Eurydice Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 can anybody tell me , which is the best way to wash and clean some fossils, i have some corals.. i am not really sure what they are, 'cause i didn't started to search for informations, but i may say that they look like some zooantharia scleractinia, or some rugosa .. are very fragile; first i washed them with water, than , boiled in water and caustic soda.. but yet, they are not as expected... "i may die at any moment, the tragedy is that i don't" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seldom Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 can anybody tell me , which is the best way to wash and clean some fossils, i have some corals.. i am not really sure what they are, 'cause i didn't started to search for informations, but i may say that they look like some zooantharia scleractinia, or some rugosa .. are very fragile; first i washed them with water, than , boiled in water and caustic soda.. but yet, they are not as expected... Eurydice what are you trying to clean off of the corals. Most corals I find clean up with a mild soap and a soft brush. Maybe soak in vinegar for a hour or so first if they are stained. If you have a picture we can help more. And Welcome from Galveston Island. Galveston Island 32 miles long 2 miles wide 134 bars 23 liquor stores any questions? Evolution is Chimp Change. Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain! "I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen." Ernest Hemingway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eurydice Posted December 5, 2009 Author Share Posted December 5, 2009 sediments.. full of them.. they won't get out just with a brush or something, tried..i don't have pictures, maybe in a few days.. how about boiling in sulfuric acid?? i want them clean with all the detailes , but most of them look like ordinary rocks.. "i may die at any moment, the tragedy is that i don't" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 You should probably avoid acids, as they are likely to damage the details you wish to reveal. Test an inconspicuous area with vinegar to see whether this might help more than hurt. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seldom Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 sediments.. full of them.. they won't get out just with a brush or something, tried..i don't have pictures, maybe in a few days.. how about boiling in sulfuric acid?? i want them clean with all the detailes , but most of them look like ordinary rocks.. I say no I am no expert on acid but boiling any is a bad idea in MHO. Galveston Island 32 miles long 2 miles wide 134 bars 23 liquor stores any questions? Evolution is Chimp Change. Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain! "I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen." Ernest Hemingway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 I say no I am no expert on acid but boiling any is a bad idea in MHO. Agree, boiling generates thermal stress cracks and could ruin the fossil. Rate of Thermal stress cracks is a function of rate of heating or cooling. I would stay away from acids and bases... can cause serious chemical burns especially to your eyes. Room temperature water and a small brush works good .... I have also used in the past dental water pik to pulse gentle spray of water to remove dirt from coral. PL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 I use HCl⁻ to prep and clean silicified fossils regularly... but I always follow lab safety protocol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eurydice Posted December 5, 2009 Author Share Posted December 5, 2009 maybe with the pictures you'll understand what i mean.. the caustic soda washes the sediments... but there are many types, as i said there are some corals that look like ordinary rocks, i can't just brush them.. won't get out , and i am not just boiling them for some hours , without watching what happens every 10 minutes... thank you.. "i may die at any moment, the tragedy is that i don't" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 maybe with the pictures you'll understand what i mean.. the caustic soda washes the sediments... but there are many types, as i said there are some corals that look like ordinary rocks, i can't just brush them.. won't get out , and i am not just boiling them for some hours , without watching what happens every 10 minutes... thank you.. Rapid thermal cycling ie heat and rapid cooling.... very bad for fossils and could shatter the fossil due to internal stress build up. Other more advances tools available on the market are air scribes and air abrasion tools (expensive investment). PL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 maybe with the pictures you'll understand what i mean.. the caustic soda washes the sediments... but there are many types, as i said there are some corals that look like ordinary rocks, i can't just brush them.. won't get out , and i am not just boiling them for some hours , without watching what happens every 10 minutes... thank you.. I think that you might be expecting too much from the preparation of fossils. Unless it is silicified, AND permineralized, it is exceedingly difficult to expose only the "life" surfaces without some deterioration... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 i don't know how to help you without knowing what minerals you're dealing with. if the fossils and the matrix are the same mineral, then "cleaning" them becomes simply mechanical artwork. you manually clean off everything that doesn't look like it's supposed to be there. there is no way to separate the matrix from the fossil, as they are the same material. i don't normally clean such fossils, unless the matrix easily breaks free from the fossil just because of the old boundary of when they were hardened. if the matrix is easily affected by chemicals, and the fossils are resistent, then chemical cleaning may be effective. ie - silicified fossils in carbonate matrix. additionally, if the fossils are harder than the matrix, then brushing, air abrasives, etc. may be very effective. the classic example of this to me is calcite tests of echinoids cleaned from soft, marly limestone. but we need to see close-up photos of what you're dealing with to even begin to suggest whether we think anything will work or whether the fossils should be left as they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 i don't know how to help you without knowing what minerals you're dealing with. if the fossils and the matrix are the same mineral, then "cleaning" them becomes simply mechanical artwork. you manually clean off everything that doesn't look like it's supposed to be there. there is no way to separate the matrix from the fossil, as they are the same material. i don't normally clean such fossils, unless the matrix easily breaks free from the fossil just because of the old boundary of when they were hardened. if the matrix is easily affected by chemicals, and the fossils are resistent, then chemical cleaning may be effective. ie - silicified fossils in carbonate matrix. additionally, if the fossils are harder than the matrix, then brushing, air abrasives, etc. may be very effective. the classic example of this to me is calcite tests of echinoids cleaned from soft, marly limestone. but we need to see close-up photos of what you're dealing with to even begin to suggest whether we think anything will work or whether the fossils should be left as they are. Dude, help a drunk, out... paragraphs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 Dude, help a drunk out... paragraphs i'm sorry, but i'm an online free-speech advocate, but only from a technical standpoint. paragraphing would be an intrusion on my free-flow of thought. snowed a lot here yesterday. the mental exercise is good for you. don't make me drop transition from my thoughts in protest. i love fossils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 (edited) I agree with Auspex on the vinegar, I use that regularly - but I watch what it is doing as I go along as even vinegar can injure the specimen sometimes. There is much to be said in favour of the traditional method of gently picking away at the matrix with a steel needle or other such small tools with magnification. I use binocular magnifying glasses and a stereo microscope for that. It is slow, but works well and I am not in a hurry anyways. EDIT: Boiling acid scares me, though I do use it to clean metal sometimes...carefully. Edited December 5, 2009 by Bear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eurydice Posted December 5, 2009 Author Share Posted December 5, 2009 i was thinking about that needle thing.. if i only had few fossils... but they are to many , or maybe i can just clean some .. like that.. the beautiful ones.. "i may die at any moment, the tragedy is that i don't" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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