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Tried flotation on a bone fragment and got nothing but mud | Archaeology Discoveries - Topic Shares

Tried flotation on a bone fragment and got nothing but mud

I soaked a deer bone chunk from a creek bed in water for 3 days to separate dirt from the surface. Used a fine sieve and gentle spray, but the bone just crumbled apart. I learned that soaking waterlogged bone is risky if it's already fragile. Anyone else had luck stabilizing bones before doing water cleaning?

3 comments

3 Comments

kelly_coleman615mo ago

I'd be curious what kind of glue or consolidant you tried before the soak. In my experience, a lot of folks skip that step and just go straight to water, which can backfire bad. Paraloid B-72 in acetone works okay for me, but your mileage may vary depending on the bone's condition. Did you test the fragment's hardness by just touching it before you got it wet? Sometimes a quick dry brush test can tell you if it's too far gone. Just trying to figure out if there was a way to save it or if the mud was already a lost cause.

taylor.mary5mo ago

Have you tried using a dilute solution of PVA (like Jade 403) brushed on before the water soak? I've had good results with that on mud-caked bones that seemed fragile, it gives them just enough strength to handle the rehydration without turning into a paste. The key for me was going really thin on the glue so it didn't seal the surface too tight, then letting it sit overnight before adding any water.

bell.taylor3mo ago

Not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but how long was that bone sitting in the creek before you pulled it out? Ive messed with enough creek stuff to know that waterlogged bone thats been in there for years is basically a sponge that has already started turning back into mud. @kelly_coleman61 had a good point about checking hardness first, but sometimes even a dry brush test is too late if the collagen has fully rotted away. You can pour glue on it all day but if the structure is gone its just holding a slushie together. Was the fragment from near the joint or the shaft? The denser shaft bone holds up way better to soaking than the spongy ends.

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