Manticocerasman Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 This weekend I found a very nice trilobite specimen, but I found it laying on the ground where lots of vehicles came through. So sadly the back of the little bug was full of little impact marks ( those white specks you see on the 1st picture) At home I cleaned it up with a toothbrush under running water, but after drying those specks came out even worse. I decided to use a little trick with lineseed oil ( this is sometimes used in restoring old furniture where new pieces of wood are treated with it to give it an older appearance) The matrix of the fossil is an extremely hard limestone, so once completely dry I used a modeling brush to paint over a very little amount of the oil over the trilobite being careful to put nothing of it on the matrix. And hoping that the surrounding matrix would not soak up some of the oil. This turned out to go very well, the oil stayed well onto the trilobite end masking the specks without “bleeding” into the matrix. This is a technique that can be used to accentuate fossils and cover up some flaws, but it has to be done carefully and used on really dense rocks, otherwise it can completely ruin your fossil or leave ugly marks on the fossil. So always make sure to make a test first on a harmless spot. on the 1st picture you clearly see the little white specks, especially in the pygidium: this is the result after his little treatment: I think it turned out pretty well. growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Neat trick, Kev! I like it because it's not reconstructing. "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe" - Saint Augustine"Those who can not see past their own nose deserve our pity more than anything else." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA Fossil Finder Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Very nice trilobite! Do you know how long the oil on it will last? Will the oil stay "fresh" on the trilobite? I often do the same thing when cleaning seashells from the beach. A little mineral oil helps hide white, sun bleached spots on modern seashells very well. I never thought of using the same technique on fossils. Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manticocerasman Posted February 23, 2016 Author Share Posted February 23, 2016 Very nice trilobite! Do you know how long the oil on it will last? Will the oil stay "fresh" on the trilobite? I often do the same thing when cleaning seashells from the beach. A little mineral oil helps hide white, sun bleached spots on modern seashells very well. I never thought of using the same technique on fossils. You might have a point to question the duration of the effect. It is possible that the effect will wear off after a while, but I've tried it on specimens a decade ago and they are still ok. growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 If the oil 'fades', you might try beeswax. 1 "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...
JohnBrewer Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Cool tips! John Map of UK fossil sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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