[Bonetools] doubt in taphonomy

[cho13017 at iif.hu]

Dear Christian,
    I agree this is a criical topic and I am all for having a serious section
devoted to it on the website. We really need to contact some serious bone
consevators such as Sonia O'Connor! Luckily, most conservators today try not to
use processes that are irreversible to preserve objects. However, the old
collections are a problem - especially since there may be little money or
enthusiasm on the part of museums for spending time on objects that don't
appear to be in danger just because someone wants to study them...

Alice


Quoting Christian Küchelmann <info at knochenarbeit.de>:

> Dear Alice and Marina,
>
> things happening to the find during research work, curation or achive
> storage are part of the taphonomic history of an object.
>
> The removability of conservational agents is a big discussion in
> preparators sciences. Some are removable others are not. The first thing
> you need to do is to find out what kind of chemical was used for the
> conservation. You are lucky if there is some kind of report, protocol or
> whatever giving information about the conservation. In many older cases
> there is no information and this means you have to make a chemical
> analysis (therefore if you ever preserve any kind of specimen keep in
> mind to make a note somewhere!). This is a topic I would like to includ
> in the WBRG website but I have to admit that I am not that far that I
> can give results or contacts yet.
>
> Best
>
> Christian
>
> --
> KNOCHENARBEIT
>
> Hans Christian Küchelmann
> Diplom-Biologe
>
> Konsul-Smidt-Str. 30,  D-28217 Bremen,  Germany
> tel: +421 - 61 99 177
> fax: +421 - 37 83 540
> mail: info at knochenarbeit.de
> web: http://www.knochenarbeit.de
>
> ------
>
> h13017cho at helka.iif.hu schrieb:
> > Dear Marina,
> > ????? To my mind the vanish is like the end point of a taphonomic
> > process unless conditions in storage areexteme and the causes further
> > degradation to the artifact.. It is VERY annoying to encounter such
> > treatment. It was done commonly with the best intentions on many older
> > collections. In Hungary it is also very common to put inventory numbers
> > on the only 'smooth surface' (read best preserved surface) of bone tools
> > and then - just to make sure the 'reading' becomes impossible- a dash of
> > varnish is slapped on top of that. As far as I know there is noway of
> > removing the varnish without destoying the bone/antler surface beneath.
> > ???? Does anyone out there knowof ways of at least removing a small
> > portionof this horrible stuff without causing further damage?
> >
> > Alice
> > Dr.Alice M.Choyke
> > Aquincum Museum
> > H-1131 Budapest
> > Zahony u. 4
> > Hungary
> > Telephone: (36-1 240-4268)
> > H13017cho at helka.iif.hu
>
>
>
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