pleecan Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Hi: Yesterday I used a low power el cheapo jewlery ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning/removing clay / dirt debris off some hardy non fagile minerallized fossils from Arkona ie coral, bryozoans,bactrites, tentaculites, cephalopods, bone as in fish armor but would not try on anything that may be fragile ie trilobite.. probably shatter the carpace with the ultrasonic wave energy. PL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Hi: Yesterday I used a low power el cheapo jewlery ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning/removing clay / dirt debris off some hardy non fagile minerallized fossils from Arkona ie coral, bryozoans,bactrites, tentaculites, cephalopods, bone as in fish armor but would not try on anything that may be fragile ie trilobite.. probably shatter the carpace with the ultrasonic wave energy. PL uh-oh . . . Do you really have an ultra-sound machine, or is it a vibratory bath for jewelry? If it is the vibratory bath device, "non-fragile" may be the wrong standard for selecting fossils for this sort of cleaning. You might be better off using an "I don't care about this fossil" standard. The problem with vibratory bath cleaning is it will separate micro-cracks. That is, a fossil may have cracks that are invisible to the naked eye, and the vibrations may reveal those cracks in a most unwelcome manner. http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkfoam Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 I have a medium size Branson ultrasonic cleaner that I have used for years to clean fossils and have only rarely ruined a fossil. Some leaf prints dont work well being cleaned with an ultrasonic cleaner. It will lift the carbon film from the imprint leaving omly the imprint. It has worked really well on all my Eocene invertebrates and shark teeth. It does well cleaning dirt from these central Texas Cretaceous fossils but it won't budge limestone. I've cleaned trilobites, brachiopods, graptolites, etc, everything but obviosly fragile fossils. I wouldnt put one of my Texas Permian silicified fossils in the ultrasonic cleaner. I've lost an occasional fossil but they would probably been lost by any cleaning technique. Harry is right though. A fossil with cracks may suffer irrepairable damage in an ultrasonic cleaner. So when in doubt experiment with a specimen you wouldnt mind losing first. JKFoam The Eocene is my favorite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 I use a little ultrasonic cleaner for shells, coral and other fossils not "breakable". It works well for these fossils, and for microminerals ! Coco ---------------------- OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici Pareidolia : here Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici Un Greg... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 uh-oh . . . Do you really have an ultra-sound machine, or is it a vibratory bath for jewelry? If it is the vibratory bath device, "non-fragile" may be the wrong standard for selecting fossils for this sort of cleaning. You might be better off using an "I don't care about this fossil" standard. The problem with vibratory bath cleaning is it will separate micro-cracks. That is, a fossil may have cracks that are invisible to the naked eye, and the vibrations may reveal those cracks in a most unwelcome manner. You are probably correct that ultra sonic will enhance potential microcracks, but dosing ie duration and intensity of the ultrasonics will modulate the degree of mico cracking, one can pulse the device for ie 10 sec and see the results... one can experiment on non critical specimen .. . I found it effective in removing clays from shells. PL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 There you go Pleecan, me too, that's the way to do it. Just be careful, conservative and watch what is happening with the specimen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 You are probably correct that ultra sonic will enhance potential microcracks, but dosing ie duration and intensity of the ultrasonics will modulate the degree of mico cracking, one can pulse the device for ie 10 sec and see the results... one can experiment on non critical specimen .. . I found it effective in removing clays from shells. PL oh, i don't know...vibration and cavitation seem like processes that are kind of hard to precisely monitor to me, and suggesting that they work differentially on clay to remove it without harming an underlying, porous material seems unlikely. those machines aren't even used for all gemstones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 oh, i don't know...vibration and cavitation seem like processes that are kind of hard to precisely monitor to me, and suggesting that they work differentially on clay to remove it without harming an underlying, porous material seems unlikely. those machines aren't even used for all gemstones. All I am saying is that if one is not comfortable in using the device... then don't use it. I will continue to use ultrasonic cleaners where it fits a particular situation... it is all judgement calls and risk balance and tolerance to risk. PL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trilospain Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Hi: Yesterday I used a low power el cheapo jewlery ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning/removing clay / dirt debris off some hardy non fagile minerallized fossils from Arkona ie coral, bryozoans,bactrites, tentaculites, cephalopods, bone as in fish armor but would not try on anything that may be fragile ie trilobite.. probably shatter the carpace with the ultrasonic wave energy. PL Maybe this link can help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 I think on the moovie, the clay contains a lot of pyrit... If you want to put out just a clay on fossils, when they are very dried, you can use a little part of hydrogen peroxide on water. But be careful with this chemical ! Coco ---------------------- OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici Pareidolia : here Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici Un Greg... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 Maybe this link can help you. Thank you for the link! One has to always use a bit of common sense when appling various methods of cleaning the fossils. i think ultrasonic cleaners when applied approriately is a nice tool to use. PL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 I think on the moovie, the clay contains a lot of pyrit... If you want to put out just a clay on fossils, when they are very dried, you can use a little part of hydrogen peroxide on water. But be careful with this chemical ! Coco Thank you for that suggestion. PL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 ...those machines aren't even used for all gemstones.. Correct. Emeralds, opals, Kunzites (any spodumines, actually), some tourmalines and stuff that has obvious spalls or strong cleavage plains. Diamonds, sapphires, garnets and the like are fine though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 The ultrasonic cleaner that I own is very low power rated at 35 watts of power consumption, 35 watts of ultrasonic energy not industrial/lab strength of couple of hundred watts. The rate of microcrack formation is proportional to the power rating and duration of exposure. PL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 I would think that, at low powers and with a reasonably solid specimen, one should be able to loosen adhering dirt without damage to the fossil. If in doubt, I'd practice on low-graders collected for the purpose. Certainly it's another "club in the golf bag". "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...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now