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  1. I have a nice piece of limestone shale with some gomphoceras fossils on it. It was apparently on the surface and there are portions with unsightly white deposits that are presumably due to abrasion. I have read that some soak a specimen in 5% acetic acid overnight; however, I am concerned about damaging the nearby fossils. I have tried to use an artist's paint brush with white vinegar containing 5% acetic acid and even with scrubbing with a toothbrush, the white abraded portions remain. Should I try soaking the entire specimen over night? Any suggestions/recommendations would be appreciated.
  2. oilshale

    How do you prep at home?

    I would like to start a new thread: How do you prep at home? I hope there will be some interesting tricks, methods and equipment shared. Everyone is invited and encouraged to post their equipment, their experiences, their solutions to problems, and their preparation tricks here. Let me start with my equipment. We had an oil heater in the basement and an oil tank about 3000L in size. After the tubing in the boiler room burst twice in 25 years and the room was flooded with smelly diesel oil, we decided in 2016 to install a groundwater heat pump and scrap the oil heating including tank. I immediately took the opportunity, occupied the room and set up my sandblasting equipment there. I use two sandblasting units: on the right is my main DIY unit that I built a few years ago – the design instruction can be found here: On the left is the small unit that I actually rarely use. I operate the small unit with iron powder that I have sieved over 45µm. This very fine iron powder trickles somewhat badly, therefore a magnetic vibrator is installed under the blasting agent tank. In the large unit I use almost only iron powder, which I sieved over 150µm. Here, too, I have installed a vibrator, but not a magnetic vibrator, but a turbine vibrator driven by compressed air. With the large unit, I can work for longer than two hours and then I need a break anyway. Using a foot switch, a solenoid valve and a pneumatic cylinder that squeezes off the hose to the blasting nozzle, I can interrupt the blasting flow almost instantly without a lot of abrasive running down. Iron powder is more expensive than bicarbonate, but since I can recover it, it is cheaper in the long run. I got myself 25kg of iron powder in 2016 - that will still last for years. For recovery, I use the two cyclones on the left. I blow the exhaust air into the open air. I have installed strong permanent magnets in front of the intake opening of the cyclones . Since the chamber IS very large and most of the iron powder sediments beforehand, almost nothing gets into the cyclones - only rock dust. To clean the chamber from time to time, I use an electromagnet to conveniently collect the iron powder. With the electromagnet, I can also easily separate the rock dust from the iron powder. Some rock dust is carried away by the iron, but most of it remains when I switch on the electromagnet. And when I repeat the procedure with the electromagnet several times, the iron powder is almost free of rock dust. Of course, since I can recover over 95% of the iron powder, I have to sift it frequently. This was too exhausting and boring for me. I have therefore built myself an automatic sieving unit. The sieves stand on a plywood board, which is mounted on four springs and can swing freely. The board is set in motion by a turbine vibrator driven by compressed air. Within a few minutes the material is sieved. So that I do not have to watch the whole time, I have built a mono-stable trigger circuit, which automatically switches off the solenoid valve after 10 min (the grey box in the picture below). Within a few minutes, the material is sieved. So I do not have to pay attention all the time, I have built a simple circuit (mono-stable trigger circuit) for myself, which automatically switches off the solenoid valve for the turbine vibrator after about 10 min. The sieves are from China, not exactly the best quality, but quite sufficient for my purposes and available at a tolerable cost. When sandblasting, I always work under a microscope. I bought my Olympus microscope cheap from Malaysia via the internet (at that time the method of quality control was changed in the semiconductor factories and the microscopes were discontinued). To achieve a sufficient working distance, I use Barlow lenses. I have a whole set of them. With a 0.25x attachment lens I achieve a working distance of about 40 cm, but mostly Barlow lenses with a magnification factor of 0.3 or 0.4 and working distances of 18 to 35 cm are sufficient. For illumination I simply put two 50W LED lamps on the glass plate - then I don't need the ring light on the microscope. The X-ray unit on the right side I found on a scrap pile and repaired it. I have to develop the X-ray images myself, but I can still do that from times when there were no digital cameras (you can tell that I am almost a fossil myself...). The X-ray machine is operated from another room for safety reasons. For simple images, the device is still suitable - for better pictures I can go to Munich to the paleontology department there (but then I have to beg a little). The compressor was too loud for me, I installed it in another room and moved a rigid compressed air line into the former boiler room (now prep room). Nevertheless, I regularly use hearing protectors (I can always say I didn't hear my wife calling me). I make a lot of effort to produce dry air - as you can see on the pictures, I have three water separators connected in series (separators with 5µm, 1µm and 0.1µm pore size). Since then, I have had no more problems with clumped abrasive and blocked nozzles. If, exceptionally, I want to use bicarbonate as a blasting medium, I have to clean the blasting chamber completely before and afterwards. Bicarbonate attacks the iron powder and it starts to rust. This wouldn't be too bad in itself, but it reduces the flowability of the powder noticeably. Sometimes I use the box when I work with my pneumatic pens, but for that I actually built a smaller, simple preparation box (without suction). As blasting nozzles, I usually use Renfert IT nozzles with nozzle openings between 0.6 and 1.2mm. As a rule of thumb, you can use "nozzle opening should be about 8 times the grain size". So, for the 150µm iron powder, I use a 1.2mm nozzle. When blasting, I rarely work with high pressure, usually 2 or 3 bar or less is sufficient for my substrates. In the meantime, I also make the nozzles myself from tungsten carbide tubes. Complete blasting pens with a nozzle opening of 1.2mm (and only 1.2mm) can also be bought cheaply via Aliexpress.
  3. zarko petrovic

