Munsell Charts

[historic building]

It may have been stradding a gun on a battleship making a power-ballardish noise now you mention it...

I must have drunk too much tea today.

[m300572]

quote:Originally posted by Curator Kid

quote:Originally posted by historic building

I do remember seeing a section somewhere that had been covered with some rubbery-plastic stuff to preserve its face.

Are you sure you weren't watching a Cher video? [xx(]

Not unless it was starring Dominic Powlesland! Dom preserved a few sections at West Hes in the early 80's - technique was to spray the section with rubber solution, nip out of trench, throw lit match in to "dry" the solvent off quickly, check you hadn't lost your eyebrows and 'tache in the resultant fireball, carefully peel off section and take of to the dry of the site hut to draw it. Last time I saw any of the sections they were hanging on the wall in the York Uni archaeology department.

I think Dom got the inspiration from a museum in Germany who, as far as I recall the tale, had a vast hillfort ditch section with some fairly large rocks embedded in it hanging on a wall! Our two metre wide and a meter deep sections must have been relatively simple.

[andy.bicket]

Wow! 4 pages of posts on Munsell colour charts...very impressive, never realised they were that interesting

Although I don't think anyone has mentioned a time when someone has actually used the colour descriptions from a site for anything other than just going into an archive.

As far as I can tell from being around geomorphologists (whilst pretending to be one), the main aim isn't really considered to be the ability to directly compare sections against one another using the values as absolutes, but rather to give an idea to others what the sections/sediments colours resembled...maybe the changes down section are subtle or strong etc. Don't think anyone would necessarily use a specific colour to describe a specfic process. Orange may be linked to waterlogging or burning depending on the feature/geology/chemistry etc. Darker browns may mean more organic content in certain cases, so no hard and fast rules.

And you always have to say whether it is wet or dry when you make your descriptions.

Munsell colours are nice to have but I don't think they've ever been the source of a fist fight between two differing opinions...and if they have it's a massive shame

[chert]

Hi
'The Globe Soil Color Book' cost $40 from Forestry Suppliers Inc, http://www.forestry-suppliers.com

Really do recommend them.

[Bunty]

I made a boss/site supervisor a 'Munlux' colour chart for his birthday - put together from Dulux paint cards and a bit of creative writing. I quite liked the idea of describing contexts, pottery etc as "Tawny Buff", "Sahara Nights" or "Caramel Fusion" but sadly it never got used...

[trowelmonkey]

For anyone who can draw US funds without being investigated for potential terrorist intent the wonderful Ben Meadows currently have a special offer on Munsell books:

http://www.benmeadows.com/store/Soil_Man...CID=9JA071

(soil charts, yeah, I like them.)