[meteorite-list] Campo Preservation

[Matt Morgan]

Hi Adam:
Good comments here. Personally, I like to have one surface of my slices 
not polished. I find that I can see different structures within the 
meteorite this way.  High polish "looks better", but is not necessarily 
the best way to study a specimen.  Some meteorites I find better left 
unpolished are brecciated meteorites with a dark matrix, granular 
meteorites (i.e. Zagami), and some low grade chondrites.  It is a 
peronal preference I guess.

Matt Morgan

Adam Hupe wrote:

>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
>
>
>
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>  
>

-- 
===============
Matt Morgan
Mile High Meteorites
P.O. Box 151293
Lakewood, CO 80215 USA
http://www.mhmeteorites.com
ebay id: mhmeteorites