Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I put the fern fossils in my fish tank?
I would not advise it. Aside from the pyrophyllite coating being in danger of rubbing off, minerals within the shale may leach into the water.
Can I display them outside?
Yes you can, but the exposure to weather will wear away the pyrophyllite coating at a faster rate. They tend to keep their whiteness for a couple years if left outside. I would suggest keeping it under some sort of cover(ie:against the house) if left outside.
Do you prep or paint your fern plant fossil specimens?
No, they are as they come out of the ground. They can be sprayed with a fixative to protect the pyrophyllite mineral. We do not do this anymore because most of our customers prefer their fossils in a completely natural state. Some people use a clear satin or semi-gloss spray, or even hair spray! We leave that up to the buyer to decide whether to do that or not now. We do suggest if spraying the fossils, do so in extremely light coatings.
Can I do a tile job or mosaic with St. Clair fern fossils?
I do not have any experience tiling with fossils, but a few of my customers have reported positive results in the past. Here are exerpts from an email I received:
"It worked well. The toughest thign was cutting the tiles square. I used a speed square and a fence on teh saw to make sure that the tiles were fairly square. I'd say that its better to have larger tiles than smaller ones. I started with 3x3 - but the detail of the ferns just disappeared. You really need 4x4 to keep that detail obvious. It was also kinda tricky to keep the tiles from splitting and pealing, but that was only a minor problem.
As far as sealent, I used EnSealent H2O. Its made by TEC. The rest of the tiles in the bathroom were slate, and this is the sealent I used on them. Its OK. I totally soaked them with the stuff. You can find it at Menards (if you have those in PA). It was $30 cheaper at Menards than at the tile store. If you don't have a Menards, go to your local tile store and see what they'd use on raw shale"