[NHCOLL-L:1540] Re: Stabilizing carbon films

[Yusheng Liu]

Jessica,

I would recommend you to use spray-on lacquer. This material is soluble in
acetone, which makes future paleobotanical research possible. This works
very well for my delicate fossil plants (Eocene) from the Canadian High
Arctic.

Yusheng
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Yusheng Liu
Collections Manager of Paleobotany
Department of Geology
Field Museum of Natural History
1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60605-2496
U.S.A.
Tel. (312) 665-7647
Fax (312) 665-7641
Email: yliu at fieldmuseum.org
webpage: http://fm1.fmnh.org/aa/staff_page.cgi?staff=yliu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


----- Original Message -----
From: "Jessica Theodor" <jtheodor at MUSEUM.STATE.IL.US>
To: <nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Friday, March 22, 2002 2:53 PM
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:1539] Stabilizing carbon films


> I am hoping someone here can help direct me towards the right resources.
> Our museum is in the process of getting new exhibits ready. The exhibit
> planning has been going on for some time, and I started work here very
> recently. One of our exhibits is heavily based on a large collection of
> fossil plant material, much of which is preserved as thin carbon films on
> somewhat friable carbonaceous shale.
> These films are fairly fragle, and I am worried that they will crumble if
> put on display as is without being stabilized in some way - they fall
apart
> all too easily.
> The exhibit designer suggested that he has seen egg whites used to do
this,
> as they can be removed. Is this in any way a useful solution? Does anyone
> have other suggestions or pointers to literature on consolidants for this
> kind of material? My background is vertebrate paleontology, and this is a
> conservation issue that I am not familiar with.
> Thanks,
> Jessica
> __________________
> Jessica Theodor
> Dept. of Geology
> Illinois State Museum
> 1011 E. Ash St.
> Springfield, IL
> 62703
>
> office phone: (217) 785-4844
> FAX: (217) 785-2857
> e-mail: jtheodor at museum.state.il.us