[meteorite-list] Membrane boxes go boom?

From: hall at meteorhall.com <hall_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 5 Mar 2013 15:12:25 -0500
Message-ID: <71ae0159b516eb63c01f329cf5166520.squirrel_at_emailmg.ipage.com>

   I have been removing most of my .25g to 5g specimens from membrane
boxes and putting them into gem boxes with the glass tops of 3 sq. cm,
or 1 3/16" sq. It is much easier to see the specimen through glass then
the plastic. I put a label, written in pencil, inside under the foam.
Another stick-on-label goes on the outside bottom. I also put a section
of Intercept Corrosion copper material inside, under the foam bottom.
The foam is covered with a cloth that is black on one side and white on
the other, giving you a choice.
   I attended a museum talk on preservation of mineral specimens and
labels some many years ago, and learned that pencil will outlast even
India ink. Most inks will fade away in less then a century, but pencil
will last as long as the paper lasts. I also use acid free paper inside
the box. So the labels will last far, far longer than I will.
   The Intercept Corrosion material will not stop a ruster specimen from
rusting away, as I tried a problem Campo (that I had just cleaned up)
set inside a riker box, set directly on the Intercept material. In six
months time the fractures were filled with rust. I'm just hoping that
the material will help keep the usually stable meteorites from
developing into a ruster while enclosed.
   The glass top gem boxes fit into a nice looking case that holds 32
specimens. The case cost around $14.00 plus a few bucks for the 32 box
divider. I bought them at the Tucson Show in 2012.
   For problem meteorites (rusters) both iron and stony, I recently
started using the Australian museum method of meteorite preservation,
using Al foil and sodium carbonate in hot, distilled water. I use a
crock pot to treat the specimens that will fit into it. I set the crock
pot heat on high. I mix up the sodium carbonate and warm water in the
pot. I slowly warm up the meteorite in an oven (don't want any
temperature shock). I wrap the meteorite in Al foil that I have holed
with a fork, so the water can move around the specimen. Then I set the
warmed specimen into the crock pot and leave the specimens in for an
hour or so. I agitate the water every 15 minutes or so, and sometimes
add a little more sodium carbonate. LEAVE the crock pot lid OFF, as
some gases are produced. I set the crock pot under an open window. And
NO! I don't reuse the crock pot for my winter soup.
   Always wear eye protection and rubber gloves and follow the normal
safety rules. Check out the Australian museum site or the
meteoritemarket/galvanic site for more info and the mixture formula.
Cheers, Fred Hall

>
> A completely unofficial count:
> Of the 12 membrane boxes I have, about half of them are going cloudy.? All
> but one are meteorites; the other is a Louisiana opal (sandstone matrix).?
> Fortunately, none of the professional displays (enclosed labels) or specks
> it would be problematic to rebox (Martians) have decayed yet, although
> that may be coming.? I mainly use the membrane boxes when I have a
> specimen whose aesthetics are enhanced by being able to see (through) both
> sides, or if it came that way.? If you use membrane boxes to create those
> nifty display boxes with elaborate inside labels, you may want to take
> their apparent shelf life into consideration.? My meteorites are not in a
> climate controlled area, although once a specimen goes in a gem jar or
> box, it generally stays there and has limited exposure to the outside air.
>
> Best!
> Tracy Latimer
> ----------------------------------------
>> From: fujmon at mac.com
>> Date: Tue, 5 Mar 2013 06:25:35 -1000
>> To: stm at bellsouth.net
>> CC: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com; daistiho at hotmail.com
>> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Membrane boxes go boom?
>>
>> Sorry to hear about your membranebox Sean. But Ghubara is a bleeder and
>> I never put a ruster or bleeder in a membranebox because they will stain
>> the polyurethane membranes permanently (on a good note, Ron H. used to
>> replace them for me, or broken latches before he passed).
>>
>> Also, if you live in a highly humid environment like I do, then you
>> don't want to be using membrane boxes for certain kinds of specimens
>> because they will trap the humidity inside. I typically mount and store
>> specimens I keep in membrane boxes in my institute office, which is kept
>> in climate controlled AC 24 hours a day.
>>
>> Tracy, I've never experienced a membrane getting cloudy. But as I
>> mentioned before, all membrane boxes are kept in an air conditioned
>> office. I have membrane boxes over five years old that are in the same
>> condition as new ones, both enclosing specimens of all kinds and never
>> used.
>>
>> Other than the aforementioned issues, membrane boxes are a great
>> solution to storage, protection and display of specimens.
>>
>> gary
>>
>> On Mar 5, 2013, at 5:55 AM, "Sean T. Murray" <stm at bellsouth.net> wrote:
>>
>> > I have a very stubborn Ghubara that destroyed two membrane boxes in
>> the same fashion. Whatever evil substance that oozes from that
>> chondrite kills a membrane in short span.
>> >
>> > Sean.
>> >
>> > -----Original Message----- From: tracy latimer
>> > Sent: Monday, March 04, 2013 10:28 PM
>> > To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>> > Subject: [meteorite-list] Membrane boxes go boom?
>> >
>> >
>> > I am observing something weird with some of my older membrane boxes.
>> The membrane is starting to degrade and go cloudy, and in at least one
>> specimen (Imilac, bought at Tucson, I forget the year) the membrane
>> has ruptured and the slice is rattling around loose in the box. Has
>> anyone else had this happen to their specimens?
>> >
>> > Best!
>> > Tracy Latimer
>> >
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>>
>> Gary Fujihara
>> Big Kahuna Meteorites
>> PO Box 4175, Hilo, HI 96720
>> (808) 640-9161
>> http://bigkahuna-meteorites.com/
>> http://www.ebay.com/sch/fujmon/m.html
>>
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Received on Tue 05 Mar 2013 03:12:25 PM PST