Hi Walter et al, Yes I found early on that coatings don't seem to be all that effective as they are not actually airtight, moisture is trapped in but can get out but the air can, it's basically the water, oxygen, chlorides and salts inside the rock which react with water vapor to cause rusting, A thin wipe over with gun oil or lithium grease on iron slices (then wipe it clean) is about as good as it gets, unless you start treating them with sodium hydroxide solution or sodium carbonate solution or the aluminum electrolytic method that is doing the rounds. These treatments work really well by neutralizing the salts inside the rocks etc,
I did a trial on some steel squares sat in a small amount of water a few years ago, and by far, the Li Grease coated iron survived the longest, the spray coating broke down after a few months and rust spots appeared, the untreated one went rusty within days! Campos seem to respond especially well, I have many kilos of campo in my collection that are as mint as the day they arrived after the NaOH treatment. And as always *gloves when handling them* :( , and keep desiccant (such as silica gel in the cabinet to keep the air dry, but don't forget to recharge/renew it regularly!. Best Mark Ford -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Pete Pete Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 3:54 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Subject: RE: [meteorite-list] Clear Coat Iron Slices? Hi, Walter, About a year ago I bought a Dronino that the seller had coated with a urethane-type substance, and I can tell you that there are a few definite drawbacks from this procedure: -Underneath the coating, lawrencite disease has started up and in many places broken through the seal. I'm sure that it's progress has been slowed because of the coating, but short of using a harsh chemical to remove the shell, likely damaging the meteorite in the process, treatment is impossible. -The coating has a subtle yellowish hue, and under the microscope it becomes vey annoying. -Personally, I find the direct contact with a meteorite aesthetically pleasing. Cheers, Pete From: "Walter Branch" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Meteorite List" <meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com> Subject: [meteorite-list] Clear Coat Iron Slices? Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2006 20:52:14 -0500 Hello Everyone, I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on coating iron slices with some type of clear coat to help prevent rust? Pros? Cons? Would driving off as much water as possible then applying the clear coat work? Are harmful gasses trapped by the process? Any discussion or opinions would be appreciated. -Walter Branch ________________________ ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
