0lderthandirt Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 It seems I am doing something wrong when I'm cleaning rocks with crystals. The latest was today, found this beautiful gastropod that just sparkled brilliantly with tiny crystals. All I did was pour rainwater over it to wash away dirt from some of the other fossils on the rock and the sparkle is now gone. It seems like just getting the crystals wet with either my well water or rainwater makes the crystals loose some or all of their sparkle. I can leave it out in the rain, such as what's happened with the purple druzy crystal and shells in second picture and that's fine - they sparkle brilliantly. Is there something I can do to repair this or at least something I can do differently to clean new finds? Thank you Will your next answer to my question be no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 The only reason the water should remove the crystals is if they are not attached to the matrix or fossil. If this is the case then there is nothing that can be done to keep them on the pieces. Love the druzy fossils! 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...
0lderthandirt Posted August 30, 2017 Author Share Posted August 30, 2017 This may be a stupid question, but do the crystals in any way absorb the water? Will your next answer to my question be no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 These are most likely calcite and you water is probably slightly acidic (this is normal and usual) so it will react and dissolve them slightly. I suggest maybe using a paintbrush or (I don't know if this will work, just an idea that I just came up with) use water that has a calcium carbonate antacid dissolved in it, should neutralize or better yet make it slightly basic. “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0lderthandirt Posted August 31, 2017 Author Share Posted August 31, 2017 (edited) You might be right, i just experimented. I have gallons of distilled water (for photovoltaic batteries -I live off grid) and I washed a specimen with it. The crystals still reflect just like they did. I washed another with my captured rainwater and its considerably less reflective. Under magnification the druzy crystals on the gastropod appear to still be there. Just no reflection. Sadly washing them again in distilled water made no difference. I'm thinking the rainwater and my well water are etching the crystals. Thanks for the input. Edit: my captured rainwater probably becomes more acidic from evaporation, that would explain why fresh rain has no effect. Edited August 31, 2017 by 0lderthandirt Clarification Will your next answer to my question be no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 42 minutes ago, 0lderthandirt said: You might be right, i just experimented. I have gallons of distilled water (for photovoltaic batteries -I live off grid) and I washed a specimen with it. The crystals still reflect just like they did. I washed another with my captured rainwater and its considerably less reflective. Under magnification the druzy crystals on the gastropod appear to still be there. Just no reflection. Sadly washing them again in distilled water made no difference. I'm thinking the rainwater and my well water are etching the crystals. Thanks for the input. Edit: my captured rainwater probably becomes more acidic from evaporation, that would explain why fresh rain has no effect. Yes, the rain water should have carbonic acid in it from carbon dioxide, which is concentrated from evaporation. Happy to help! “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Ammonite Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 What formation are the fossils/rocks from? The gastropods looks sort of like Straparollus. It sort of looks like the crystals might be quartz. Does a knife scratch them and do the crystals scratch glass? If they are quartz, rainwater should not reduce their sparkles unless you are washing off loose soil-born minerals such as mica. If the crystals are calcite, I would be surprised if your well water etched them since Arizona ground water is usually hard and alkaline, not acidic. My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned. See my Arizona Paleontology Guide link The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0lderthandirt Posted August 31, 2017 Author Share Posted August 31, 2017 7 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said: What formation are the fossils/rocks from? Redwall limestone, Mooney falls member. Testing on this piece because it's got large enough crystals, a razor blade doesn't seem to scratch it and both this and the tiny crystals will scratch glass. I don't know the acidity of the well water but I do know it contains a lot of minerals. I'm not using any chemicals or soaps, not even a brush because I've thought in the past that was the problem. It wasn't until I ruined this fossil that I thought to ask here Will your next answer to my question be no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Ammonite Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 Soap, water and a soft brush such as a toothbrush will not hurt your rocks and will may them cleaner. I like to also use hydrogen peroxide (Walmart has cheap bottles) to get the dirt out of the nooks and crannies. A thought, maybe the sparkles were reduced because your water was hard and left a coating of calcium carbonate and other minerals on the rocks. Maybe Lime Away or vinegar would work if your are cleaning quartz/chert and not calcite/limestone. Your gastropod is now most likely Straparollus which is common in the Redwall. My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned. See my Arizona Paleontology Guide link The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0lderthandirt Posted August 31, 2017 Author Share Posted August 31, 2017 3 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said: because your water was hard and left a coating of calcium carbonate That's a very good possibility! I have tried dawn dish soap and scrubbing in the past and soaking in soapy water, it seemed like everything I tried totally dulled them. I will definitely try both peroxide and vinegar tomorrow. Thanks for those suggestions! Will your next answer to my question be no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yvie Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 Acid rain from forest fires sulphuric,carbonic and with electric storm strikes nitric acid!!A nice concoction! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0lderthandirt Posted August 31, 2017 Author Share Posted August 31, 2017 15 hours ago, DPS Ammonite said: Maybe Lime Away or vinrgar would work if your are cleaning quartz/chert and not calcite/limestone. I don't care how you spell vinegar you are one wise person! The peroxide didn't help at all but the vinegar worked wonders. I've restored several pieces that had absolutely no sparkle after my destructive cleaning attempts in the past. I'll post one before and after. The gastropod didn't come back to its full glory but it did come back enough to make me very happy. From now on anything with quartz will get washed in vinegar and rinsed with distilled water. Thank you very much for sharing your good advice. The camera doesn't do this justice, this rock went from dull boring to as sparking as the day I found it. Will your next answer to my question be no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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