<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)">David,<br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)">If the specimen is from 1881, it was most likely not preserved in formaldehyde. Formaldehyde was not available until the 1890s, and was not in commercial production in the US until 1905. The specimen was probably preserved in ethyl alcohol (or whiskey), but of course could have been transferred to formaldehyde at some later time. In either case, you can safely rehydrate it using the method described by Randy Singer.<br><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Have you opened the container? If so, what does it smell like? If you could send me a photo or two of the specimen and container, I will let you know if I see any other issues with its restoration.<br><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)">--John<br><br></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all"><div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr">John E. Simmons<br>Museologica<br>128 E. Burnside Street<br>Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823-2010<br><a href="mailto:simmons.johne@gmail.com" target="_blank">simmons.johne@gmail.com</a><br>303-681-5708<br><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.museologica.com&d=AwMFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=BAipCc-yC4ZfWMdeiP8kj6ESdxcMp3N4maQjRzhKxwg&s=bGsI2xRxMu2teo9MTR859PgFP1AEMnz6iRiM_4iT1Hc&e=" target="_blank">www.museologica.com</a><br>and<br>Adjunct Curator of Collections<br>Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery<br>Penn State University<br>University Park, Pennsylvania<br>and<br>Instructor, Museum Studies<br>School of Library and Information Science<br>Kent State University<br>and<br>Lecturer in Art<br>Juniata College<br>Huntingdon, Pennsylvania<br></div></div></div>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 11:50 AM, David Dyer <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:DDyer@ohiohistory.org" target="_blank">DDyer@ohiohistory.org</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
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<p class="MsoNormal">We’re working with a county historical society that has an old vertebrate specimen, and the fluid that it was preserved in has long-since evaporated. The specimen is from 1881 and has been on exhibit for about 30 years. They think it was
in formaldehyde (formalin). The curator agrees that it should now be taken off exhibit, and have asked us to advise on how to preserve. Is it OK to rehydrate in ethyl alcohol (70%) or are there other steps that are recommended?
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<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks in advance for any advice!<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Dave<u></u><u></u></p>
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