What is the best way to get shellac off of a specimen?
A1: Shellac was, for many years, thought to be the best material available for consolidating fossils. It was used extensively for this purpose from the 1850s through the last decade, and is still used by some people today. Shellac is at the top of the “not good” list of materials and should be avoided. However, before you decide how to remove it from all your fossils, you should first decide *if* you should remove it. It would be impractical and dangerous (to fossils and preparators) to try to remove the shellac from your entire collection. Attempting to remove any consolidant or coating from a fossil may do more damage than leaving it in place, even if the consolidant is “really bad stuff.
