Few examples in the literature offer approaches to improve skills or solve the problems that will inevitably arise while working with the often limited resources available in archaeological excavations. Clearly, working in the field is very different from working in the controlled environment of a laboratory. Even very simple things may be difficult to achieve. This poster explores -- in a light-hearted but fully grounded way -- how conservators overcame apparently mundane challenges when trying to use cyclododecane during the 2014 excavation season in Olduvai Gorge, an important Palaeolithic site in Tanzania, where material resources were limited. We demonstrate how much preparation and improvisation are needed to make things work properly and safely.