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How should I clean this fossil bone?


Dan 1000

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Hello everyone. Recently I went down to a fossil site in Beaumaris Australia and came home with some nice pieces of cetacean bone. As I was about to head home I found quite a large piece sticking out of the sand. When I took it home I tried cleaning it with hot water and a sponge, removing some of the junk off of it but not all of it. How should I go about removing the white algae/plant junk on it? The fossil is very sturdy.

 

Thanks,

Daniel

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3 hours ago, Foozil said:

Soak it in vinegar and then soak in water overnight.

I’d be careful with this, as it can make the bone crumbly. Just remember after to let it dry out. 

“...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

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14 minutes ago, WhodamanHD said:

I’d be careful with this, as it can make the bone crumbly. Just remember after to let it dry out. 

I just second Whodaman advice you need to be very careful with soaking fossil . I only soak my fossils in water that I find by the sea to remove the salt water. I don’t leave overnight an hour or two at most.  I am always very cautious when cleaning or preparing fossil. Really make sure it is completely dry. 

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I've soaked a lot of bone from this site and it doesn't get crumbly or anything, I see where you're coming from though.

So yeah there's not much to worry about when it comes to Beaumaris Bone. (I say that after my personal experience, obviously it depends on the specimen itself, but this one looks fine for vinegar soaking)

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7 minutes ago, Foozil said:

I've soaked a lot of bone from this site and it doesn't get crumbly or anything, I see where you're coming from though.

So yeah there's not much to worry about when it comes to Beaumaris Bone. (I say that after my personal experience, obviously it depends on the specimen itself, but this one looks fine for vinegar soaking)

That’s great if you collect from the same site then , experience is the best advice. :dinothumb:

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm in agreement with @Foozil on this piece, much of the cetacean material to be found at this location is sturdy enough to take a vinegar bath. I would add that checking every half hour & removing what you can with your finger pad is a safe approach. Most of the build up will come away with gentle rubbing but you can invest in a dental pick set to help remove the more stubborn growths.

  Nice find @DanKurek & don't forget, if you find anything that looks like it might be of interest you can show the folks here & also Melbourne Museum fo ID. 

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