SE Texas - A mammoth gift!

[johnnyvaldez7.jv]

@CDiggs

This past Thursday, my mom called me and said she ran into a lady she'd know since she was little but hadn't seen her in a long time. The lady asked if her son, me, was the guy who fossil hunts. My mom said yes, and the lady said she has some bones she'd like me to have.  So my mom got her contact info and I called and met up with her. 

When I arrive we go to her storage and in 3 boxes are all of these massive bones.  It turns out years ago her ex boyfriend collected these and he passed away 12 years ago. So they've sat in storage all this time. She didn't know what to do with them nor want them. She kept 3 small pieces for her mantle.  There is a massive tusk piece in here!! And a nice petrified wood piece.

Here are photos.  

But...

Most of what I have ever found has been in water at some point,  so it's mineralized fully with darker colors.  This, I believe, came from gravel pits locally to me in SE Texas.  It's probably been in a more arid environment and dryer so some of the bones are fully mineralized and very, very heavy, while others are dry, lightweight, and crumbly like chalk. And dusty. 

My questions:

How do I clean these? A new paint brush with soft bristles doesn't get the stuff out of the interior holes of the bones. Air? Could I wash or rinse them with water and a soft brush, or something else and let them air dry slowly but not in direct sunlight? I read if it drys too quick the bones could crack.   I'd like them to be clean. I have Paraloid for after a cleaning. Some of this white powder is everywhere in this like flour and I wonder if the bone began to deteriorate.

This is an incredible gift. 

Edited April 27 by johnnyvaldez7.jv

[CDiggs]

Wow! Quite the gift.

 

To answer your questions about cleaning and preserving the bones I'd say @Harry Pristis's guide to consolidation would be good reading for a start. It's a great resource with some very important tips like; "Acetone is a nasty solvent. The fumes are explosive. The fumes are toxic. The liquid penetrates the skin-blood barrier. It's best to use gloves. Use in a well-ventilated area." Find it in the "About Me" section of his profile here; https://www.thefossilforum.com/profile/42-harry-pristis/?tab=field_core_pfield_11

If the fossils are as delicate and crumbly as it sounds you may need to consolidate first with the paraloid you mentioned and then selectively remove the paraloid with acetone and a brush or q-tip in the areas you're looking to clean. Keep in mind the fist rule of preparation (fancy term for removing sediment/rock -collectively called matrix- from a fossil) is do no harm. Which means in some cases it may not be possible to completely remove the sediment and you may need to settle with stabilizing through consolidation over completely removing the material if you want to avoid damaging the fossil. For removing sediment from delicate, poorly-mineralized fossils I usually use things like sharpened wooden dowels, tooth picks, or occasionally a porcupine quill, which are less likely to damage the fossil than the steel or tungsten-carbide needles we use on harder matrix. Water and a brush might do it, or it might crumble the fossils into a mess, so I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but if you do try it, try it on a small unobtrusive area first- although that's just good advise for testing any prep technique really. Air is useful, but I'd recommend what I call puffers which are usually sold as "bulb blowers" or "baby nasal aspirators" over something more aggressive like an air-compressor.

 

Anyway, hope some of that is useful for you. I know there are members on here with a lot more prep experience than me who may be able to offer more/better advice.

Edited April 27 by CDiggs
Clarity

[jpc]

The above advice is really good for dry mammoth bones.  Consolidate what you have and then spot remove it.  I supervised a dry mammoth years ago and one of the best brushes we found was a cheap soldering brush with the bristles cut down to about a half or 3/8 inch.  Dip it in acetone to remove the paraloid (we used Vinac).  And do make sure you have good ventilation when using acetone. 

 

Available at any good hardware store.

https://www.amazon.com/Forney-60300-Solder-Brush-3-Pack/dp/B003X5PEOQ

  

[fossilus]

That tusk piece is great!

And I've used paraloid on a lot of mammoth material. You probably will want it thin and may need quite a bit of it.

Edited April 27 by fossilus
Add

[Harry Pristis]

Air.  I would use my air abrasive set-up to remove debris.

 

If you don't have access to air, consider flushing the debris, not with water, but with your plastic consolidant.  Use a turkey baster (or similar) and an acetone-resistant container (the storage box in your images might work).  Prepare a generous amount of consolidant, a quart or so, and thoroughly soak one piece in the box using the baster.  Tilt the box so that the overflow collects in a near end. 

 

Pick up the overflow with the baster and re-apply the consolidant, but now SQUIRT the fluid into channels, foramina, and wherever the debris has collected.  Consider eye protection.  Keep squirting the re-cycled consolidant until you're satisfied with the result.  The debris will collect in the bottom of the box, so avoid picking it up when recycling the consolidant -- just tip the box a fraction to isolate the debris.

 

If you discover you've missed a bit of debris, it is easily removed while it is still damp with consolidant . . . you can use a dental tool, or a craft stick or tongue depressor sharpened with a bias cut with scissors.

 

This technique will produce considerable acetone fumes, so use good ventilation.  Let us know how you proceed and your results.

[johnnyvaldez7.jv]

@CDiggs @fossilus @Harry Pristis @jpc

Thank you all a bunch. Harry, I read your consolidation guide referenced and it is exactly what I needed to read. It has great information enhanced by this latest response of yours. I didn't want to be reckless with this... it's a new kind of preservation I am not used to and I'm grateful for the time you all spent in ensuring I did this correctly. I will keep you all updated as I progress.