LiamL Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 What glue do you recommend for fixing broken fossils?. The one i currently use is called gorilla glue but i'd like a colourless one. Yorkshire Coast Fossil Hunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 Gorilla glue is not the best choice. It is polyurethane based. I think it does not age well, but that is based on my knowledge of other polyurethanes. If you can't get some Paraloid (Acryloid, maybe in the UK) use a cyanoacrylate (superglue). I see Gorilla Glue makes a superglue. I know nothing about it, but the web site says it is a cyanoacrylate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiamL Posted May 17, 2019 Author Share Posted May 17, 2019 2 minutes ago, jpc said: Gorilla glue is not the best choice. It is polyurethane based. I think it does not age well, but that is based on my knowledge of other polyurethanes. If you can't get some Paraloid (Acryloid, maybe in the UK) use a cyanoacrylate (superglue). I see Gorilla Glue makes a superglue. I know nothing about it, but the web site says it is a cyanoacrylate. I've been using Paraloid to coat my bone but not as a glue. I'll look at getting some Gorilla Super Glue, hopefully it's colourless. Thank you Yorkshire Coast Fossil Hunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 have a look at this... https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268684958_Adhesives_for_Vertebrate_Paleontology_American_Museum_of_Natural_History_An_Illustrated_Wall_Chart Paraloid needs to be thicker for gluing than for preserving. Let some acetone evaporate and it will thicken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 3 hours ago, LiamL said: I've been using Paraloid to coat my bone but not as a glue. I'll look at getting some Gorilla Super Glue, hopefully it's colourless. Thank you Don't use the regular Gorilla Glue. It expands dramatically as it cures and requires that the surfaces being glued are wet for it to cure properly, and you need to clamp the pieces being glued with force that may damage the specimen. Obviously, avoid any water-soluble adhesives. With sufficient time and humidity they eventually will fail. Any cyanoacrylate (crazy glue) will work. The very liquid variety can be "wicked" into the seam with the pieces being held together in the desired final position, or the thicker, gap-filling variety can be applied to surfaces that are not an exact match. If you're trying to fill large gaps other methods, like those used to assemble complete skeletons at museums, can be quite complicated and time-consuming. There is no absolutely correct way to do it, as each specimen will have individual requirements and only with experience can one select the best method. Get a few different glues, epoxies, and other adhesives and break some rocks with a hammer. Using the various adhesives make the rocks whole again. Wear safety goggles; a rock chip to the eyeball is not fun. Once you can solve these 3D jigsaw puzzles you will be able to handle any fossil gluing problem. Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBrewer Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 Thick Paraloid John Map of UK fossil sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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