[NHCOLL-L:4543] Mould on fossils

[Dr Heidi Fourie]

Thanks for all the advice, I've compiled a worksheet for future reference that will go in my Standard Operating Procedures.
We are pretty sure now that it was mould on our fossil slabs and frames.  The collection was taken outside on a nice bright and sunny day and we used Acetone, brushes, gauze and a museumvac to clean the mould off.  It is advised to use two containers of Acetone, one to clean the brushes in and one for either wetting the gauze or the brushes.  The mould came off very easily and after drying the fossils in the sun we took them inside, vacuumed them and packed it away in lower humiduty.  The Acetone also cleaned off some of the old brittle Glyptal.
We decided against coating it with Acryloid just in case the mould reappears.  Even though we worked outside the volunteers wore their masks, magnifying glasses, gloves and laboratory coats.
Dr H. Fourie
Curator: Vertebrate Palaeontology
Transvaal Museum
Tel: 012 3227632
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