STEP 1—Making the unfinished mounting boards used for storage and handling of soil core. You will need to make two of these unfinished mounting boards (see Figure 1).1.) Obtain one 8 foot 2 X 6 from your local hardware. Cut the 2 X 6 into 42” long pieces.2.) After you have obtained your 42” long boards pick an end and draw a semicircular ¾” deep,1 5/8” wide groove. This groove will be cut down the center of each board. This will be your guide when you begin cutting (see Figure 2). Note-Make sure to place the center of the groove at the center of the board, this will make cutting the groove go much faster. 3.) Using a table saw, match the height of the blade and the position of the fence on your table saw up with the edge of line you drew for your groove. Make your cut down. Now since your groove is centered you can flip the board over and make the same cut on the opposite side. Once the outside cuts have been completed, move your fence in 1/16” and move your saw blade up so the eighth of your cut will meet the edge of the line you drew. Keep moving your fence in 1/16” at a time. 4.) Once your semicircular groove has been cut in the two boards cut a ¼” thick piece of plywood into three 5 ½ ” X 1 ½ ” pieces. These will later be nailed to the base of each 2 X 6 to close one end of the semicircular groove (see Figure 1). This completes your two mounting boards.

STEP 2—Making the mounting board used for displaying the soil core (see Figure 1).1.) Repeat step one. Coat the semicircular groove with varnish to waterproof it. The rest of the board may be painted for aesthetic value. Note-waterproofing all the boards will make clean up esier.2.) Nail a metal hanger to the back to enable wall mounting.3.) The open space on either side of the groove will be used for labeling.

STEP 3—Obtaining the soil core to be mounted.1.) Use a power probe to remove a 2” soil core. Unscrew the tube tip and cut the length of your core to the length of your mounting board, approximately 42”. Remove the excess from the bottom of the core only, not the top.2.) Place a strip of plastic wrap over the groove of one of your unfinished mounting boards made in Step 1. Remove the tip from the probe and incline it slightly. Slide the core out slowly to prevent cracking or spilling. The extra plastic wrap is used to wrap up the soil core. Invert the second unfinished mounting board over the wrapped soil core. Masking tape may be used to secure the boards around the soil core. A naturally moist profile is easier to prepare for soil structure. This will protect the core and keep is from drying out until it is ready to be mounted. Note-When a complete soil profile cannot be pulled in one coring, several parts may be spliced together.

STEP 4—Mounting your soil core.1.) Apply masking tape to the edges of the mounting board along the groove to prevent the glue from sticking to the board. Spread a thick layer of glue in the groove then place a double thickness of gauze over the glue. Press the gauze down so the glue seeps through. Additional glue may be added to the top of the gauze.2.) Fold the plastic wrap back from the stored soil core. Make sure the top of the soil profile is at the top of the mounting board. Invert the mounting board and match the grooves up. Place the mounting board over the unfinished mounting board with the soil core. Holding them firmly together, turn them over so that when the boards are separated the soil core will be laying on the mounting board properly positioned in the groove. Remove the plastic wrap from the soil core.3.) Pick the soil core down to expose representative structure or features. Some of this material should be labeled and saved for repairs if they are needed during the fixative application phase. A flat surface on sandy textured material provides a better-looking profile. The monolith should be placed in a safe place to be dried.

STEP 5---Treating the soil monolith with fixative.1.) Mix white glue (White Elmer’s Glue) with warm water in a dispenser bottle using the following dilutions depending on the soil.
* Sandy and loamy soils: ~ 5 parts water to 1 part glue.
** Clayey soils: ~ 10 parts water to 1 part glue.
Note-the mixture can be varied depending on the soil characteristics.2.) Once the profile has thoroughly dried and the proper dilutions have been made start from one end of the profile by saturating it with the proper glue dilution. Some spots may need re-application as the solution is adsorbed. When the whole profile is saturated with solution allow the monolith to dry completely. Before the glue dries completely remove the masking tape from the edges of the core. If features like mottles are not prominent enough, they can be added or enhanced by using properly colored stains and a small paintbrush. Manganese nodules can be added with permanent black ink. A coat of glue over these will seal them to the monolith. When the monolith is completely dried it is ready to label.

STEP 6---Labeling the soil monolith.

1.) Labels should include the soil series name and horizon designations. The space along the side is used for indicating horizon designations and other info

(see figure 3).