Please, Help Stop Tooth Decay!

[BillSmith]

Alright guys, I'm looking for some advice on preserving this thing
before it crumbles apart. Although, it's been drying out for a couple
few weeks and seems to be pretty hard. I haven't cleaned it yet, but
was thinking of using the old toothbrush and water method. Maybe
I should leave it as is after a light scrub. Tell me what y'all think!


Thanks for the look and any advice!

[Ron Kelley]

Hey Bill, I would treat it with Gomer's Solution. Gomer's Solution is one tube of Duco Cement mixed with one pint of Acetone. Discussion is here:

http://forums.arrowheads.com/forum/general-discussion-gc5/native-american-pottery-non-lithic-artifacts-gc23/101318-gomer-s-solution-works-great

... and in our Information Center here:

http://forums.arrowheads.com/forum/information-center-gc33/collecting-tips-advice-gc102/cleaning-conservation-restoration-gc106/105684-conserving-shell-bone-etc

[11KBP]

Nice fossil Bill.
My experience with river-found mastodon teeth is to watch them very carefully as they dry. It may not need a consolidant but if you start seeing hairline cracks then it will need to be treated. As Ron Kelly mentioned, the Duco/Acetone treatment is one of the best.
Acetone is extremely flammable and it is a good idea to work with it outside if possible.

[Hoss]

Both Duco and Acetone are flammable be careful Man nice find! thanks for sharing

[BillSmith]

Had a great time this year at the Corinth show! Saw some cool stuff and met some interesting folks.
There was some stiff competition, including a super nice Clovis that won best recent find.



Thanks for lookin'.
BTW: I didn't treat it with anything but will continue to watch out for cracking. Thanks for the advice 11kbp,
and for the link Ron.

[gregszybala]

Congrats!
  ..........

[Ron Kelley]

Hey Bill, Congrats.

[sneakygroundbuzzard]

cool find
congrats on the award to

[ScottN]

Hi there Bill

I know your post is from several years ago but I am a very committed paleontologist. I have some very rare and one of finds. On my fragile specimens like you were asking about, I use a product made by Black hills Paleontology. Its a PVC based product that you mix with Acetone and then ideally spray but you can brush if desired. You can control the strength of the coating by how many coats you give ìt. If you give to many coats, it tends to look really shiny. It is a processional product that paleo labs use and since I first used it in 2013, I use nothing else. It comes in little balls that dissolve and what you don't use, you can save for next time. You may Just have to add more acetone. For personal fossil work, the small container lasts me a lifetime and I use it a lot.
I hope this helps. Give me a shout anytime if I can Help any more.
Best wishes
Scott

[tomclark]

Always great to bring this subject back up! I have seen people use Butvar or similar for their items. I do believe as Scott says that museums use it over Duco-Acetone and I have always wondered why. Butvar isn't really easier to work with. It's pretty expensive....but so it is always having to buy a gallon or more of acetone plus 4-8 small tubes of Duco to cover a large tooth, lol. Using Butvar would waste less.. cause you throw out (at least I do..) a lot of the mixture instead of trying to save it and re-use it. The museum stuff is too shiny for me and too light a coat may not penetrate. The D-A treatment leaves it natural and not shiny at all. ... I use it on all fossils. That mastodon tooth should have been preserved I bet it is cracking by now, especially if handled and moved around. I use it on fossils even if they seem like they will be fine without treatment. All of my shell artifacts are treated this way. All bone artifacts. If they were shiny I would cry. I treat pottery sherds, too. Younger collectors may not realize that many precious things WILL deteriorate in their cases, bins, boxes, drawers etc I only had to learn twice... some shell artifacts and certain sherds were turning to chalk and bone artifacts and fossil horse teeth were splitting in a cabinet display over years. Made me treat everything. Hope y'all do the same so there is a future for your stuff.