[Nhcoll-l] Numbers on specimens

Tue Aug 30 15:37:03 EDT 2022

Thanks for all of your input. Our previous protocol (before we stopped
numbering) was similar to what many of you are currently using -
https://wikis.utexas.edu/display/specify6/NPL+Tasks%3A+Specimen+Numbering
I am hoping to improve our procedures and streamline things moving forward,
and would appreciate further input on the following questions:

To Cindy Opitz: do you know why your collection uses the clear gel rather
than another layer of B-72? Is it less likely to smudge, easier to apply,
less expensive, or something else?

To everyone else:
1. Choosing the best place for your numbers - a spot that appears to be a
good place for a number now, may not always be a good place later, or may
be in the way if the specimen is photographed at a future date. How easily
can B-72 be removed after it has been sitting for possibly years? Is it
about the same as when it is relatively new?

2. Has anyone ever been in a position where the number placement has been
problematic for research purposes, and how were you able to resolve the
issue - if at all.

3. Is there anyone who made the decision to NOT put numbers on specimens
and why? Was it simply a matter of saving time, or were there more specific
reasons?

Thanks again, for your help.

Liath Appleton
Collections Manager
Non-Vertebrate Paleontology Lab
University of Texas at Austin
Bldg PRC122 - campus mail code R8500
10100 Burnet Road
Austin, TX 78758

SPNHC Connection Editor (newsletter at spnhc.org)
SPNHC Web Manager (webmaster at spnhc.org)
www.spnhc.org

On Tue, Aug 30, 2022 at 12:52 AM Dirk Neumann <d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de>
wrote:

