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Hi All, Apologies for the double post. I originally posted this in “General Fossil Discussion” but realise this is probably the more appropriate forum. I was hoping people might be willing to share their tips for handling fossils. For instance, should gloves be worn (i.e., can the natural oils and acids on your hands cause damage)? Obviously, a delicate touch is required, and handling techniques will vary by specimen type, but I would be interested to hear about best practices and how members of TFF handle their own collections. Thanks, Robert
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Hi all, So a few weeks ago now I went to the location Carniol in France to look for fossils. And we found lots! Most of the finds are pyrite ammonites, but we shouldn’t leave out all the belemnites and little shell steinkerns we found. All the fossils are from the Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous, and apart from the belemnites all have been replaced by pyrite. So I've already taken out all the belemnites and rinsed the clay off of each one (they’re looking gorgeous right now!), because their shells are not made of pyrite (and seem not to require any special treatment). By the way, does anyone know why only the belemnites are not replaced by pyrite, while all the other fossils are??? But now comes the question of all the pyrite fossils. All are very small. Some were found already starting to “rust” (I suppose this is due to pyrite disease?), but most are still in good state. Nearly all are still partially covered in dry clay though, and (just like it did with the belemnites) I suppose it will come off very easily as soon as it comes in contact with water. But, here is where I am a little worried: Rust is due to the oxidation (—> oxygen) of iron. And in water there is oxygen too, and more of it than in air. Therefore I’m scared that rinsing the pyrite fossils will accelerate the process of pyrite disease and make them “rust” more quickly. So what should I do to clean the fossils? Is it okay if I simply rinse them off? Or is that a no-go? Or maybe I should do it in a special manner or with specific substances? And, finally, what do you think is the best way for me to handle these fossils so that they “survive the pyrite disease” the longest possible? I know that there are a few ways with some weird chemicals to treat them, but I’m only a kid with limited equipment, money and experience, so I’m not able to do anything too intricate or acquire very funky chemicals. I’ve also read that apparently there are two different types of pyrite? How do I know which one my fossils are, and is there anything I should know more about it? Thanks in advance for your help to all those questions! Max