Cleaning minerals

In response to Katharine Hall's request, in Conservation DistList
Instance: 9:48, for information on cleaning minerals, the technician
from the Mineralogy department at the Royal Ontario Museum, Terri
Ottaway, sends these suggestions:

Ultrasonic cleaning in soapy water is good for a great number of
specimens, however for the removal of grease, do not use kerosene.
Not only is it risky for your mineral's health, there is the
explosion factor to consider.

The 2 best people to contact on this matter are:

    Bob Waller
    Canadian Museum of Nature
    P.O. Box 3443, Station "D"
    Mineral Sciences
    Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6P4

    (I don't know his phone number, but a colleague, Dr. George
    Robinson, a mineralogist,  will know how to reach him.  phone:
    (613) 952-3514 FAX: (613) 952-3510)

You might also consider contacting Kate Andrew.  She was an intern at the
Canadian Conservation Institute, and I believe she does consulting work:

    Kate Andrew
    Geological Conservator & Collection Care Consultant
    Lab:
        Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
        Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3DH
        +44 121 235-2834
    Correspondence:
        The Common
        Abberley
        Worcestershire WR6 6AY
        +44 1299 896-625

All the best with your project. Please feel free to contact me if I
can be of more help.

Terri Ottaway
Mineralogy Technician/Gemmologist
Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2C6
416-586-5815

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 9:54
                Distributed: Thursday, January 11, 1996
                        Message Id: cdl-9-54-006
                                  ***