> I want to coat my micro shells with a very small amount of mineral oil, so
> they are brighter but not sticky (heaven forbid they all stick together so I
> can't sort them!). I was wondering if it would be best to make a mixture of
> mineral oil and isopropyl alcohol (the only kind I can get), so as to dilute
> the oil. Then I can easily coat the shells thoroughly in the mixture and let
> the alcohol evaporate...leaving a very light but thorough coating of oil.

Honestly, I wouldn't coat micros, specimens under 5mm; those I do
coat, I do individually. Whatever you use to coat specimens, you will
have to wipe excess off... how do you do that with really small
micros?

I use paraffin oil, which is scentless, colorless and doesn't degrade.
I don't thin it; solvents will not help oils soak in, as the ability
to soak in is controlled by the porosity of the shell and the size of
the oil molecules. The solvent may soak in further before it
evaporates, but the oil will be filtered out.

--
Andrew Grebneff
Dunedin, New Zealand
Fossil preparator
Mollusc, Toyota & VW van nut

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