[meteorite-list] Patina

[Walter Branch]

Hi Gary,

Nice clean up job.  Did you use any chemicals or just the wire brush.

I recently got one of Bill Mason's meteorite rust removal kit and I have
been experimenting with it.

-Walter Branch
-----------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gary K. Foote" <gary at webbers.com>
To: <MexicoDoug at aol.com>
Cc: <Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Friday, May 12, 2006 10:25 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Patina


> Thanks Doug, for your thoughtful analysis.  I had a piece of campo with an
unusual shape
> that came to me rusty and not looking like it was going to stop rusting.
I took a wire
> brush to it and removed the rust and now have a specimen that still shows
flight details
> and has nearly no rust.  The only drawback is that I had to expose the
high spots right
> down to shiny metal to get the rust out of the low spots.  I'm sure I lost
some material,
> but think it was minimal.
>
> I've seen pallasites chopped up into medallions and such on ebay and think
that kind of
> manipulation is over the line, but I believe that what I have done makes
the specimen
> more 'enjoyable' to view.  If you would like to see pics of before and
after the links
> are below;
>
> Before:  http://www.meteorite-dealers.com/images/campo-the-hand-600.jpg
>
> After:   http://www.meteorite-dealers.com/images/campohand-wirebrushed.jpg
>
> Gary
>
> On 12 May 2006 at 9:47, MexicoDoug at aol.com wrote:
>
> > Gary F. writes:
> >
> > <<Which is best value wise?  Original condition with dirt and natural
patina
> > or cleaned
> >  with patina left or cleaned and polished free of patina?>>
> >
> > Gary,
> > Patina...if patina is an arrested natural finish, sounds awesome to me.
> >
> > There is "cleaned", and then there is "cleaned" just as there are stones
and
> > there are irons, and "scientific value" and "sentimental value" and
"trade-in
> > value".  Never clean stones with solvents.  Distilled water and reagent
grade
> > alcohol are in a questionable category here and questionable equates to
not
> > necessary.  If the dirt comes off with your hands (and not a wire brush
by
> > wearing down the surface of the stone or iron, of course it is
recommendable to not
> > have such dirty meteorites in your collection - they will make
everything
> > dirty wherever you put them.)  The one exception to the solvent rule is
the
> > ultimate form of cleaning - hacking off slices.  To make a cut, you will
need a
> > friendly solvent - but you aren't asking about cutting.
> >
> > If you have a stable iron, the same applies.  In economics there is a
value
> > to an option.  Give the next guy a chance with the option "to clean or
not to
> > clean, and that is the question".  If you choose to clean it, you will
> > eliminate some of the demand because you have killed that option for
those who want a
> > natural meteorite.  Less demand = less value both scientifically and one
would expect
> > monetarily.  Same goes for whether you should cut a nice looking whole
individual - don't.
> >
> > If you don't have a stable iron, you don't have much choice in the
matter.
> > Either you find an acceptable way to clean it or you will be left with a
pile
> > of junk.  Pile of junk futures are not very scientifically or
commercially
> > valuable, though in this field there are suckers born every minute to
keep such
> > futures alive.  The iron is rented anyway as it is a matter of time...
So brush
> > it with a stainless brush, boil it in parrafin, strip it, coat it in PU,
> > pickle it a bit and then saponify it in caustic soda, vacuum pack it in
beef jerky
> > factory, sell it on ebay, whatever your heart enjoys.  Have as much fun
as I
> > do when you are handed a sledgehammer at a carnival to smash a useless
car, or
> > as a shifty used car dealer who fixes up an old jalopy enough to have
his
> > hapless* customer drive it out the door...If it is a rare iron, though,
better yet
> > leave it alone and trade or give it to a museum so they can evaluate how
to
> > best preserve it for humanity, unless you realistically believe you can
do a
> > better job or have Bill Mason on your staff.
> >
> > *cool word, borrowed from a recent post
> >
> > Hope this helps.  As you can see I am of the strict don't clean anything
> > unless it is absolutely necessary belief.  But then you have the irons
that are
> > borderline.  For them, you want the natural naughty Squirrel Nutkin
finish-and
> > not sandblasted down to the patina and beyond- if an arrested natural
nutshell
> > exists.  But if it doesn't (because one didn't develop, or because the
soil
> > was part of it and now the soil is removed), a good wire brushing may be
in
> > order though you will lose some weight, you will minimize the surface
area for
> > absorption of water and buildup of other catalytic corrosives...
> >
> > Saludos
>
>
>
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