Masp Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Totally unintentional. I decided to buy this cushion-like material for safely displaying my allosaurus bone on its stand. Backfired on me because I found out that my fossil was sticking to this material. Most of it peeled off fine, but there is some residue left over. Could anyone please tell me the safest way to take the rest off? It’s not a matter of scratching it off, the stuff sticks very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masp Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masp Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masp Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 Also would be helpful if anyone knows a safer alternative for this cushion. The reason why I needed in the first place was because I wanted to prevent the bone from turning. I want it to stay in place Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Glue some thick felt on it. 2 Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 That seemed like a reasonable solution to your problem. Did the foam side touching the bone have adhesive? Trying to figure out what's holding the residue to the bone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 1 minute ago, ynot said: Glue some thick felt on it. I've used felt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masp Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 7 minutes ago, Troodon said: That seemed like a reasonable solution to your problem. Did the foam side touching the bone have adhesive? Trying to figure out what's holding the residue to the bone. No I don’t believe so, the top foam tape is sort of like the kind you place on windows to seal... so I’m confused as to how it stuck like that. Heat? 90% of it pealed off fine otherwise. No damage thankfully Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Is it possible that there is some consolidant (PVA) on the bone that reacted with the foam and caused it to bond together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masp Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 11 minutes ago, Troodon said: Is it possible that there is some consolidant (PVA) on the bone that reacted with the foam and caused it to bond together I’m not 100% sure, but yeah, it does seem consolidated. The only head scratcher is why did the rest of the material peel off so easily in that case? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masp Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masp Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 Here are some better pictures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masp Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 15 minutes ago, Troodon said: Is it possible that there is some consolidant (PVA) on the bone that reacted with the foam and caused it to bond together Looking at it again I believe that might be the case. The broken pieces seem to be glued together and then hardened. About it bonding, I’m not sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masp Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 These may help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 You may want to try a some acetone in a very small spot to see if it comes off. I don't know if there is paint on the bone, the solvent would take it off. So take it slow. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masp Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 2 minutes ago, Troodon said: You may want to try a some acetone in a very small spot to see if it comes off. I don't know if there is paint on the bone, the solvent would take it off. So take it slow. Will do that, thanks so much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 Have you had this bone sitting against the foam for very long? That type of foam desentagrates over a short period of time ( sometimes within a year) and starts getting sticky as it is breaking down. The stubborn spots on your bone may be the highest pressure points when it was pushed against the foam. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masp Posted August 1, 2018 Author Share Posted August 1, 2018 1 hour ago, caldigger said: Have you had this bone sitting against the foam for very long? That type of foam desentagrates over a short period of time ( sometimes within a year) and starts getting sticky as it is breaking down. The stubborn spots on your bone may be the highest pressure points when it was pushed against the foam. Yes , I wanna say more or less for 2-3 weeks. Will it damage the bone, and what do you suggest I do to remove it safely? What you’re saying makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 I would try Frank's (Troodon) suggestion in a inconspicuous spot to see what happens. That seems like the best route. Although, I really don't have much experience at removing something off of a consolidated piece. You might try strong rubbing alcohol if the acetone is too strong of a solvent. I have used it to remove ink marks from pieces with good results. Please let us know of your findings. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Ammonite Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 Before you try acetone try rubbing alcohol which is less likely to hurt the bone. You also might try some of the citrus oil based products like Goo Gone and De Solv It. 3 My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned. See my Arizona Paleontology Guide link The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 7 hours ago, DPS Ammonite said: Before you try acetone try rubbing alcohol which is less likely to hurt the bone. You also might try some of the citrus oil based products like Goo Gone and De Solv It. That's a good idea! I have used Goo Gone to remove adhesive on many occasions with great success. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 I've thought of goo gone and have used it but never on bone residues. Its an easy method to try 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masp Posted August 1, 2018 Author Share Posted August 1, 2018 I’m gonna give it a shot. Thanks so much everyone. This was one of those mini heart attack kind of situations I’ll post back in here when I have some good news Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masp Posted August 1, 2018 Author Share Posted August 1, 2018 @DPS Ammonite @Troodon @caldigger Worked like a charm. You guys rock for the help. I tried using a small amount with the spray gel lightly on a cloth. Little by little, you’ll notice that it slowly starts to take effect. When it dries, maybe I’ll notice a spot or two that needs some cleaning, but the important thing is it works and it works well. What I noticed is that the foam got caught in the grooves of the fossils, or the highest pressure points as caldigger pointed out. May leave a small mark or two, but I’ll take it. The fossil is in one piece and unharmed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 All the credit is due to DPS Ammonite for that one! Good job on the save. Are felt pads on the stand your next project? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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