[NHCOLL-L:5034] RE: Labeling rocks and fossils

[Amy Smith]

Hi,

I'm surprised that some people had troubles with Gesso. I used it to update
the entire teaching collection of vertebrate fossils at the U of Rochester
and it worked like a charm... no troubles applying, flaking, or anything.
Then again, maybe there is a difference in specific Gesso brands?

Amy Smith


On Mon, Oct 25, 2010 at 9:31 AM, Pellegrini, Rodrigo <
Rodrigo.Pellegrini at sos.state.nj.us> wrote:

>  Thank you all very much for your input, suggestions and extra info.
>
>
>
> I do not intend to draw this discussion longer, but I interpreted the
> following passage as not making certain types of correction fluid
> unacceptable (from Segal, T. 1998.  Marking in The New Registration Methods,
> R.A. Buck & J.A. Gilmore, eds.  Page 81.  American Association of Museums,
> publishers):
>
> “Use a white primer or white numbers over the clear base coat on dark
> objects.” (look under “Geological Specimens”)
>
> White primer sure sounds a lot like the correction fluid that has been in
> use at the New Jersey State Museum for years (long, long before I joined the
> staff), which is neither Liquid Paper nor Tipexx. It is a water-based
> compound,  Puja brand (just in case you were wondering).
>
>
>
> Don’t misinterpret this reply; I am not arguing the practice is or should
> be acceptable. I’m just stating that, despite having already read the
> chapter in The New Registration Methods, it still seemed to me like,
> depending on the chemistry of the correction fluid and the nail polish, the
> practice still hadn’t been contra-indicated for geological materials.
>
>
>
> Clearly, I’m looking for something better. Thanks to your collective
> knowledge and provided references, I now have found a much more acceptable
> practice.
>
>
>
> Lastly, we have been using Pigma pens to write the numbers probably for
> just as long as we have been using the Puja correction-fluid. So thankfully,
> we’ve been doing at least that right!
>
>
>
> All the best,
>
>
>
> Rodrigo Pellegrini, MA, MS
> Registrar, Natural History Bureau
> New Jersey State Museum
> PO Box 530
> Trenton, NJ 08625-0530
> USA
>
> Voice: (609) 292-5615 (office)
>        (609) 826-3924 (laboratory)
>        (609) 826-5449 (storage)
> Fax: (609) 292-7636
> E-mail: Rodrigo.Pellegrini at sos.state.nj.us
> www.newjerseystatemuseum.org
>
> *From:* Demouthe, Jean [mailto:JDemouthe at calacademy.org]
> *Sent:* Friday, October 22, 2010 6:32 PM
> *To:* Pellegrini, Rodrigo; 'NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu'
> *Subject:* RE: Labeling rocks and fossils
>
>
>
> White-out and similar compounds are unacceptable on any type of specimen.
> Most will either become brittle and flaky with age, and some will react with
> the specimen, even if covered with clear varnish.
>
>
>
> Just because geologic specimens are often sturdier and appear to be less
> chemically sensitive than biological materials, there is no reason to use
> substandard collection materials in their labeling and conservation.
>
>
>
> I suggest you look at Segal, T. 1998.  Marking *in* *The New Registration
> Methods*, R.A. Buck & J.A. Gilmore, eds.  Pages 65-93.  American
> Association of Museums, publishers.**
>
>
>
> There is a list of barrier materials for base coats in Table 4 (page 89).
> For geological specimens, most people use either B72 acryloid or PVA
> (polyvinyl acetate).
>
>
>
> Jean DeMouthe
>
>
>
>
>
> Dr. Jean F. DeMouthe
>
> Senior Collections Manager for Geology
>
> California Academy of Sciences
>
> 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park
>
> San Francisco, California 94118
>
> jdemouthe at calacademy.org
>
> (415) 379-5258
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu [mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu]
> On Behalf Of Pellegrini, Rodrigo
> Sent: Friday, October 22, 2010 12:11 PM
> To: 'NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu'
> Subject: [NHCOLL-L:5018] Labeling rocks and fossils
>
>
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
>
>
> My museum has used a water-based correction fluid as a base layer to label
> catalog numbers onto our rock and fossil collections for many years (and
> later coated said number with nail polish). I'm well aware that such
> labeling is not the best practice for most other collections, but it is
> still generally accepted for rocks and fossils as far as I know (something
> akin being described as such in "The New Museum Registration Methods," Buck
> and Gilmore, Eds.)
>
>
>
> I haven't heard of anything new on the subject, but was curious what those
> of you that have geological collections under your care use.
>
> I'm quite frankly tired of rehydrating dried-up correction fluid bottles
> that were never opened, and feel something like acrylic-based white paint
> might be better.
>
>
>
> Any ideas? Suggestions? Info I should be aware of? I would much appreciate
> any help and to hear your thoughts and experiences on this topic.
>
>
>
> Best wishes,
>
>
>
> Rod
>
>
>
> Rodrigo Pellegrini, MA, MS
>
> Registrar, Natural History Bureau
>
> New Jersey State Museum
>
> PO Box 530
>
> Trenton, NJ 08625-0530
>
> USA
>
>
>
> Voice: (609) 292-5615 (office)
>
>        (609) 826-3924 (laboratory)
>
>        (609) 826-5449 (storage)
>
> Fax: (609) 292-7636
>
> E-mail: Rodrigo.Pellegrini at sos.state.nj.us
>
> www.newjerseystatemuseum.org
>
>
>
>
>
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