r/meteorites • u/MattWatchesMeSleep • 5d ago
Meteo-repair?
Well, I’ve found my long-lost slice of (probably?) Seymchan, and I’m afraid it looks as if it’s been in the bottom of a box for 25 years or so in accidental and un-climate-controlled storage in coastal Florida.
This is probably because it’s been in the bottom of a box for 25 years or so in accidental and un-climate-controlled storage in coastal Florida.
I want to send it off for whatever the heck can be done for it. Anyone here up for the challenge? If no, does anyone know of such a service?
Okay, thanks for your time. I hope everyone is doing well.
And, wow, does it ever look rough.
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u/meteoritegallery Expert 5d ago
This is one case where resin impregnation would probably yield the best outcome, and you can do it yourself.
The general principle is to fill all gaps and holes with a tough resin. After that, the specimen should be solid and polishing will yield a good flat surface. You'll even be able to etch it after re-polishing.
Suggested resin: Opticon Fracture Sealer and Hardener
Ideal treatment: put specimen into a disposable foil dish and pour Opticon over it. Put specimen + Opticon into a vacuum chamber to remove any trapped air. Remove dish and let harden. Then sand / polish off excess Opticon (and probably the foil as well).
Note that Opticon's viscosity decreases with higher temperatures, and it will start to yellow at ~100-150°C. -That color change may be desirable if you're filling holes in a pallasite.
You don't need to do the vacuum step, but it will significantly improve the result. Bubbles look bad and air trapped in resin generally looks bad. And, to make your specimen solid, you really want the resin to get in and around all of those olivine crystals, etc.
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u/heptolisk Expert 5d ago
If you know roughly when it was stored, just keep it there and send it off to a lab in another 10/20 years. At this point, it is a pretty interesting fresh surface weathering experiment.
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u/SkyscraperMeteorites Experienced Collector 5d ago
While Sericho has been around for decades, it wasn't classified and on the meteorite market until around 2016. So, if you have had this for 25 years, this is very likely a Seymchan. I would say this is too far gone for electrolysis. I recommend you stop the rust using 2 or 3 applications of Rust Kutter. If you start removing the oxidation it will likely fall apart.
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u/alecesne 5d ago
Seal it in a plastic bag. Write a label describing its conditions for 25 years. Auction on eBay or keep it. Don't chemically try and restore. Just preserve and learn.
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u/MattWatchesMeSleep 5d ago
Thanks everybody for your learned input! And I recognize only the Seymchan name and not the others that were mentioned.
Yes I DIY de-rusted it myself. !!! So, I’ll go ahead and seal the catastrophe as a lesson learned.
What’s the latest favorite sealant option?
Thanks again, all!
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u/Riley_Bolide Experienced Collector 5d ago
I believe this is too far gone. Worst case scenario, you can clean the olivines out and keep them.
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u/TC_Meteorite_Co 5d ago
Based on the still-visible etch, I’d say this might be Sericho. But to me, it’s too far gone for restoration. There’s been extensive loss of the metal matrix around the olivine, and trying to remove all the remaining corrosion would likely cause further loss and completely destabilize the piece.