[meteorite-list] Campo Preservation

[Adam Hupe]

Hi List,

It is my belief that 90% of the preservation of meteorites is in the
preparation. Meteorites should never be cut with tap water becuase it
contains chemicals that start reactions, mostly corosive in nature! Any cut
meteorite containing elemental metal should be polished on both sides to
reduce the surface area which attracts moisture. Well-polished smooth
surfaces do not need to be coated with laquer which traps moisture inside.
If I suspect tap water was used in the preparation of any specimen I will
walk away from it. If only one side of a slice is polished when I recieve a
specimen, I will polish the second side. Not only is it good for
preservation, collectors should be able to enjoy viewing both surfaces of a
slice, it is just good business. The only exceptions are extremely rare
meteorites that do not have elemental metal and Ureilites which destroy the
polishing media.

On another note, I noticed that Campos that were shattered after being
frozen in liquid nitrogen do not seem to rust. The outcome of this technique
are nice crystals that broke along the octahedral planes. This surprised me
because another rule is not to have huge temperature swings when storing
meteorites of more than 12 degrees Fahrenheit per hour.

Just some thoughts,
Take Care,

------------------------------------
Adam Hupe
The Hupe Collection
Team LunarRock
IMCA 2185
raremeteorites at comcast.net