diabeticwolf Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 (edited) Hello, I have some beautiful specimens of petrified wood, and I would like to know if there is a way I could bring out their natural beauty (like how they look when wet) without damaging or significantly altering the piece? Any type of coating? I don't want to polish them (don't really have a way to polish anyway). I mainly want to bring out the colors of one piece in particular, because the wood grains are still visible. I can post pictures if you want to see it. Edited September 6, 2015 by diabeticwolf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raggedy Man Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Let's see it!! ...I'm back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabeticwolf Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 Here it is from different angles (they were taken on a binder, so that's the object in the background of some of these images). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Johnson Pledge Floor Care Multi-Surface Finish (which appears to be the reincarnation of the erstwhile Future Floor Polish) should be worth a try. "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...
diabeticwolf Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 Johnson Pledge Floor Care Multi-Surface Finish (which appears to be the reincarnation of the erstwhile Future Floor Polish) should be worth a try. Would that bring out the color permanently or would it be temporary? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 It will give it a darkened wet-look, until you remove it. Reversibility is an important consideration with fossil specimens. "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...
diabeticwolf Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 It will give it a darkened wet-look, until you remove it. Reversibility is an important consideration with fossil specimens. Okay I just wanted to make sure it wasn't gonna evaporate like water does (within seconds). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashcraft Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 you can also spray it with polyurethane Brent Ashcraft ashcraft, brent allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChasG Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 (edited) I have also sprayed petrified wood with Polyurethane. Just a thin coating to give it that wet look. Edited September 21, 2015 by ChasG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Polyurethane would not be reversible, would it? As Auspex says, reversibility is important, thought perhaps not so much with a common pet wood piece, but if you value it any, you don't want to do something that you might regret later. I have a few Hornby Island fossils that I received from some old rockhound that are slathered in what looks like some kind of epoxy! I'm not really sure what it is, but it is plasticky and ugly and I know of no way to reverse it! Wish they hadn't done that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 (edited) Wrangellian, have you attempted to test out different solvents such as lacquer thinner or acetone in an inconspicuous spot? I had some good luck removing the poly on a lacquered fern plate with acetone that actually brought back the leaf colors once the finish was removed. Just do the experiment where it wont readily show until you find what works. Edited September 30, 2015 by caldigger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Wrangellian, have you attempted to test out different solvents such as lacquer thinner or acetone in an inconspicuous spot? I had some good luck removing the poly on a lacquered fern plate with acetone that actually brought back the leaf colors once the finish was removed. Just do the experiment where it wont readily show until you find what works. If it's an epoxy, you are pretty much left with mechanical removal. The good thing is that (with a LOT of patience) you can scribe epoxy off rather well. I've had really good luck removing old epoxy from specimens. Keep in mind, this will be a marathon preparation not a sprint. Be prepared to put the piece down MANY times before you have it all removed. 1 Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgehiker Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Johnson Pledge Floor Care Multi-Surface Finish (which appears to be the reincarnation of the erstwhile Future Floor Polish) should be worth a try. Memories! I spent a couple years in the Canadian military. In officer's training we'd get that British tradition mirror spit polish look using Future floor polish on our dress boots and shoes. An aside re petrified wood. All sources vary but often 'blah' specimens can be buffed and polished to bring out a great exterior look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Wrangellian, have you attempted to test out different solvents such as lacquer thinner or acetone in an inconspicuous spot? I had some good luck removing the poly on a lacquered fern plate with acetone that actually brought back the leaf colors once the finish was removed. Just do the experiment where it wont readily show until you find what works. Acetone doesn't work, I knew it wouldn't on this epoxy type stuff anyway, but it also doesn't tend to work on other kinds of finish that have been applied by someone else, if I don't already know what it is. If it's an epoxy, you are pretty much left with mechanical removal. The good thing is that (with a LOT of patience) you can scribe epoxy off rather well. I've had really good luck removing old epoxy from specimens. Keep in mind, this will be a marathon preparation not a sprint. Be prepared to put the piece down MANY times before you have it all removed. I don't have the equipment but I would love to have it done. Just not sure who I am going to get to do it and how much it will cost! (prob too much to make it worthwhile). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 I don't have the equipment but I would love to have it done. Just not sure who I am going to get to do it and how much it will cost! (prob too much to make it worthwhile). Depending on the fossil, it may be worth the trouble. It would be expensive to pay for a prep like that for sure. What kind of fossil are they? Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 (edited) EDIT - oops, somehow the reply I put here had nothing to do with this thread! This one should have been about the baculite I guess. Edited October 7, 2015 by Wrangellian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieM357 Posted July 30, 2017 Share Posted July 30, 2017 Just wanted to thank y'all for this thread. I have so many pieces of pet wood that I think have wonderful natural color and I really didn't want to cut and polish - mostly because I don't have the equipment or local access to it - and the clear Pledge Multi-Surface Floor Finish has worked like a champ. It really brings out the depth of the color and the results are beautiful. I'm glad I was able to find such an inexpensive and effective solution! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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