[Nhcoll-l] Rehydrating a formalin specimen

[Mare Nazaire]

I too have a very similar issue, but with plant specimens. We have a number
of fluid preserved specimens of plants that are quite old and rather
brittle, and have been desiccated for quite some time. Can Singer's
technique also work for desiccated plant specimens?

Similarly, for old collections of fluid preserved plant specimens that need
to be "topped off" - what concentration of ethyl alcohol is recommended? I
am guessing that these have been preserved in FAA, but some specimens are
decades old, and I am not certain as to what was used back then to preserve
specimens.

Thanks in advance,
~Mare

On Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 8:50 AM, David Dyer <DDyer at ohiohistory.org> wrote:

> 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?
>
> Thanks in advance for any advice!
>
>
>
> Dave
>
>
>
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-- 
Mare Nazaire, Ph.D.
Collections Manager, Herbarium [RSA-POM]
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
1500 North College Avenue
Claremont, California 91711
909.625.8767 ext. 268
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