Sarah
You have had sound advice on using plaster bandages.
If you have relatively small, and irregularly shaped bones then you
could use a PVA based glue. I have used it successfully to stabilize
bones from a swampy deposit that became 'brittle to the touch' on drying
out.
PVA glue is a safe, household item used as a paper or wood glue. No
nasty chemicals or solvents.
It helps to dilute the PVA glue with water before painting it on to the
damp bone. I can't remember the proportions we used, but have 60% glue
to 40% water in the back of my mind.
To assist absorption, it is good to let the bones dry out a bit first.
Keep an eye on the bones as they dry out on their pedestals, and apply
the PVA glue when they have dried out a bit but have not started to
crack. You may need to make more than one application.
You end up with a glossy appearance to the bone.
You also end up with a bone that has carbon added, via the hydrocarbon
in the PVA. So keep some untreated bone if you want a radiocarbon date.
Richard
On 9/10/2013 14:09, Sarah Jenkins wrote:
> Dear fellow zooarchaeologists,
>
> I am currently excavating a site with complete faunal elements that are
> very fragile. The soil is very moist and has caused the bones to become
> brittle to the touch. We are pedestaling each element as it is exposed and
> plan to transport each element on a section of plywood, but there is some
> concern that the bones with shift and crack during transportation. Has
> anyone dealt with this kind of issue before, and if so found a solution to
> prevent the bones from breaking during transport?
>
> Thanks,
> Sarah
>
|