Knowledge Center — how-to

Introduction Whether you are trying to remove a specimen from an old base in order to remount it, remove an unsightly blob of adhesive stuck to a specimen you just acquired, or simply want to know how you would go about undoing your own hot glue job before you start, we'll show you the techniques you need to do it safely. Just follow these 3  steps: identify, separate from base (if applicable), and remove from specimen. Step 1: Identify your adhesive. There are a variety of adhesives used, for better or worse, to attach minerals to bases in the position a collector thought it...

  Many folks are often nervous about shipping their specimens, and we totally understand. Done properly, however, the risks are very low. We send and receive a lot of specimens via mail, and feel the best practice by far is to pack "boxes within a box". Continue reading to see how we do it. Preparing Mineral Specimens for Shipment Each specimen to be mailed should be packed in an individual box that is (ideally) twice as long, twice as wide, and twice as deep as the specimen itself. It should be packed using the softest padding available to fill the gaps. Dry cleaner bags are an...