Cleaning and Preparing Mineral Specimens

Recorded video from our live community discussion on October 22, 2020. Please feel free to look at individual time stamps below for specific topics you may be interested in.
00:00 Introduction
4:31 Field Collecting Tips
16:58 Initial Cleaning
34:54 Removing Unwanted Matrix
1:04:18 Using Acids
1:28:12 Stabilization, Consolidation, Repair and Reconstruction
1:47:24 Final Notes

[@suzannehedderly1331]

Was so glad to hear this discussion. I had been looking forward to it but I think I was traveling. I was crushed to miss it so I'm thankful they are recorded and put in YT. Thanks! We routinely used hydrofluoric acid in printmaking for etching. The acid was in large, shallow enamel pans with wood covers. We'd have to gentlyyyy put the plate in and then watch to brush the bubbles off the etched metal.. After a while the brushes were eaten up. I still remember that smell...

[@IndianCrystals]

This is awesome 💯

[@themgirlsfromeasttn8969]

Love the ray mica mine!

[@1summerflower]

Great video ! Thanks so much !!

[@wendychilders9349]

So how long do we put all the rocks in the Crock-Pot for today an hour a week?

[@1summerflower]

❤

[@ct4241]

Many dentist send their tools / picks out to be refurbished now to get additional uses out of them so they aren't as likely to give them out

[@oxcarthabu]

I used to work at a plating shop, and used hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrofluoric acid.

[@robinstewart2506]

Lol! In my younger days I had a boyfriend that took his crews aluminum hard hats dipped them in some type of acid then they rubbed it with 'Brasso' so that their hard hads all looked like shiny stainless steel or chrome. I often wonder if that diminished the strength or safety of them.

[@davidrodriguez4845]

Yea

[@larrymiller5297]

I have some fauna fossils and would like some guidance on cleaning and preparing them. So many layers that Im afraid to seperate them for fear of destroying any of them. Contact info for this young Paleontologist would be appreciated. Or pm me on here. Also Im in western Va.

[@shaneriddle9950]

Would I be better to say, "Always dilute your acids, never use pure"? Mixing some acids can be a bad idea.