce it with acitone to a watery consistance.  I was told many years ago that it would yellow over time, but to this day, (24 years) I still cant tell?  Not sure if one can even buy it today? 

 

RB

[Ptychodus04]

@RJB, laquers will indeed yellow over time and some environments expedite this (namely hot and humid). I had the joy of trying to remove some badly yellowed laquer from a specimen that was applied only around 25 years prior and it was a mess. Had been stored in a shed in east Texas (very hot, very humid). Your conditions are clearly not that so your specimens will undoubtedly last longer.

 

Your grandkids will probably have yellow fossils as adults. But that's not your problem at that point!

[RJB]

Being a painting contractor for many years I use to spray laquer on doors, trim, cabinets, T&G ceilings, siding adn more.  That was a product that had 18% solids and was sprayed on in usually 3 thick layers.  This glue is laquer based and then cut down to a very thin viscosity and applied in one very very thin coat.  Im purty sure its gunna take at least a hundred years before it does much at all, if anything.

 

RB 

[doushantuo]

not totally germane,but

steipreparabotanyrppyrite_and_limonite_.pdf