PVA (Polyvinyl Acetate) is a great high quality preservative coating that can be used in all stages of fossil collecting and preparation.

We use high-purity, Polyvinyl Acetate Beads (PVA) as a penetrant and coating for fossils in both the field and in the laboratory. We dissolve these odorless, tasteless, nontoxic beads in acetone or water. A thicker solution will work best to slow the weathering if a specimen must be secured for later excavation and extraction. Thinner solution will leave a light protective coating on the surface of prepared fossils. PVA is probably one of the finest consolidants for porous materials or for a flexible coating on fossils.