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

[Anderson, Gretchen]

Dear Doug,

I agree completely with Mariana.  As she mentions, Paraloid B-72 works best for harder surfaces. Lascaux is much better for the specimens you describe.

Gretchen

From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of Mariana Di Giacomo
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2024 6:17 PM
To: dyanega at gmail.com
Cc: NHCOLL-new <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] paraloid question (was Re: Stabilizing cannel coal)

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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<mailto: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

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