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I have been looking into purchasing a quieter compressor. I hear great things about how quiet the California Air Tools units are but some have suggested that the compressors may not last that long. Has anyone here used any of these for fossil preparation? I will typically run a compressor 5-8 hours a day for fossil work. Im looking at the 8010spc but if im only gonna get a few years out of it, it might not be worth the extra cash. Nick

I was lucky enough to find a crab concretion, and not knowing what it was, opened it with a hammer. I included images below for reference of what I am talking about. * Part of the leg and claw are in imprint. What is the best approach getting them out without damage? I'm thinking manual tools? * It looks like there might be another concretion connected to that piece. Would I be able to freeze-thaw to open it now that the other fossil is exposed or could this cause damage?

How do people prep trilobites in cross sections? Heres a picture i found. I really want to learn to prep trilobites in cross sections how do they know where the head and pygdium is?

Hello, I have a bit of an odd piece, it's not a fossil, it's a scorpion! The scorpion was in its burrow in a dune when the dune collapsed, I would like to stabalize the sand, so that I can display it. This isn't a particularly important find, so I wouldn't mind if it broke in the process. Keep in mind, I have very limited materials.

Not sure if this is a good picture but i Found this trilobite in kinnekulle sweden. And im going to prep it but not sure what species it is. Anyone knows? The age is ordocvician

Looking for some tips. I've been given an older CP 9361 but want to get a new stylus. Looking at getting it from Paleotools. What my question to you prep pros is what stylus would you recommend? I'm thinking the 1.5' or 2' pointed stylus? Will be mostly doing trilobites and plants in shale and mudstone. @Kane @piranha

I found another Ensiferites brandenburgi sponge that is now currently the largest ever found at 7 cm x 7.5 cm across. Part of the top displays lots of 1 mm spicules. Unfortunately the top of the calcareous sponge is mostly covered with caliche and possibly the limestone matrix. Is there any hope to prep this to expose all the spicules on the top? How? This could become a near museum piece thus I don’t want to practice my prepping skills in it. Help @Ptychodus04.

Hello, I found this echinoid the other day, and I was hoping to clean it up. Unfortunately, it's in bad shape. This is the only one I have of this type, so I would like to make it presentable. I found it on Jebel Hafeet, Al Ain, UAE (United Arab Emirates). The fossil appears to be covered in calcite, plus the rock there is mainly made up of limestone. I heard that the "vinegar bath" isn't such a good idea, what else can I do?

It has been 9 months since I began planning a room to "seriously" prep fossils in. All of the equipment has been purchased. The blasting box constructed.I am just finishing the wall in my basement. Excitement is growing!!!! My only area of confusion left concerns the general air in the prep room. What do preppers use to keep the room air fresh. I am venting the blasting box outside. I am open to all suggestions. The room is 144 square feet. No windows exist. Does anyone have issues drawing air out of the room and causing the pilot light on the furnace and water heater to go out? My ears are open to all suggestions!! Mike

Being a member of the forum for 7 great years now, I have seen plenty of questions from beginners asking how to prep their finds. And this was something I struggled with at the beginning myself. As a result, I have brought together some of MY techniques of basic fossil preparation in a picture heavy presentation. Each fossil shown required less than 4 minutes to prep. It works well for me with the type of rock that I pick up. My old techniques will probably make more advanced members cringe!!! But remember, we all have to start somewhere. So let us begin with items that are probably already found in your home . We will need some matrix to work on. All pieces of matrix in the bucket have a hint of a fossil showing. From experience, I have found that removing most of the matrix out on a hunt results in disaster. Improper tools, hasty removal, pieces fly and drop onto the rocks below, no glue. Trim pieces down to a reasonable size but do the finesse work at home. VICE: I knew the vice would make some of you scream NO!!!! I heard @Malcolmt for sure!!! The vice is usually used for breaking off larger chunks of matrix . Always begin AWAY from the fossil and as matrix is removed, move towards it. Microfractures will occur in the matrix as one progresses closer to the fossil. Something that you can "feel". At this point the heavy duty equipment can be put away and use more delicate utensils. When applying pressure to the matrix, do so SLOWLY. Often you will feel the rock break BEFORE cracks are seen. Stop and assess the situation before proceeding. Look at the pieces of matrix removed as they can reveal unseen fossils that are worthy of collection. If an unforeseen fracture occurs through the fossil, CAREFULLY remove the pieces from the vice. This is why superglue is pictured in the tools needed for preparation. HAMMER: It is used with a chisel or a drywall screw but can be utilized alone. If such is the case, I have had the best luck tapping the matrix on the backside. Give gentile taps over the surface of the matrix trying to find weaknesses in the rock. As with the vice, you often feel the weakness before the break. This allows inspection of the fossil, making sure the matrix doesn't split through the fossil. On layered matrix, Tap on the sides of the specimen, not on the top or bottom. This will allow splitting of the sample in a bedding plane, as seen below. CHISEL: Chisels seem to be most effective in very hard matrix or softer layered stone. Place the chisel on a bedding plane NEXT TO the fossil. If the chisel touches a fossil, a imperfection will likely be produced. Unfortunately, sometimes this can't be helped. As with the vice and hammer, start with gentle taps, slowly increasing in force until success is had.

