Dusty Displays

[Fossil Claw]

Looking for ideas on how to keep bookshelf displays from getting so dusty. It is a pain to move all the fossils all the time to dust.

 

 

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Same dilemma here, even under glass.  

[Wrangellian]

Even under glass? Oh dear...

I've got the same problem with all the fossils that I don't have drawer space for, but the ones in the drawers seem ok (as much as can be expected). I figure what dust is on them could have been on them from the time I put them in there.

My answer for myself is to donate/sell everything I don't have room for under glass or in drawers! except for a few choice display pieces TBD.

[caldigger]

What, you don't like that natural grey patina?

I think just diligent house keeping is the only answer.  Even museums have staff that constantly go around dusting. It's an endless chore.

Unless your cases are hermetically sealed, dust will find its way in everywhere.

[Past Hunter]

To all Forum members expirencing this problem please send your fossils to me problem solved. My wife has forbidden any public display of my fossils. I don’t have a dust problem. 

[RJB]

Get one of those air purifiers.  Ive got two of them.

 

RB

[Troodon]

Air purfiers definitely help but if you have a forced air hvac system and carpets it's an uphill battle.  

[LiamL]

I have this problem, dust and fingerprints. Especially when the sun shines on my glass display case it shows more.

[JohnBrewer]

We have cleaners....

[hauyn888]

When I enter my " Atelier" I see the fossils and the dust , and the cobwebs - I smile and look forward to the summer - now in winter I only go to my fossils sometimes, then I heat with wood and coal and everything is dusyt a bit, but I love this heat and the smell. In the spring or summer, especially when visiting is expected, I withdraw and clean my collection and showcases. For almost every piece I remember a story and I start to dream, these are the moments, new ideas, to find new goals and then makes the cleaning fun. Now my son is 4 years old, he is very interested in daddy's stones, there is a new generation coming up and he is also clean and happy about the glitter of my minerals and the weirdest fossils - and then I tell him their stories .. ....

[Ludwigia]

Of course we all have the same problem and spend a lot of time dusting diligently if we take our displays seriously, but sometimes I just get a bit lazy and give the shelves a once-over with my compressed air pistol with the doors open.

[Fossil Claw]

10 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

Even under glass? Oh dear...

I've got the same problem with all the fossils that I don't have drawer space for, but the ones in the drawers seem ok (as much as can be expected). I figure what dust is on them could have been on them from the time I put them in there.

My answer for myself is to donate/sell everything I don't have room for under glass or in drawers! except for a few choice display pieces TBD.

Nope not understand glass.

 

My glass displays are fine.  It's the ones on book shelves that are the problem.

[KimTexan]

29 minutes ago, Ludwigia said:

Of course we all have the same problem and spend a lot of time dusting diligently if we take our displays seriously, but sometimes I just get a bit lazy and give the shelves a once-over with my compressed air pistol with the doors open.

I’ve thought about taking canned air to the shelves with fossils and blow it to a place where I can dust or vacuum it up.

[ynot]

Ya could always cover them with plastic sheeting.

[oldtimer]

I use wood to heat so I experience a grey dust in the winter.  In the spring time I do the spring cleaning and everything gets the once over.

It's a chore but as mentioned one can reminisce about each story. Rocks, minerals and fossils are not the only dust problem I have to detail.

The miss's nick knacks add to it.

[caldigger]

You mean to tell me the rest of you guys don't use a biomedical "clean room" to house your fossils?!

I thought everybody did.

[Wrangellian]

I use wood heating too, it is awful for dust, esp. when the chimney gets clogged up and the smoke/ash comes out each time you open the door. I should not own fossils. Oh to have clean heating and/or lots of display cases and drawer units!

[Uncle Siphuncle]

4 hours ago, Ludwigia said:

Of course we all have the same problem and spend a lot of time dusting diligently if we take our displays seriously, but sometimes I just get a bit lazy and give the shelves a once-over with my compressed air pistol with the doors open.

I've done this too, but in the other hand is the shop vac hose aimed right when the compressor hose is blasting, hopefully sucking up a portion of the displaced dust before it simply redistributes all over the house.

[caldigger]

10 minutes ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

I've done this too, but in the other hand is the shop vac hose aimed right when the compressor hose is blasting, hopefully sucking up a portion of the displaced dust before it simply redistributes all over the house.

Yep, you're just redistributing the dust to another location and putting it airborne to settle again.

[Dewbunny]

Depending on the size of the fossil, I find these keep um dust free and allow for nice displaying.

 

 

[Ludwigia]

3 hours ago, caldigger said:

Yep, you're just redistributing the dust to another location and putting it airborne to settle again.

Of course I'm well aware of that. I try to direct some of the airborne dust outside by swinging the entrance door and keeping the doors to the rest of the rooms shut. It's no ideal solution, but it does brighten things up for a while and doesn't take all that long. I'll have to take up Dan on the shop vac idea. Dunno why I never thought of that before. Just have to watch out that I don't blast one of the little ones directly into the vac

[JohnBrewer]

On 19/12/2017 at 9:07 PM, hauyn888 said:

When I enter my " Atelier" I see the fossils and the dust , and the cobwebs - I smile and look forward to the summer - now in winter I only go to my fossils sometimes, then I heat with wood and coal and everything is dusyt a bit, but I love this heat and the smell. In the spring or summer, especially when visiting is expected, I withdraw and clean my collection and showcases. For almost every piece I remember a story and I start to dream, these are the moments, new ideas, to find new goals and then makes the cleaning fun. Now my son is 4 years old, he is very interested in daddy's stones, there is a new generation coming up and he is also clean and happy about the glitter of my minerals and the weirdest fossils - and then I tell him their stories .. ....

That’s a nice story. 

[JohnBrewer]

15 hours ago, Ludwigia said:

Of course I'm well aware of that. I try to direct some of the airborne dust outside by swinging the entrance door and keeping the doors to the rest of the rooms shut. It's no ideal solution, but it does brighten things up for a while and doesn't take all that long. I'll have to take up Dan on the shop vac idea. Dunno why I never thought of that before. Just have to watch out that I don't blast one of the little ones directly into the vac

Haha. Please make a video and post it here next time you do it Roger 

[Fossil Claw]

So I think I found a good solution for my smaller fossils like shelves and small trilobites and mason Creek nodules.

 

I think this display case with multiple steps Museum putty to hold the fossils in place.

 

Then I can just pick up the case to dust rather than having to move each individual fossil.

Should be able to have three of these across a standard bookcase Shelf and then stacked two high.

 

For larger items I'm thinking other types of collectible acrylic cases with Museum putty to secure the fossils in place.

 

I will post some pictures when these arrive.

 

I'm thinking this will be a good solution.

 

[thelivingdead531]

@Fossil Claw I really like the idea of the case with steps, especially since most of my fossils are fairly small. Thanks for sharing that idea!