Pyritised Wood

[0dinofthenorth]

Here is some pyritised wood we found on the isle of wight, along the foreshore. Hope you enjoy it!

[masteroffossiles]

hey,
looks good, but watch out with pyrite, it can oxidize and become a poisonous mineral, to stop it you can put on some non breating stuff on your fossils, so that it can't oxidize, i dont know if these fossils need it and i dont know how to make it non breathing, but some other forum members can.
greetings,
sander

[0dinofthenorth]

Thanks for that info,
some pieces have oxidized, I didn't know what it was, but I cleaned it off.
Sadly it was the second biggest piece.

[Bram]

Hello Thomas,

Here's a simple guide on how to conserve pyrite fossils: http://english.fossiel.net/informatie/preparation.php, scroll down to "Fossils containing pyrite/sulfur".

Greetings,
Bram

[0dinofthenorth]

Thanks Bram,
What sort of wax would you use? Candle wax? I hope it's not candle wax because that would turn it white!

[Bram]

I've personally never used parrafin or candle wax to conserve pyrite fossils, I've used varnish (I sprayed it on the fossils). However, I've read on different sites, that this isn't quite enough to stop your fossils from decaying, it only slows it down. Maybe someone else on the forum has more experience with using candle wax to conserve pyrite fossils.

Greetings,
Bram

[0dinofthenorth]

I read on a website,

"The pyritised fossils should be soaked in water to remove any salt or acid, dried slowly and then coated in polyethylene glycol (PEG), or varnish, in order to preserve them."
Would this work? Can anyone suggest any other better idears?

[0dinofthenorth]

I have been told to varnish it with matt varnish. Would this help?