So i got some fossils i need to prep mostly hard limestone. But i use hand tools. Any tips on how to make it easier? Is there a way to soften the limestone?

These are two of my favourites, which I have been working on with my dremel to remove matrix. Parts of both show a fantastic golden pyrite. Sorry the pics don’t show it too well. I suspect the gold is fading however. A few questions: 1. Can I do anything to bring out the gold? Would polishing with a wire dremel head help? 2. What can I do to preserve the gold? Should I coat/seal them? Thanks in advance!

I've got a few Green River fish to prep and am having difficulty with the fins. I've prepped invertebrates before but haven't hit on the technique for these fish yet. I have a Paleo-Aro airscribe and an abrasive blaster, sodium bicarb and dolomite. The Paleo-aro seems too robust for the delicate fin rays and tends to damage a lot of them. I'm thinking of getting a micro jack but not sure of which # would be appropriate. I almost have my air-blaster up and running again. Is using sodium bicarb at a low pressure the answer? I know a couple of people who only use manual picks and have amazing results but, it is very painstaking. I've tried dental picks and am damaging more than exposing. Are dental picks too flexible? Is there anything just as thin but more rigid? Any assistance will be much appreciated. Thanks. Tom

Since the Peace River, FL has been running deep and fast for the last few weeks I decided to spend some time prepping and making a display for several proboscidean bones found in the spring. After posting the bones for id here when they were found and doing a bit of research on my own I believe what I have are pieces of an ulna from either a Mammoth or Mastodon. There is the possibility of Gomph, but Dr. Hulbert has informed me a couple of times that Gomph specimens have not yet been found in the Peace River. So first up is a photo of the four ulna sections along with the other specimens found that day. Several pieces in the pink plastic bucket were later able to be reattached to a couple of the ulna sections. I did come up with one additional ulna section on a return visit to the same spot later that week. Next is a photo of the four ulna pieces lined up for an overall idea of size. Two of these large pieces were able to be put back together after consolidation and formed the standing piece in the display. They are the two in the middle in the below photo. Finally, three photos of the completed display with rulers to get an idea of proportion. The metal ruler laying flat is 15" overall. The standing portion of the display consists of two pieces I was able to glue back together after consolidation it measures about 20". Two of the pieces laying flat had smaller pieces from the pink bucket in the first photo reattached after everything was consolidated with acetone and PVA beads. I used some scrap wood to make the tray table and post support. Some soft toy modeling clay was used to rest the base of the upright bone on. Clay was also used to form a ball over the top of the wooden support post to prevent the post from damaging the specimen. The tray table was filled with sand to lay the additional pieces on and give it a finishing touch. Looking forward to getting back to the Peace River in the coming week to see what new wonders have been uncovered by the summer rainy season!

I have 1kg of rough Burmese amber stones ready to polish but I'm a little stumped as to where to start. I've polished Dominican pieces before using a dremel and wet sandpaper with success, but this stuff is older and much harder. In addition to the thin rough skin on these pieces, a lot have rock (or some combination of amber/earth) running through them making it difficult to figure out the plan of attack in regard to finding inclusions and getting a nice shine. Anyone here have experience with this?

Nothing too spectacular here, but am getting better using the new air scribes and media blaster. Having the stereoscope on a swing arm reall helps! these are all common or low quality fossils I collected or kept around just for practice.

