Welcome to DF Meteorite’s(Oriental Meteorite's) Collectors’ Academy. We know every meteorite is a time‑travelling treasure, and proper care is the key to keeping it shining forever. This guide distills the hands‑on routines from our workbench and presents them in the clearest possible way to help you become the “care expert” of your own collection.

Core Principle: Prevention Beats Cure

• Primary rule: Building a dry, stable storage environment is far easier and more effective than laborious derusting after the fact.

• Absolute ban: Never use any chlorine‑containing products (such as concentrated hydrochloric acid, bleach, or certain heavy‑duty rust removers). They trigger the meteorite’s “cancer”—chloride disease—causing corrosion to spread uncontrollably from the inside.

• Golden duo: For cleaning and care we only recommend deionized water or high‑purity anhydrous alcohol hydrochloric acid (ethanol/isopropanol at ≥95%, hydrochloric‑acid‑to‑alcohol ratio 1:9). Also prepare silica‑gel desiccants and professional anti‑rust wax.

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Step One: Diagnose Before You Treat—Understand Your Meteorite’s Condition

Before you start, examine your meteorite carefully with a loupe from two angles:

1) “Constitution”: Crack condition

• Healthy constitution — no visible cracks: Routine surface cleaning and maintenance are fine.
• Sensitive constitution — hairline cracks/pinholes: Absolutely no soaking! Once liquid wicks into fissures, internal corrosion worsens. Use targeted spot‑application and reinforcement methods.
• Severe constitution — obvious open cracks or delamination: The first task is “setting the bone.” Use dedicated adhesives to stabilize the structure, then consider surface work.

2) “Symptoms”: Rust severity

• Mild — scattered orange specks that rub off by hand: Aim for gentle interruption without harming the original surface.
• Yellowing — overall yellow/brown, like old oil film: Usually aged wax or oil. Needs “deep cleaning” and a fresh protective layer.
• Severe — scaly, sheet‑like red/black rust: Requires a “comprehensive surgery,” combining mechanical rust removal, alkaline dechlorination, and rigorous sealing.

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Step Two: Know the “Personalities” of Four Famous Iron Meteorites and Their Care Priorities

• Aletai — the stable performer
  Temperamentally stable and less prone to rust. Routine care is enough (RH < 35%), but watch for local rust around metallic inclusions.

• Muonionalusta (Sweden) — the delicate princess
  The most rust‑prone and extremely humidity‑sensitive! Must live in a “VIP dry room” (RH < 25%), with VCI anti‑rust paper and desiccants. If you must acid‑etch to reveal the pattern, work quickly and precisely.

• Sericho (Kenya) — the “mixed‑blood beauty” (iron plus olivine)
  The iron–olivine interfaces are weak points. Absolutely no whole‑piece acid baths, or the beautiful olivine crystals will be damaged. After cleaning, reinforce the boundaries with suitable adhesives.

• Seymchan (Russia) — the two‑sided charmer
  It has both pure metallic zones and crystal‑bearing zones. Maintain with “zonal operations”: treat metal as usual; treat crystal‑bearing zones per Sericho’s “no acid” rule.

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Step Three: Targeted Treatments—Hands‑On Care and Derusting

A. Handling Mild Rust

Goal: Gentle cleaning and building protection.

1. Dry brushing: Use a fiberglass pen or ultra‑fine rust eraser to lightly brush away spots.
2. Alcohol wipe: Swab thoroughly with anhydrous alcohol.
3. Stabilization/Conversion (choose one):
   • Tannic acid method: Dab 3–5% tannic acid solution for 30–120 seconds; stop when the color darkens. Gentle and reliable.
   • Phosphoric acid method: Dab 5–10% phosphoric acid for 5–30 seconds to form a protective film (metallic zones only).
4. Neutralization and drying: Rinse quickly with a weak alkaline solution (baking‑soda water), then with deionized water and alcohol. Finally, blow‑dry on low heat (50–60°C) until completely dry.
5. Protective coat: Apply a uniform layer of microcrystalline wax.

B. Handling Yellowish Oily Film

Goal: Remove aged layers and refresh.

1. Degrease: Wipe off old wax/oil with mineral spirits or petroleum ether.
2. Clean: Wipe with anhydrous alcohol. For stubborn yellowing, spot‑treat with 3–5% citric‑acid solution for 10–30 seconds.
3. Neutralize and dry: Same as above.
4. Re‑seal: Apply microcrystalline wax or a dedicated protective varnish.

C. Handling Severe Rust

Goal: Rust removal, dechlorination, reinforcement—full rescue.

1. Mechanical rust removal: Use a small knife or bamboo pick to carefully lift off loose scales.
2. Alkaline dechlorination (key step!): Soak the meteorite in 5% sodium‑carbonate solution for 24–72 hours to remove chloride ions that drive corrosion. Replace solution during the process.
3. Chemical conversion: Use tannic acid or phosphoric acid to convert active rust into a stable protective layer.
4. Gentle acid cleaning (only when necessary): For stubborn rust, spot‑treat with 5–10% oxalic acid in seconds‑to‑minutes bursts and rinse immediately. The goal here is derusting, not etching to reveal patterns.
5. Thorough neutralization and drying: Perform the baking‑soda rinse, water rinse, alcohol dehydration, and extended low‑temperature drying.
6. Crack reinforcement: Wick a dedicated consolidant (e.g., B‑72 acrylic resin) into fissures.
7. Final seal: Wax. For high‑risk types like Swedish Muonionalusta, add a clear protective lacquer on top.

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Special Tips for Meteorite Jewelry Lovers

• Already‑sealed pieces: If your jewelry is plated or resin‑encapsulated, do not perform any acid treatment. Clean only with alcohol and a soft cloth.
• Daily wear: Avoid sweat, perfume, and seawater. Wipe dry after wearing and store in a jewelry box with desiccant.
• Dissimilar‑metal contact: Long contact with silver, stainless steel, etc., can cause galvanic corrosion. Dab a little clear nail polish at the contact points or insert a washer to isolate.

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DF Meteorite Expert Summary

• Best storage: Place your meteorite in a sealed container with sufficient blue‑indicator silica gel (regenerate when it turns pink). Keep ambient humidity ideally below 30%.
• Regular checkups: Visual check monthly; loupe inspection quarterly. If you notice “weeping,” seepage, or white powder, switch immediately to the “Severe Rust” workflow.

Common mistakes by beginners

• Using WD‑40‑type sprays: Fine short‑term, but they age, attract dust, and become messy long‑term.
• Failing to fully neutralize and dry after acid use: Flash rust will return quickly.
• Acid‑treating or ultrasonic‑cleaning crystal‑bearing meteorites like Sericho: This causes permanent damage.

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We’ve Got Your Back

This guide is meant to empower every enthusiast. But for very high‑value, structurally complex, or uncertain specimens, we strongly recommend that you don’t proceed on your own.
You can contact us anytime through our website—our expert team is happy to provide paid care/restoration services or one‑on‑one technical guidance.

Let science‑based care extend the legend forged over billions of years.

Follow and DM DF Meteorite—our experts offer 1:1 support to safeguard your future collection.