[Nhcoll-l] Cleaning amber

[Janet Waddington]

If anyone has a solution I'd be very interested to see it. I'd be very
worried that anything that will dissolve mineral oil will also dissolve
amber.
 
We have a considerable collection of amber from Cedar Lake, Manitoba,
that has been stored for several decades in glass vials in mineral oil. 
I guess it was initially done to prevent oxidation of the amber.  In a
few cases the amber appears to be slowly disintegrating, although these
may have been transferred to a different medium.
 
I am not aware of any safe way to clean the mineral oil without
damaging the amber, especially as it has probably penetrated tiny
cracks.  This can be a problem when the specimens are studied.  It is
common practice to embed amber in epoxy resin so that it can be oriented
to study the inclusions.  Grimaldi 1997 recounts an incident in which
the oil reacted with the epoxy and destroyed a type specimen. 
 

Grimaldi, David and Paul Nascimbene.. “Appendix: Vacuum embedding and
disintegration of the type of Sphecomyrma freyi.” In “New and
rediscovered primitive ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Cretaceous
amber from New Jersey, and their phylogenetic relationships,” by David
Grimaldi, Donat Agosti, And James M. Carpenter, 41-43. American Museum
Novitates 3208 (1997):1-43.
 
I have heard other anecdotal accounts of epoxy resins reacting
exothermically with silicone oil. While one or two of our old specimens
have been successfully embedded for restudy, I would not allow the
practice again, given this knowledge, if there is any possibly it was
ever stored in mineral oil.
 
Thanks,
 
Janet
 

 
 
Janet Waddington
Assistant Curator and Collection Manager
Department of Natural History - Palaeobiology
Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen's Park
Toronto, ON
Canada M5S 2C6
Phone  (416) 586-5593  Fax  (416) 586-5553
Email  janetw at rom.on.ca>>> Rhian Russell <rhian.russell at gov.ab.ca>
6/18/2012 3:50 PM >>>

Hey all,
 
We have some amber in our collection that was stored in vials and
immersed in some sort of oily liquid. We were thinking it may be mineral
oil? Whatever it is, it seems to have eaten through some of the plastic
vials, and it’s quite messy. 
 
Has anyone experienced this, and have any idea how to clean it off
without damaging the amber? Should it even be removed?
 
Cheers,
 
Rhian Russell
Conservation Technician
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology,
Box 7500, Drumheller, Alberta T0J 0Y0
Phone: (403) 823 7707 Ext. 3306
E-mail: rhian.russell at gov.ab.ca
 
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