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Ultrasonic Fossil Cleaning

Posted by on September 5, 2013
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I just purchased an ultrasonic cleaning machine manufactured for cleaning jewelry, glasses, dentures, CDs, etc., but what a boon to cleaning small fossils! Which is what I bought it for.

I bought it for $40, including shipping on ebay – brand new in the box. I have been experimenting with it for the last week, asked questions on TFF, and this is what I have discovered.

For bryozoans, this is the way to go! Bryozoans are fragile and you will regret it if you hit them with an acid bath, they just “melt”. This cleans them gently and brings out those pore that are so important for identification.

If you have brachiopods, which also tend to be fragile, this does a fair job of cleaning them. Don’t have the expectation that you can drop them in and everything will come off, but a lot will. And no discoloration on the ones I have tried.

Limestone gastropods it does an excellent job of cleaning if you go several cycles, rinse and use a toothbrush to scrub them. I’ve been very impressed on how they clean and, on some, the matrix just crumbles away or becomes a lot easier to remove.

Small cephalopods – AWESOME! Wow, does this method shine in cleaning small cephalopods! It brings out all the details and if you have some quartzite in there, what a sparkle!

It does a very nice job on small hash plates, including those that contain triolobite parts, again, without affecting the fossils. It really seems to bring them out.

The way to go with crinoids, which are also fragile and you can’t hit with acid.

The most I have added to the water so far, is a drop of dishsoap. I understand that TSP (any hardware store) will help break down dirt better. I put the fossil(s) through a cycle, take the basket out and dip in a bucket of clean water to rinse (never rinse in the sink as you risk clogging your entire pipe system), toothbrush it if needed, dip again, cycle it back again, repeat as needed. Most of the time one 3 minute cycle is all that is needed. Keep refreshing your water in the ultrasonic basket.

If you hit the matrix with an engraver right after removing it from the ultrasonic machine, it seems inclined to come off faster and easier. I would assume the same with a brush on a rotary tool.

Dirty

Dirty

 

CLEAN!

CLEAN!

 

It was mentioned on TFF that these little machines aren’t made for the weight of rocks. The suggestion was to clean as well as you can and then only ultrasonic your best specimens to save the machine from breaking.

 

 

 

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