protective wax for bone or wood artifacts

BillA

BillA

Bronze Member
May 12, 2005
2,186
3,218
Drake, Costa Rica
looking for a protective wax for artifacts of bone or wood, such would also shine up duller rocks

have tried melted parrifin from candles which seems not too permanent and is rather impure; for rocks and shells
mineral oil evaporates quickly, used as the solvent for inorganic wax pastes
have not tried carnuaba or beeswax (straight)

products for curators emphasise the use of micro crystalline wax which has smaller crystals, less oil, and a higher melting temperature
micro crystalline wax can be had solid (Jacquard), as a paste wax (Chestnut), or as blended curator-type waxes (Reniassance, Liberon)

anyone have some experience with different waxes ?
 

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BonePin052507.jpgFor preservation the only thing I will ever use on fossils, pottery sherds, bone artifacts and shell artifacts is Gomer's Solution.
Duco Cement and Acetone. One tube per pint. Put PERFECTLY dry item in and wait until the bubbles stop. Take out and it instantly dries without added shine or color change effect. There's just a little more to it but that's basically all one needs to know. You can Google "gomer's solution" or "Gomer solution" lolol. Never look back boom:icon_thumright:
 

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hmmm

here is the TDS for Duco Cement, a nitro cellulose (solution) cement.
http://www.itwconsumer.com/userfiles/files/techdata-sheet/DV Tech Data/62435 TDS.pdf

Acetone is used to remove the cured cement, so I would assume there are some bonds being broken.
Adding acetone directly to uncured (dried) Duco will reduce the viscosity allowing it to better penetrate.
That the cured strength is less matters little as it is not being used as an adhesive.

This is pretty permanent.
I'll stay with a wax I think.
 

I’d see if you can get your hands on some bees wax.
its good for lots of things!
 

I have been using 50/50 mix of mineral oil and beeswax for years. Warming the wax up and adding a like amount of mineral oil while the wax is melted and mix it up. The result is a soft paste resembling cosmoline. I use a small amount on an item. I spreads well. When the mineral oil evaporates it leaves the wax coating. It will allow the piece to show true color and protect. It can easily be removed too.
 

quito said:
I’d see if you can get your hands on some bees wax.
its good for lots of things!
Click to expand...

Beeswax can be had at any store that sells plumbing items. Try a "johnny ring" or "toilet ring"...100% beeswax
 

tomclark said:
View attachment 1733215For preservation the only thing I will ever use on fossils, pottery sherds, bone artifacts and shell artifacts is Gomer's Solution.
Duco Cement and Acetone. One tube per pint. Put PERFECTLY dry item in and wait until the bubbles stop. Take out and it instantly dries without added shine or color change effect. There's just a little more to it but that's basically all one needs to know. You can Google "gomer's solution" or "Gomer solution" lolol. Never look back boom:icon_thumright:
Click to expand...
Oh well you tried! Gomer's solution was the first thing to cross my mind as well.
 

It really depends what you are preserving.

If it’s just a little luster on relatively stable items (antiques perhaps) waxes are great. If you are dealing with ancient wood, that is an entirely different thing. I have some organic wood & gourd Taino items that needed to be preserved to ensure they lasted after I recovered them. Gomer’s solution worked for smaller items, but not larger items or items that can’t be bone dry without significant shrinkage.

Water logged wood is an absolute pain to preserve, you can google it to see what is involved. (Sugars, PEG, etc.)
 

in my case there are no delicate materials to consider, collapsing cell structure, moisture, etc.

but I see curators holding ancient bones and they have this mellow brown color with high luster,
and I ask how did they come to look like that ?

and sea shells with bright colors and all shiney (mineral oil)

I am presently experimenting with some hachas (celts) which are polished smooth but have no luster at all.
Waxes are comfy as they can be removed from sound materials,
Duco Cement is a permanent impregnation which can be a stabilizing treatment apparently.
I have experience only with waxes and oils (and wood with epoxy, West Systems ?).

anyone used Renaissance or Liberon wax ?
 

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I have a cave bear tooth and plan on using the Gomer preservation. You can always try a practice piece of something similar...
 

Gomers solution worked great on dry shell clean with a soft brush to remove loose dirt and oxidation . No color change and stabilized the artifacts . Acetone and Green Tube Duco .
 

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southfork said:
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/vertpaleo/amateur-collector/preparation/ Or Try this
Click to expand...

great link/article
covers Gomer's and quite beyond
thanks

edit: re Gomer's (from the linked article)
Cellulose Nitrates
The last class of adhesives mentioned here are the cellulose nitrates. These are familiar as Duco Cement, Randolph's, and Glyptal. Duco and Randolph's and other commercial cellulose nitrate adhesives are not good candidates for fossil repair. All cellulose nitrate adhesives tend to yellow with age and exposure to UV light, and most have the added problem of severe shrinkage which can damage specimens. Acetone and ethyl acetate are common solvents used with these adhesives, but reversibility is difficult. Glyptal, a Canadian product, has been used for many years by preparators, and is an acceptable adhesive, although it tends to yellow with age. Glyptal also is fairly reversible with acetone.

Fossil specimens, whether they are in scientific collections, or in a private collection must be considered valuable and irreplaceable objects. As such, conservationally sound and approved adhesives should be used wherever possible. For the sake of expediency, the preparator is sometimes tempted to use whatever adhesive is most handy. The cost of a hasty decision may not be realized until five years later when a valuable specimen is pulled apart by shrinking glue.

edit2: does not address waxes, bummer
 

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no respect due Td, I'm just learning

(IMO) Wax seems just outside of a curator's toolkit as it does not increase strength or waterproof, additionally it is somewhat temporary.

The contribution of wax seems to be largely cosmetic, though it would reduce the effects on wood of humidity cycling.
The application I allude to in the first sentence of this thread is making dull lithic artifacts more attractive and to that effect I've been discussing this with a poster here, Geradot, of a jillion neolithic pieces in http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/e...1-kamchatka-neolithic-tarinskaya-culture.html and http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/e...skaya-neolithic-culture-russian-far-east.html.

Geradot uses a "antiquarian's" wax, Liberon Black Bison - neutral, and the pieces look very nice; he sent me several adzes that are super - I will try to photograph. This specific product is sold in Russia and I'm in Costa Rica, so I'm trying to figure out if I should formulate - or what to try and buy.

Micro crystalline wax seems the differentiating element.

ideas ?

edit: here are some rocks I'd like to beautify
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/central-south-american-artifacts/605199-some-hachas-celts.html
 

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Not meaning to argue, but wax at least my beeswax will surely waterproof whatever it coats. Put a tablesspoon of water on a slab and see how much gets soaked up.
76D2D1D9-4760-4A10-8676-B39483ABD312.jpeg
 

quito said:
. . . . Put a tablesspoon of water on a slab and see how much gets soaked up. . . .
Click to expand...

lol quito I'm pretty sure the water absorption of beeswax was not a question (cart before horse ?)

the more relevant question that curators seem to have (I am not one) is inorganic (micro crystalline paraffin) vs organic (beeswax, carnauba)
inorganic is preferred (always)
 

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