[Nhcoll-l] paraloid question (was Re: Stabilizing cannel coal)

[Joachim Händel]

Yes - I completely agree with Mariana.
I occasionally use Paraloid B72 to repair large (!) insects in the exhibition because it is transparent and almost invisible - as
a substitute for nitrocellulose glue.

But for scientific insect specimens I recommend fish glue. It is harmless from a conservation point of view and can be easily
reversed with warm water.
Please be sure to use high-quality fish glue, as it is also used by art restorers.

Good luck
Joachim

 
--  
Joachim Haendel
 
Center of Natural Science Collections
of the Martin Luther University (ZNS)
- Entomological Collection -

Domplatz 4
D-06099 Halle (Saale)
Germany

Phone:  +49 345 - 55 26 447
Email: joachim.haendel at zns.uni-halle.de

>>> Mariana Di Giacomo <maru.digi at gmail.com> 19.06.2024, 00:17 >>>


Dear Doug,

Paraloid B72 is a fantastic conservation-grade adhesive but I would advise against using it for this purpose because it will be
too strong when dry and could potentially damage the specimens. B72 is a great choice for anything that's harder such as bone,
shell, stone/mineral, ceramics, glass, etc.

For organic material that is softer, such as skin or entomological specimens, the adhesive of choice should be weaker, so that if
anything fails, it's likely to be the joint and not the specimen. One adhesive you could try is Lascaux 498 hv, which behaves
similarly to Elmer's but is reversible. It also comes prepared, which is a plus.

Hope it helps!

Best,

Mariana

Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD
Natural History Conservator, Yale Peabody Museum
Associate Editor, Collection Forum, SPNHC

 

On Tue, Jun 18, 2024, 17:33 Douglas Yanega <dyanega at gmail.com [dyanega at gmail.com]> wrote:
> On 6/18/24 1:59 PM, Anderson, Gretchen wrote:
> > I would like to suggest a different way to do this, perhaps using a material like remay or a light carbon steel fabric with
> > Paraloid B-72, lining the back of the fossil to provide improved stability. 
> 
> This prompts me to ask a question: I've never used Paraloid B-72 before, but a colleague strongly suggested that we switch to
> using it as an adhesive for point-mounting insect specimens, and that it is well-known to the general museum community, even if
> not well-known among entomologists.
> 
> The little bit of research I did online suggests that it comes in different forms, and is used in different ways, which makes it
> somewhat unclear how best to approach it for our needs. If being used as an adhesive, is it preferred to buy the solid form and
> dissolve small quantities in ethanol? If so, does the concentration of the ethanol matter? We have 95% ethanol we use as a
> preservative, it would certainly simplify things if we could use that without having to dilute it.
> 
> Recommendations for suppliers might also be helpful, given how many sources seem to offer it for sale. We'd prefer to work with
> a vendor with a positive reputation and fair pricing.
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> --
> 
> Doug Yanega      Dept. of Entomology       Entomology Research Museum
> Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0314     skype: dyanega
> FaceBook: Doug Yanega (disclaimer: opinions are mine, not UCR's)
>              https://faculty.ucr.edu/~heraty/yanega.htmlhttps://faculty.ucr.edu/~heraty/yanega.html
>   "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
>         is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82
> 
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