How to remove fungus from 100 year old diatom slides
Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2020 6:43 pm
May I ask your combined knowledge for assistance please.
I bumped into a box of 85 old Diatom slides. Age unknown but the glass of the slides looks and 'feels' very old (typical streaks like you see in windows panes begin 1910).
Descriptions in Chinese ink or in pencil. All slides show different Diatom samples - most from the UK and some from New Zealand. Very well cleaned diatoms, mounted with xxx? and the thickness of the mounting layer is a bit on the high side. Coverslips appear to have a variance in thickness as well.
Nearly all slides are full of fingerprints and have a slight cover of fungus on them. I cleaned the first 5 using soap en water, minding not to touch the stickers with descriptions. Fungus ad fingerprint were easy to remove.
Question 1: what is you guidance in cleaning the rest of the slides. In particular how to prevent h fungus from coming back (the description stickers were not cleaned to prevent damage .. so still contain some of the fungus fibers).
Question 2: Some slides have a lacquer? ring around the coverslip: the rings show severe damage. How to salvage them (or alternatively leave as is?)
Best, Maarten
I bumped into a box of 85 old Diatom slides. Age unknown but the glass of the slides looks and 'feels' very old (typical streaks like you see in windows panes begin 1910).
Descriptions in Chinese ink or in pencil. All slides show different Diatom samples - most from the UK and some from New Zealand. Very well cleaned diatoms, mounted with xxx? and the thickness of the mounting layer is a bit on the high side. Coverslips appear to have a variance in thickness as well.
Nearly all slides are full of fingerprints and have a slight cover of fungus on them. I cleaned the first 5 using soap en water, minding not to touch the stickers with descriptions. Fungus ad fingerprint were easy to remove.
Question 1: what is you guidance in cleaning the rest of the slides. In particular how to prevent h fungus from coming back (the description stickers were not cleaned to prevent damage .. so still contain some of the fungus fibers).
Question 2: Some slides have a lacquer? ring around the coverslip: the rings show severe damage. How to salvage them (or alternatively leave as is?)
Best, Maarten