> ... just to add to Ronald:
>
> there was the very informative presentation of Jacki Whisenant in
> Edinburgh at the SPNHC Conference on the different qualities of pens
> (Osteoscribing: writing on bones); definitely worth watching the Zoom
> recording!
>
> With best wishes
> Dirk
>
>
> Am 30.08.2022 um 02:35 schrieb Ron Eng:
>
> Currently I work primarily with fossil specimens. I would second what
> Carrie Eaton had said.
>
>
>
> I prefer to write directly on the specimen (fossils and minerals) when
> possible. Ideally there is some matrix that will provide a suitable
> (unobtrusive) spot.
>
> Use archival products.
>
>
>
> Penmanship sample—I will give students and volunteers a blank label and
> ask them to write down their contact information
>
>
>
> Here are the tools that we use
>
>
>
> Sakura *Pigma® Micron *black ink pen
>
> We currently use the Pigma® Micron pens because of the convenience with
> multiple users. They are available in a range of point size. We have now
> been using them for more than two decades.
>
>
>
> Koh-I-Noor® *RAPIDOGRAPH*® pens
>
>                         Recommended sizes: 0 and 00
>
>                         Koh-I-Noor® black India ink
>
> This is the best tried and true method. The Koh-I-Noor® ink and pens are
> the standard. However the pens require a bit of care and maintenance.
>
>
>
> for *DARK *specimens
>
>    1. We use white acrylic paint to paint a rectangular writing surface
>    2. We use a Sakura white *Pentouch® Marker *to write directly on the
>    specimen. (The smallest tip size is a bit broad.)
>
>
>
> For a clear coat painted over the written number
>
> *Paraloid B72* (ethyl methacrylate co-polymer) clear lacquer
>
> (25% solution by weight in acetone)
>
> Note: the clear B72 lacquer may make the Pigma® Micron pen ink run if the
> ink has not dried completely.
>
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Ronald C. Eng
>
> (*he *|* him*)
>
> Geology & Paleontology Collections Manager
> e-mail: rceng at uw.edu <rceng at u.washington.edu>
>
> telephone: 206.543.6776
> fax: 206.685.3039
>
> [image:
> https://libapps.s3.amazonaws.com/accounts/136240/images/iD_icon.gif]
> orcid.org/0000-0002-2939-0087
>
>
>
> Burke Museum
>
> The Washington State Museum of Natural History and Culture
> University of Washington | Box 353010
> Seattle, WA 98195-3010
>
>
>
> [image: Burke logo_small_hres_2]
>
> *Plan your visit to the Burke Museum at burkemuseum.org
> <http://burkemuseum.org/>.*
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu>
> <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> *On Behalf Of *Fox, Marilyn
> *Sent:* Monday, August 29, 2022 9:44 AM
> *To:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
> *Subject:* Re: [Nhcoll-l] Numbers on specimens
>
>
>
> This is a poster that covers the labeling techniques that Carrie mentioned.
>
> https://vertpaleo.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Davidson_et_al_2006.pdf
>
>
>
> We prefer the Paraloid B72 'sandwich' method and have used it on all sorts
> of surfaces.
>
>
>
> Marilyn Fox (marilyn.fox at yale.edu)
> Chief Preparator, Division of Vertebrate Paleontology
> Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History
> Collections Study Center
>
> 900 West Campus Drive, Room K224
>
> West Haven CT 06516
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> *From:* Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> on behalf of Carrie
> A. Eaton <carrie at geology.wisc.edu>
> *Sent:* Monday, August 29, 2022 12:28 PM
> *To:* Liath Appleton <liathappleton at gmail.com>; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
> <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
> *Subject:* Re: [Nhcoll-l] Numbers on specimens
>
>
>
> Hi Liath,
>
> We apply numbers directly to specimens here – minerals, rocks, fossils
> alike. Depending on the coloration, surface texture, etc I will use a few
> different techniques using an archival varnish, titanium white acrylic
> paint, india ink, and other archival safe products. We use a technique in
> our prep lab now to keep data with the specimen where preparators will cut
> out a small piece of Japanese rice paper or archival tissue, write the
> number on with archival pen, and then adhere this small rectangle of paper
> to the surface with B72 or B76 (stole this idea from Amy Davidson – thank
> you!) as a ‘temporary number’ but so far it seems like our temporary prep
> lab labels have been staying on just as well as the painted/ink ones. My
> students/volunteers have varying abilities when it comes to writing tiny
> and/or cleanly so when I find a student who has great tiny writing, they
> almost always get put on cataloging and numbering for as much as they can
> stand it. Other curatorial duties (cavity mounts, making boxes, data entry)
> are then the tasks of my students from whom handwriting is a challenge. It
> all is helpful!
>
> Cheers,
>
> Carrie
>
>
>
> Carrie Eaton, Museum Curator
>
> UW Geology Museum
>
> 1215 West Dayton Street
>
> Madison, WI 53706
>
> 608.262.4912
>
> *twitter @uwgeologymuseum facebook.com/uwgeologymuseum
> <http://facebook.com/uwgeologymuseum>*
>
>
>
> *From:* Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> *On Behalf Of *Liath
> Appleton
> *Sent:* Monday, August 29, 2022 11:16 AM
> *To:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
> *Subject:* [Nhcoll-l] Numbers on specimens
>
>
>
> As most of you know, specimens often have their old numbers written
> somewhere directly on the surface of the object. In our collections we do
> not write numbers on the specimens, primarily because the previous curator
> didn't want to police the handwriting skills of her volunteers. That makes
> sense, but I think that we really should have the numbers on there somehow.
> Some people have suggested printing out the numbers and using some type of
> glue to adhere the numbers to the specimens. I've seen this done before,
> but I've also seen many of those labels falling off over time. When I
> managed mollusk collections, writing directly on the shell surface was
> usually easy to do, but for my current collections that consist primarily
> of fossils, rocks and minerals, writing on the surface can be tricky. For
> those of you who do apply numbers to specimens, what are your thoughts on
> the subject?
>
> Thanks ---Liath
>
>
>
>
> Liath Appleton
>
> Collections Manager
>
> Non-Vertebrate Paleontology Lab
>
> University of Texas at Austin
>
> Bldg PRC122 - campus mail code R8500
> 10100 Burnet Road
>
> Austin, TX 78758
>
>
>
> SPNHC Connection Editor (newsletter at spnhc.org)
>
> SPNHC Web Manager (webmaster at spnhc.org)
>
> www.spnhc.org
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> --
> 
>
> *Dirk Neumann*
> Collection Manager, Hamburg
>
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>
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>
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>
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>
> Stiftung des öffentlichen Rechts;
> Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian
> Grüter (Kaufm. Geschäftsführer)
> Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn
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