It came up in another thread, so I figure it might be worth discussing: Let's talk resin pigments! Personally, I never bother with coloring the actual epoxy putty, but only because I'm more familiar with painting. I have from time to time, mixed in colored clays or matrix powders, but this was more for texture than color. I've seen folks use mixed colors of polymer clays to achieve these effects, but to be frank, I have yet to see a polymer clay that is durable enough to meet my needs and standards. However, I recently discovered that there are many inexpensive pigments/dyes specifically designed for epoxy resins. The advent of UV resin 3D additive printing and the popularity of liquid resin casting for geegaws and doodads has made them numerous and cheap. I'm curious. Do any of you use/have tried these with the putties (Apoxie/PaleoSculpt/etc.). They are in fact designed for liquid resin use, but chemically, they should be compatible with the putties without sacrificing bond time and strength in theory. I also see many dry pigment powders for the same use, those being formulated specifically for putties. I plan to buy some of the liquids for an "amber" project in the near future (I am NOT letting students play with real amber full of bugs and such when I can fake it in the name of inexpensive teaching aids!) I suspect this may be the solution to the translucency in some fossils that is so difficult to recreate via paint. Any thoughts?

This is the nicest echinoid that I have ever found here in South Texas. It always bugged me that I didn’t clean it up completely but I was scared that I would create more harm than good. After reading other’s post, I decided to go slow and see what I could accomplish. Here are the before and after picture. I think I am now happy with the results. Any further suggestions or am I at a good place?

I threw together a guide to manual prep tools for one of my students who is interested in trying her hand at some peck and scratch work on fossils. Figure I'd share a version of it with yinze. (mildly edited to comply with forum regs) Manual Prep Tools- Earth Sciences Basic "starter tools" You probably have some stuff around your home already that will work for basic prep- large sewing needles, various nails and screws, and even old drill bits. Basically, if it is sharp and pointy, you can probably remove some rock! Hardened nails, like blued finish nails and masonry nails can be fashioned into finer points with a bit of grinder work. See also: Pin Vise (below) Another option is hobby knives, like an Exacto as there are tones of different disposable blades and hooks and such for them. Personally, I rarely use them for fossils as I tend to break off the fine points and need my blades for my models and such, however, if you got 'em, try 'em! Automotive gasket picks/o-ring picks Pros: Cheap and easy to get- any auction site or automotive parts store has them. ranges from cheap to moderately expensive. Available with thin, pencil like grips and heavy screwdriver like grips Cons: You get what you pay for, the cheap ones tend to be softer steel and prone to bending and breaking. Be ready to re-sharpen tips regularly. Lousy for hard matrix and may leave marks that rust later on. Dental Tools: Pros: Fairly easy to get consumer grade versions online. Range from cheap to pricey. Extremely fine points, but way require occasional sharpening. Cheaper ones tend to bend easily on rock. Cons: Real medical grade stainless steel dental picks (the best ones) may be illegal in some places as they are medical equipment and not intended for consumers. The best ones can cost a lot. Also very sharp and easy to stab yourself with... Dissection Probes (stainless steel) Pros: Affordable and relatively easy to buy online. Heavy stainless steel versions cost more, but have a variety of tip types you cannot get elsewhere that are very useful. Easy to resharpen and maintain. The blunt probes can easily be ground into chisel tips and quad points. Awesome for soft matrix. The spear point type are so useful! Cons: The cheapest ones are no better than gasket picks and are soft and prone to bending. Also, very sharp and easy to stab yourself with... Industrial tungsten carbide (tool steel) scribes Pros: A personal favorite for hard matrix and fine detail work. CHEAP. Large variety of styles from a pointy stick, to a retractable pen. Tips can be replaced and are cheap. Cons: Do not strike these with a tapper or hammer- the tip will shatter. Chisels: Pros: Excellent for removing big chunks. Good for small stuff too if you know what you are doing. Great for the field and the bench. Best ones are acquired through art supply stores. Cons: Buy carbide tipped chisels designed for stonework...many cold chisels are designed only for use on mild steel or masonry and are virtually useless for stone due to softer steel used. Heavy and you gonna need a variety of hammers. Also...expensive....but you get what you pay for. Specialty Chisels: There are special tool steel thin chisels designed for splitting shale. If you are a splitter and don't have a few of these, you are doin' it wrong! Pros: Specifically designed for splitting fossiliferous shale. Cons: Can be hard to source. Side note: You can make your own if you have access to a grinder and some "blue" spring steel. General Purpose Hammers: DO NOT USE A CLAW HAMMER. I say again, DO NOT USE A CLAW HAMMER. They are not designed or made to withstand meta on metal impact (like a chisel head). There are tonnes of brands and types, but a good quality ball peen and a few mini sledges will treat you right. Personally, I prefer the "deadblow" style, but wood handle and all steel are good too as you can get really small weights. Mallets: Trust me, having a mallet is really handy. Deadblows are my preferred (pictured above), but I also use a sculptors mallet...which once you learn how to use, will likely be the only hammer you ever use during prep. Don't laugh, but if you need to really wail on something, a bowling pin is awesome. Paint Brushes/chip brushes/wire brushes: Artist paint brushes are useful for all sorts of things, from removing dust to picking up small bits. I use a mix of synthetic and natural bristles Chip brushes are super cheap to the point of being disposable, but don't last very long if used wet. Also, 100% recyclable. a clay sculpting "feather" brush Pin Vise: This is a handy little item for holding, well, pins. For your purposes this can be regular sewing needles, large gauge needles, sharpened nails, etc. DO NOT over tighten the chuck. It will jam and ruin your tool. An Exacto type knife handle can double as a pin vise by changing out the chuck jaws with rotary (dremel) tool chuck jaws. Pros: Inexpensive and Easy to get most anywhere. However as with most tools, you get what you pay for. Often sold with tiny drill bits which are handy for lots of things. Cons: Thou shalt not over tighten thine chuck! Cheaper models have soft aluminum or brass ferrules which can be prone to breakage and thread stripping if over tightened. cheap version expensive version...designed for fine scale modelers...notice the chuck and ferrule are steel and nickle plate, rather than aluminum. Scratch Brushes also known as Wire Brushes including sculpture brushes: Cheap, easy to get, various types available anywhere! You will find lots of uses for these. (Also, old tooth brushes are handy...the kind without the rubber stuff in the bristles!) Pros: Many! Cons: Be careful! Brushes with steel bristles can rust and stain your specimen---stainless steel, aluminum, brass, and nylon are safer if you have humidity around! So, there is a brief overview of basic hand prep tools. Field tools and powered tools are an entirely different subject discussed well in other threads.

