Randomguy1 Posted March 15, 2019 Share Posted March 15, 2019 Hey guys! I shared with you a few months ago my janassa toothplate, but the tooth has been showing some signs of progressive discoloration. It is slowly starting to grey in some areas, but’s never been exposed to vinegar or any real form of fossil prep. It is not moved around either so it’s not getting dinged up. Is this cause for alarm? I know only parts of the fossil are changing now, but I just want to ensure that the fossil isn’t going to be damaged by this in the future. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted March 15, 2019 Share Posted March 15, 2019 When a fossil is removed from the ground it is exposed to light and it dries. Both of these can cause a color change. If there is no degradation other than color change it is not something to worry about. 4 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...
siteseer Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 You might consider soaking it in a Butvar or Paraloid solution so that some of the consolidant seeps into some of those fine cracks and hardens the specimen. You should contact someone who has collected fossils from the site before and find out what they use to preserve them. The old-school method was a white glue solution. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNCollector Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 That looks like what happens to phosphate-based fossils that have been exposed to a lot of sunlight. The UV accelerates oxidation on the surface. If it hasn't been sitting in sunlight, then it could very well be just from the tooth drying. I agree with @siteseer, coat the tooth in a Butvar B-76 solution once the tooth is completely dried out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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