squali Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 I’m wondering if anyone has experience preping stickleback fishes from a dolomite matrix. Obviously it is extremely soft and the preservation is decent but can literally be rubbed away with a breath. Will PVA stabilize dolomite or will it just melt at the introduction of any liquid? A friend gave me a piece to check out and I’d like to stabilize it. Any help appreciated. I can add pics tomorrow if needed. thanks Jeff It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 I have stabilized some seriously fragile fossils over the years with PVA in acetone. The worst were seriously weathered bones completely “infected” with gypsum. It was so bad that there was more crumbly gypsum than bones on some. The acetone didn’t cause any problems. Definitely run a test on a sample but I don’t see why it would be a problem. Just remember the consolidated specimen will be significantly softer one applied until the acetone evaporates. I’ve ruined specimens bc I didn’t wait long enough after consolidation before handling. 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...
caldigger Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 These things have lasted many a millennia, I am sure it won't hurt to wait a day or so before handling after consolidation. Please let us know how it turns out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squali Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 Thanks for the responses! I’ll give it a go this weekend and post some before and after pics. It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 11 hours ago, caldigger said: These things have lasted many a millennia, I am sure it won't hurt to wait a day or so before handling after consolidation. Please let us know how it turns out. Yep, I learned my lesson. I let the fragile stuff sit overnight after consolidation now. 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...
squali Posted January 23, 2018 Author Share Posted January 23, 2018 I’m really impressed with the surficial consolidation of the PVA in acetone. I was worried the cartilage preservation would be effected but it appears to be an excellent consolidant for this type of prep. This piece is a lesser quality specimen than what may be in some of the other chunks I have so it was a good test piece. Thanks again for the advice image 1- untreated-us penny as reference image 2- PVA/acetone ‘drip’ application image 3- dried and surface sealed. Im hard pressed to see a difference. It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squali Posted January 24, 2018 Author Share Posted January 24, 2018 Embarrassing enough I just realized my topic is Dolomite and should be diamataceous matrix (Diatomite) Can it be changed? Thanks It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagebrush Steve Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 55 minutes ago, squali said: Embarrassing enough I just realized my topic is Dolomite and should be diamataceous matrix (Diatomite) Can it be changed? Thanks I think it is “diatomaceous”, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 Either way, I’m glad the PVA worked for you. 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...
squali Posted January 25, 2018 Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 On 1/23/2018 at 8:38 PM, Sagebrush Steve said: I think it is “diatomaceous”, right? Yes I was going for Diatomite but I missed it by a mile. Fortunately for me I got great advice on the preservation. It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 I had the luxury of tossing the 'bad' ones cause i used to find so many of these things. All I did was use a can of clear acrylic and spray the edges and both sides and let dry. About 10 to 20 minutes. If the acrylic started to puddle up I knew it was enough. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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