    Mammuth tusk cleaning

    Hello Do you have suggestion how to remove matriks around tusk? It is from river bad of Donau. It is send also some hard stuff and a lots of stick glude pables. Thanks
  4. L.S., Last fall I've collected a number of plates with sphenopterid foliage from the Piesberg (see photos below). While some of the specimens occur in high-quality rock (e.g., Specimens A-C), others show extensive yellow coloration due to water permeation and creation of "rust minerals" (mostly limonite-type minerals). In Specimens D and E, in particular, this mineralisation obscures the detailed morphology of the plant fossils. Does anyone have experience with removing yellow stains from shale-type rocks? I've been reading about rust removers for pavement and garden rocks but would like to inform myself as best as possible before starting a few experiments on leftover fragments. My goal would be to remove the stains to the point where I can more clearly see the plant imprints. These plants occur in quite competent shale. I think it can easily survive being wetted, but complete submersion for extended periods of time would probably be a bit much... Thanks for your help! Tim Specimen A - part and counterpart Specimens B and C Specimen D - part and counterpart Specimen E
  5. I found this gembone and want to get the algae off. I soaked it in hot water and dish soap, then scrubbed with a toothbrush, but the algae is really stuck on there. Any tips?
  6. what is the best way to clean and store fossils?
  7. i have collected a lot of old bones. some are modern moose and others are mammoth and older mineralized bone. what is the best way to clean them? what tools should I get to use? can anyone recommend a good book on general information and cleaning fossils and bones for a middle school age child? (13) thanks
  8. I soaked this Otodus in hydrogen peroxide (3%) now when it dries a white color over takes the natural color. I’ve tried rinsing and soaking it in fresh water but no help. Did I permanently mess up this tooth? Is there anything I can do? Before and after photo
  9. floridafossiljoel

    Cleaning Algae on agatized coral

    Hi there, Not sure if this is the right folder, but here goes: I have purchased a large amount of un-cut Tampa Bay agatized coral which I will be cutting when it arrives. From the photos, I see some of it has modern algal growth on it. I usually use bleach to clean algae off of fossils. Is this safe with this type of agatized coral? I don't want to do anything to ruin the specimens. I once was polishing a Georgia specimen (and hence using water) which had a chalky white layer on top of the agate, and the chalky layer started to peel off. It still looked fine, but it spooked me. Obviously these fossils have been in water for ages, but I thought I'd ask for input on both counts. Thanks.
  10. Othniel C. Marsh

