[meteorite-list] Don't use putty!

From: Martin Altmann <altmann_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Feb 2010 16:55:11 +0100
Message-ID: <004201caa5b2$6fd7b610$07b22959_at_name86d88d87e2>

Hi Leigh Anne,

yes, these accidents happened with some putties or mineral tacks, commonly
used by mineral collectors to mount their micromounts in boxes.
I don't know the specific brands they used, but was that stuff you can buy
at every mineral show or as accessory in mineral shops.

I'm not a chemist but they seem to contain fat, which will be absorbed by
the meteorites (irons seems to have of course not that problem).

Those collectors, who ruined their collections, were used to mount their
slices upright in acrylic boxes,
and even if the contact surfaces with the putty wasn't larger than a brave
man's booger, the material surrounding turned after a year black (even white
Stannern, Millbillillie, Camel Donga) in an area as large as a thumbnail.

And it was going deep, so that you couldn't grind it away.
Tried everything to clean it, all kind of solvents, without success.
O.k. maybe one could bleach it with acids, but then the meteorite would be
the same worthless.

Twink, I just asked my cat.
She said, if it is a humidity problem, rice grains should work as well as
kitty litter,
but I fear, other than with freshly cut surfaces, the putty stains are going
deeper and are already dry.


Well in general, I don't know, whether there are super-special tacks,
perhaps suitable also for meteorites,

but I'd say, these stones had a happy life for 4.5Gyears, before they had
bad luck and felt on this inhospitable planet,
where they suffer from oxygen, humidity, acids, our sweat (and tears)
and we discuss so often here on the list about preservation, curation,
cleaning, rust, bleeding, lawrencite...

...that we simply should abstain from putty.

Well, how to fix - I don't know, whether it's necessary.
Just use stands. Some use also neodyme magnets for the irons.
For micromounts membrane boxes could be an alternative, if you want to have
the meteorites standing upright, just put the boxes upright.

Best!
Martin



-----Urspr?ngliche Nachricht-----
Von: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] Im Auftrag von Leigh
Anne Delray
Gesendet: Donnerstag, 4. Februar 2010 13:44
An: Martin Altmann; meteorite-list
Betreff: Re: [meteorite-list] Don't use putty!

Martin,
Does the mineral tack do this as well? I have never heard of this,
good to know.
Leigh Anne

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 4, 2010, at 5:08 AM, "Martin Altmann" <altmann at meteorite-martin.de
> wrote:

> Erik,
>
> please never use putty for meteorites.
> Especially not with stone meteorites.
>
> The oils and softeners of these putties, even if recommended by
> mineral
> people, are going with time deep into the stone, making huge blackish
> irreversible stains.
>
> I had some customers, who ruined half of their collections and
> unfortunately
> many historic pieces among them, having them fixed with putty in their
> boxes.
>
> Best,
> Martin
>
>
>> Jason if you want to twist and distort things than buy silly putty.
>> Works
>> great for holding meteorites for photographs or display.
>
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Received on Thu 04 Feb 2010 10:55:11 AM PST