Polymers and natural history specimens

Re: Sally Shelton's inquiry on polymeric materials used in natural
history collections.  Sally, I am sure you know about the Handbook of
Paleontological Techniques edited by Bernhard Kummel and David Raup 1965
since you requested any published information pre-1960, but there may be
others interested in this somewhat dated source.  There are still many
paleontologists, geomorphologists, archeologists, and other
professionals who use several of the techniques for collecting and
preparing not only fossils but also other artifacts and materials. There
is an entire section in this publication on Casting and Molding by J.
Keith Rigby and David L. Clark that discusses preparation and techniques
for using several different molding materials and includes
illustrations.  There is also a bibliography at the end of this section
that will lead you to other earlier sources.  I am sure you could find
it in most university and college libraries.  Drop me a line if you want
more information on it.

Gail L. Bailey
Archivist
Texas Archeological Research Lab
Univ.of Texas at Austin
512-471-5135
Fax: 512-471-5973

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 8:79
                  Distributed: Friday, March 24, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-8-79-006
                                  ***