    Potential Mold on a fossil

    Below is a small fossil that I think may have some mold on it. Is it actually mold, and if it is, how do I address this?
  11. Thanks in advance. Any help you can give this newbie will be appreciated! I found this on east coast of central Florida, about a mile west of the Indian River Lagoon. It weighs about 10 grams. Most of the vertebra is hard like stone. Except on two of the sides, those cream color areas are like very densely packed powder. I've scraped away a lot of it and am wondering if I should try to clean it all out. Does an ultra sonic cleaner help with an item like this? Also, the concrete like deposits that are filling the openings. Can I aggressively clean those holes out? Any chance it's a xiphactinus?
  12. Josesaurus rex

    Allosaurus ribs or not?

    Hello everyone. A few weeks ago I received this piece of matrix with remains claimed to be Allosaurus, from the Morrison Formation. I'm not sure if they're even dinosaur, but I bought them anyway to experiment with cleaning it. What is highlighted in green, in the first photo, is where I was cleaning up with a dremel engraver. From a previous post that I saw on the forum, where someone was asking about this same fossil (I apologize if I bought it ahead of time), I read that they suggested just exposing the bones a little more, and preparing the matrix. It's what I'm doing. But since I don't have paraloid or butvar, in some parts to reinforce the fragile bones I applied super glue, one that is quite liquid and absorbs very well through the cracks, I apply it by drops using a syringe. Maybe I did wrong, but it is the only thing that could have been done in the absence of something better, and I find that it has stabilized the bones very well so that they do not crumble. In the parts highlighted in blue in the first photo and those that follow, there are spaces in the matrix where there was bone, which surely eroded and only the mold remained. The matrix is quite hard, so I don't think it needs any additional need. My doubts are: a) Are Allosaurus rib fragments effectively treated, as suggested in the publication? b) If they are not, is it possible to tell if it is a theropod, sauropod or other type of animal? Thank you very much in advance.
  13. Hello all, my name is Patrick - nice to meet you! I recently went back to the Mazon Creek area to hunt with my daughter, it has been about 40 years since I went with my dad as a kid, so it had been a while! We did ok, found a few that had already popped open, but are covered in white mineral deposits. I tried the method that our local club ESCONI has on its website (Soaked in 25% Vinegar and water solution for 15 minutes and gently rub with a cotton ball), and only saw minimal improvement on the ones that were really bad. I only tried this once on each one - just wondering if my expectations are a bit high for these and I should just accept the condition or if anyone had any suggestions or recommendations?
  14. I went to St Leon Indiana, and I had a pretty good haul!!! Spent the day out there I have several fossils that are from the Ordovician time period and they’re in limestone, limestone shale. Does anyone have any good tips on washing them? Do you prefer dry? Just with a brush? What about any rusted stuff, do you use oxalic oxide? What about algae? Do you prefer water? Soap and water? Hydrogen peroxide? I’m afraid and don’t want to ruin any. Thank you! Jessica
  15. Bill Dye The Travis Guy

    Best way to clean these?

    Hello everyone, does anyone know the best way to clean these? I can’t sadly prep them with a sandblaster or air gun but I wanted to see if there is a way to dunk them in something? I’ve already washed them with soap and water and used a toothbrush. Any recommendations would be great!
  16. So the other night I was at home rowing and watching YouTube videos on fossils and I came across one from a young lady from England- I do not recall her name and am not sure if she is on the forum. I have seen several of her videos and enjoyed them, but this one really caught my attention. She was cleaning fossils that she had collected and she was using a mop bucket. As I was watching this, I thought to myself, what a great idea she has. After I was done rowing, I searched the internet to see if I could find this great new piece of equipment for cleaning the fossils that I collect. After a couple of minutes, I discovered it is the O-Cedar Microfiber Easywring Spin Mop and Bucket System, I know, it’s a mouthful. I found one today at a local home improvement store and purchased it for $33.00. The way this thing works is that after you fill it up with water, you put your dirty fossils in the spin apparatus. Dirty Concretions- Spin apparatus- You then push down on the pedal, which makes it spin in the water. And you have clean concretions in no time. This will be great for Mazon Creek concretions, fossils that I collect in Southern Indiana, etc. And the openings in the spin apparatus is small enough to capture some smaller fossils. See the Scale cube for size. Thanks again @Misha I told you that your scale cubes would be used.
  17. Hey all. I have an Igdamanosaurus agyptiacus tooth from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian Stage) phosphate deposits of Morocco’s Oulad Abdoun Basin. It has one odd little spot with a maroon-covered gunk stuck to it, which I would like to gently clean off of it. The spot is on an area with intact enamel, right next to an area without enamel. First picture shows the spot I’m referring to, second and third are random pictures of this tooth, because why not? Fossil pictures are cool. It’s 1.27 inches wide if that matters, haha.
  18. GreatHoatzin