Okay gang. Don’t ever do this. Brachs are so common here ( along with crinoid bits) I use them as aquarium gravel... But, here’s what happens when you figure out how to acid prep Kewitz limestone to expose calcite and not loose morphology: I finish these with a week long silicon oil soak to make them shine.

So, I tried out my new air scribes and media blaster today. Finally, time to play with real fossils for a change! I’m starting to enjoy all the half days I’m working due to the pandemic. First up a bug from Warren County, Ohio that I found as a Boy Scout over 30 years ago. For years thought this was a partial hidden in the matrix. Next is a brachiopod from Cass County, Nebraska It was fractured, but I reconstructed it.

So i prep with dental picks and pin vises and i actually like it. I have more control while prepping. But how far can you get with hand tools? I have read when prepping with hand tools that the fossils get really damaged. I have not noticed it at all. I am prepping a trilo and it goes well. Really well. should i keep prepping with hand tools? And can it make amazing preps?

I give you the World's Cutest Fossil Preparators! I found a lump of matrix with a sliver of clam shell exposed about two years ago in Buxton, NC. It's a chunk of the Pleistocene shelf on which the OBX are sitting. When I brought it home, all you could see of the shell was the yellow strip in the middle. It was the only fossil visible at the time. It sat on a shelf for two years, waiting in vain for me to scrape away the matrix. I finally decided to use it for mouse furniture a couple weeks ago. They decided that they really like the minerals in the matrix. They have been licking away the matrix but have been very good about not eating the shell -- or any of the other fossils that they have been exposing. I wish they could do this with dolomite!

I have noticed when prepping swedish belemites that when i remove matrix and shell fragments small holes come up. And its very annoying. Is there any cause to this? Is it just how i prep? I hope u can see it in the pictures. Should i polish it? Hope that someone knows the cause

Hey everyone, I found this ventral trilobite in Marjum Pass, Utah over the summer. I wondered whether somebody could prep it out for me. I'm a student working part time so my budget is limited, but I'd love to talk about what it might cost for somebody on the forum to do this job. Here are some pics: