Highlighting Plant Fossils?

[Rockin' Ric]

Hello All! I recently inquired if there were any threads discussing how to "highlight" fossils to make them stand out? I am all about keeping them NATURAL but I have finds where the impressions are so faint they can't be seen unless you pull them up close to your face. Some of you know I have been posting a lot of my Carboniferous plant finds with very good preservation already highlighted with carbon film but others not so much especially the negative impressions on the stone. I'm not always lucky to find both pos/neg images which complete the entire fossil, some of those finds are the negative images so I have to resort to finding ways to highlight some of them. It has been suggested that I use  ground up carbon (coal) to powder and paint onto the image and then coat with glue/water mixture. I can see that working on larger fossil impressions like that of the lycopod fossils but when it comes to the ferns and smaller impressions other alternatives will have to do? I have been experimenting with using fine tip sharpies that have worked well. Here is the before and after shots of a fern fossil I recently did. The lone fern frond in the right was the only one that had the carbon film on it.

 

What do you guys think?

 

[Moozillion]

46 minutes ago, Rockin' Ric said:

Hello All! I recently inquired if there were any threads discussing how to "highlight" fossils to make them stand out? I am all about keeping them NATURAL but I have finds where the impressions are so faint they can't be seen unless you pull them up close to your face. Some of you know I have been posting a lot of my Carboniferous plant finds with very good preservation already highlighted with carbon film but others not so much especially the negative impressions on the stone. I'm not always lucky to find both pos/neg images which complete the entire fossil, some of those finds are the negative images so I have to resort to finding ways to highlight some of them. It has been suggested that I use  ground up carbon (coal) to powder and paint onto the image and then coat with glue/water mixture. I can see that working on larger fossil impressions like that of the lycopod fossils but when it comes to the ferns and smaller impressions other alternatives will have to do? I have been experimenting with using fine tip sharpies that have worked well. Here is the before and after shots of a fern fossil I recently did. The lone fern frond in the right was the only one that had the carbon film on it.

 

What do you guys think?

 

(...love your signature!!! )

[Fossildude19]

Looks pretty good to me, Rick.   

 

My only concern with Sharpie would be if the fossils happen to be displayed in sunlight, the marker might fade, over time.  

 

[Kane]

I agree with Tim. You may have to reapply every once in a while. Just so long as it doesn't obscure detail or harm the specimen, it's a good enhancement idea for display.

[JohnBrewer]

With faint fossils I coat with a really weak dilution of Paraloid 1:50 acetone. This lifts them quite a lot but doesn’t make them too shiny. Adding this also raises the contrast. 

[Bguild]

I had the same issue. I wanted to find a way to highlight my harder to see plant imprints while also preserving them. It was suggested that I use a solution of PVA beads mixed with Acetone. Once I mix up the solution, I use a fine paint brush to coat the imprints. The solution is similar to a clear glue, but very diluted. It does a nice job of preserving the imprints so they won't degrade over the years and also darkens the fossils so there's more of a contrast. I have pictures of my results in the thread below and also in my profile album. 

 

 

[Ludwigia]

Looks fine to me. I paint a wax finish called rember on my plant fossils which preserves them well but is still easily removeable with acetone if need be.

[Rockin' Ric]

Thanks all for the comments and suggestions. I failed to mention that I after filling in the impressions with marker there is a shiny metallic iron color to that impression. I then apply a coat of water/glue mix, somehow the chemical reaction turns the marker a blacker coloration almost the color of coal surprisingly and gives the stone a "wetter" look to it? Sometimes the color is so black that I have to tone it down by rubbing some of the sediment dust attached to the stone which mutes that black, being careful knowing that dust also contains grit not to damage the impression. Tim and Kane, I've only experimented on on a few fossils as of now...it remains to be seen the permanence of the marker itself over time or what kind of damage the marker could cause? 

 

JohnBrewer, BGuild and Ludwigia, thank you for the suggestions I will check into what you all use on your fossils as well.

[jdp]

On 1/22/2018 at 11:29 AM, Bguild said:

I had the same issue. I wanted to find a way to highlight my harder to see plant imprints while also preserving them. It was suggested that I use a solution of PVA beads mixed with Acetone. Once I mix up the solution, I use a fine paint brush to coat the imprints. The solution is similar to a clear glue, but very diluted. It does a nice job of preserving the imprints so they won't degrade over the years and also darkens the fossils so there's more of a contrast. I have pictures of my results in the thread below and also in my profile album. 

 

 

I'll second/third PVA in acetone. If you draw on them with sharpie, you're really just looking at the sharpie marker, not the fossils themselves.