aplomado Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I just ordered a mammoth molar:http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mammoth-Tooth-made-over-20-000-years-ago-from-Ice-Age-Tooth-Mammal-Mammoth-/171667285342?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=EOXrdh6I8qUWHEDGO8w8VhxeyYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc The seller says he thinks it may be a North Sea fossil. Does anyone have advice on how to deal with it? I want it to remain in good shape, but don't know how it was processed after taking it out of the water. I have heard they can be fragile... Should I soak it in a bucket of distilled water? For how long? Any tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I have heard this is what you should do, but I don't know the details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleoflor Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 If you do not get the information you need here, I'd suggest posting this question on fossiel.net, a Dutch fossil forum, where there are quite a few local collectors with extensive knowledge regarding how to deal with North Sea finds (it is, after all, right there on our doorstep). There is an English-spoken sub-forum. For starters, see this general article there (first topic), but I would definitely ask for more detailed information on the forum. Searching for green in the dark grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 The first collector to own the tooth should have de-salted it right away . . . while it was still damp. To submerge the tooth in water after it is thoroughly dry is to risk destruction. Better to consolidate a dried tooth with acetone/plastic, in my estimation. It may be that the tooth is already consolidated. It did stay in one piece in a journey from the North Sea to Oklahoma. You'll know when it arrives. 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...
aplomado Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 OK, here are the pictures. It obviously has some small cracks, but I also see some "shiny" surfaces. I'm wondering if it already has a preservative applied. I sure hope they already de-salted it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 A easy way to tell if there still is moisture inside is to stick it in a Ziploc bag and put it in the sun. If any condensation starts to build up on the bag you'll get your answer. I wonder if you could stick it in rice, like the method used to dry electronics that has gotten wet? It may help...but I've never done it. ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Entrained salt is the enemy of North Sea fossils. Once they have dried, any recrystallized salt will force the micro cracks apart if it re-hydrates. If the salt was not leached out before it dried the first time, it is too late to soak it; best to seal it with a non-water-based consolodant to keep humidity out. "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...
aplomado Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 (edited) What would be a good non-water-based consolodant? By the shiny look on part of it, I'm hoping someone already did... I'm just being cautious. It was $85 shipped. How'd I do? Edited February 4, 2015 by aplomado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taogan Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 It looks like it has already been consolidated. If it is North Sea it has been through the hands of at least two dealers to get to you so most of the preservation work should have been done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
painshill Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 (edited) What would be a good non-water-based consolodant? By the shiny look on part of it, I'm hoping someone already did... I'm just being cautious. It was $85 shipped. How'd I do? I'd say you did good. The colouration is not ever so typical of North Sea material (although possible) so your concerns may not be justified... at least not in relation to salt which is - as Auspex says - the real concern for fossils recovered from the ocean. It's also correct that if if was not desalinated at the time it was recovered, then it will be too late to attempt that now. I would agree that it looks like it has already been consolidated, which is a good sign either way. I would usually do that with PVA adhesive diluted with acetone. I put a picture of a tooth treated in that way at the end of this thread: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/51170-tips-for-removing-excess-resinglue/ The PVA shows up as a bluish-white glow under UV light in places, so that may be a way you can tell. Also, just moistening a small area with a piece of lint-free cotton dipped in acetone will usually reveal a little stickiness in consolidated fossils. [PS: some folks - especially in America - use Duco cement, also diluted in acetone, which is a nitro-cellulose adhesive. Professionals would probably be using diluted Butvar (which is PVB or Polyvinyl Butyral)] Edited February 4, 2015 by painshill Roger I keep six honest serving-men (they taught me all I knew);Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who [Rudyard Kipling] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplomado Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 Thanks! I've got a UV light and I'll give it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 You did quite well! "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...
Bev Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Beautiful Tooth! You got a buy! The more I learn, I realize the less I know. BluffCountryFossils.NET Fossil Adventure Blog Go to my Gallery for images of Fossil Jewelry, Sculpture & Crafts Pinned Posts: Beginner's Guide to Fossil Hunting * Geologic Formation Maps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplomado Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 Well, it was lost or stolen in the mail... If anyone has a mammoth tooth to sell me, I'm interested in hearing from you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Well, it was lost or stolen in the mail... What?! Oh, man...are you sure? The listing indicates USPS Priority Mail from Oklahoma; that is usually safe and reliable... "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...
aplomado Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 The seller dropped it off at the post office, and apparently it "vanished" before they scanned it in. They don't have a record of it in their system. I got a refund, but I REALLY wanted my tooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Nuts. I know the let-down after the anticipation... This won't be your last chance, though; a nice one is out there with your name on it. "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...
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