    Cleaning of Fossil Shells

    I have had this hunk of rock from Manitoulin Island for quite some time now, but I have never attempted to really clean it before. Does anyone have any tips for cleaning the fossils, but leaving them in the rock? I would just like to be able to analyze them more closely. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
  19. Sometime ago, I acquired an ichthyosaur skull that was poorly prepped. It had been roughly grinded and had lost much of its surface details. This is unlike the Holzmaden-style ichthyosaurs that were professionally prepped from the beginning, resulting in a beautiful fossil with scleral eye rings and full teeth etc. It's the reason collectors get unprepped Keichousaurus and send them to professional preppers, with the resultant Keichousaurus being more detailed than the ones you see from the Chinese market. This guy here is as flat as a pancake and so it would take delicate work to remove the hard matrix without damaging what bones still remain. Thankfully, @steelhead9 was up to the task of prepping him further. There is no restoration here. I'd say he has done one heck of a job.
  20. Hey all, so I found this ammonite while on Monmouth Beach, Dorset. It looks rusted, and I've read that they can disintegrate over time but I haven't found a clear guide on what to do to; a) polish and clean the fossil and b) stop it from deteriorating If anyone has any advice that would be amazing! Thanks
  21. Chris33

    Trilobite; Eldredgeops

    Is there anyone in Ontario that can direct me how to better expose more of this fossil or who I can pay and mail it to for revealing more of the body of this guy? Please? I suspect he’s almost curled ATM and the bottom of the rock is his back with a lot of magiexi between his and his mouth and covering him completely. Is it even possible to expose more of his body/limbs?
  22. FossilHunterNYC

    Cleaning ammonite fragments

    These are ammonite fragments from the duck creek formation in lake a Texoma TX. Any advice on how I can clean them and possibly get rid of all the “matrix” material on the shells? The one on the far left has a decent amount of matrix on it. Some of them have a design on the shell. Forget what it’s called I believe it starts with an f, but anyway I can make it “look better”
  23. Bob Saunders

    Cleaning Microscope lens

    I have read on several websites about how to clean eye piece and objectives. From distilled water only , 90 % Isopropal alcohol, Vodka, and Everclear liqueur. Lens tissues, and Kimwipes. Q tips yes and no. I am asking more in reference to vintage microscopes than the latest and greatest optics. What is your technique. Microfiber cleaning cloths have come way down in price, as well as eye glass mini cloths. I find the ladies soft make up brushes are good for dusting, and my local drugstore carries Elf Brand for $1.00 each. Bob
  24. Hey all, I've got a beautiful plate from Green River containing two Priscaceras. The stone itself however is kind of ugly, and I'd like to at least egalize the colours of the stone if possible. Would that be possible, and how could I do that? How about slightly scuffing the stone itself?
  25. Nathan8372

    Petrified Wood ID and Care

    Good Evening All, I'm new to this forum and this is my first post. I was hoping someone could assist me in identifying the type of petrified wood I found in South Texas and the easiest way to remove the white minerals around it (providing I even should be removing the minerals around it). There were several pieces found about 4' below-ground on the edge of a crevasse where water was carving out the soil. I am tempted to return with an excavator to locate more of it but will hold off in the meantime. An early thanks to anyone who can reply and give me some guidance.
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