how do you store your collections safely

[luvmymushpups]

what is the best way to clean and store fossils?

[Ludwigia]

Soap and water. Drawers, cabinets, display cases, neatly packed in boxes, etc. Depends on what you have and what you want to do with them. Please try to be a bit more specific.

[Denis Arcand]

6 hours ago, luvmymushpups said:

what is the best way to clean and store fossils?

 

 

The approach you take with your fossils depends on your intentions and the desired outcome. For example, if your goal is to showcase them, the process may vary from simply storing them in a box. In my case, I thoroughly clean my fossils using a toothbrush and mild soap. After making sure they are completely dry, usually over a period of a few days in a dry environment, I assign each fossil a unique sequential number for identification. I then take care to wrap them in a protective layer (I often use foam) and then place them in a ziplock bag. Finally, I store the fossils carefully wrapped in a plastic box alongside other specimens.  Different types of fossils may require different approaches. For example, if dealing with fragile fossils, large or microfossils or other specific categories, the methods could be different.

 

You may also want to look at the following post 

 

 

Edited August 26, 2023 by Denis Arcand

[Kane]

I'm not fancy when it comes to the fossils I am storing and not displaying. I store them carefully in beer flats, label those, and stack them on a sturdy metal-framed shelving unit in the laundry room.  

[Ludwigia]

43 minutes ago, Kane said:

in the laundry room

 

So that explains how you clean them, right?

[FossilDAWG]

That explains why he's had to replace  his washing machine twelve times!

 

Don

[Kane]

I am sure I'm not the only one who forgot to take fossils out of his pockets before doing a load of laundry.  

[FB003]

Riker displays cases in my opinion.  Not much to clean once they are in there other than dust the display case.

[Cris]

Fossils in my area usually come out pretty clean already, so I don't do much in terms of cleaning. As far as storage, I use pretty much everything, from small labelled plastic bins or cardboard boxes, even a large industrial pigeonhole bin (not ideal, but it was given to me and works for my purposes). 

 

 

4 hours ago, Kane said:

I am sure I'm not the only one who forgot to take fossils out of his pockets before doing a load of laundry.  

It's like another fossil hunt every single time. Sometimes I find things in there that I have no memory of ever finding the first time around

[Missourian]

One thing that has been on my mind re: my fossil collection is home break-ins. Several years ago, burglars stepped on and slightly crushed fossil-filled boxes to check an upper shelf in a closet. They very easily could have dumped everything all over in search for 'valuables'.

 

Just one more thing to think of when storing fossils.