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Showing results for tags 'cleaning'.
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Ichthyosaur skull prep - saving a fossil that was poorly excavated
-Andy- posted a topic in Fossil Preparation
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- 11 replies
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- ichthyosaur
- mixosaurus
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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
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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?
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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”
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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
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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?
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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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I've always been really into fossils and prehistoric stuff but I only recently starting going out and fossil hunting. On a recent trip I found 5 concretions from the lincoln creek formation in washington state. I'm pretty sure only the middle one has something in it but I'm at a complete loss at how to go about cleaning these. I dont have a air scribe and I'm completely content with just seeing some of the crab, if there is one inside any of the concretions, and would love some pointers to go about this. Also how to preserve them once they are exposed. I've seen people using some
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So, what is the safest way to remove matrix (sandstone and limestone) from calcium shelled fossils. Everything I've read involved acids (some pretty dangerous). What is most ecologically friendly and safest way? I have picks and dramel , but these shells are very thin and almost impossible to remove from the matrix. I am thinking that weaker acids might not work that well and the costs of using more powerful stuff would require a special room with exhaust systems and ways to neutralize the stronger acids to make them environmentally safe. Images are typical of fossils I want to extract.
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Hello So a while back I came into the possession of a Columbian Mammoth Tooth. As you can see it's in need of a clean and maybe preserving, which I have never done and so I'd like some advice. Feel free to treat me like an idiot as I have never done this befor. P.S. I cannot upload anything to the Gallery section either.
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Hello everyone, I found the below ichthyosaur vertebra on the beach at Wimereux two weeks ago. It had obviously been lying there for some time, as it was covered in green algae and barnacles. Based on the advise of various friends and the fact this rock seems to hard and massive to work through using just my Dremel, I'll be leaving the fossil in its matrix. However, I do want to clean it up from the algae and barnacles. As such, I used a 1:2 dilution of 14° household cleaning vinegar and a couple of sturdy brushes to remove most of the algae (dipping the br
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Here we see a middle Cretaceous ammonite I recently found. Before cleaning attempt And the other picture is after. I used a dremel and various bits. I wouldn't rate it 100% bad since it is my first attempt using power tools, however I would not recommend it. It lacks accuracy and sometimes the bit moves unpredictably, removing fossil material. Nevertheless, the sample was not something I intended to keep in my collection so I thought to give it a try and verify myself the advice so many people give. Use an airscribe!
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I stubbled on a few small pieces of ammolite while out fishing. I have searched the internet and this forum for information and have come up with several different ways to clean and polish ammolite. However I have not been able to find a detailed process from start to finish to get ammolite looking it’s best. I know there are different qualities of ammolite and some require little to no work but mine needs some work to get it to look good without getting it wet. I have tried sanding for quite a while up to 600 grit paper. That’s the finest I could find but now have found up to 3000. Should I j
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I wanted to show some photos of a tooth that cleaned up really well. This is a small tooth I found some time ago. Regardless of its size, the quality of the specimen was excellent. So I cleaned it and polished the enamel. I thought the difference was significant. My learning was that in some cases cleaning and polishing can greatly improve the looks of a specimen. Before the cleaning. Fresh out of the river After cleaning and polishing the enamel
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I am a novice fossil hunter seeking some confirmation on a couple of finds in the Peace River, FL this week. I believe the images in the attached photo are a Tapir tooth and Alligator jaw section with two teeth. I would appreciate help in confirming or properly identifying these finds. I am also interested in information on how I can clean the "Alligator" jaw/teeth to remove green algae without damaging the specimen. Thanks
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- alligator?
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Good morning all! Hope everyone is healthy and starting to get back to normal, whatever that will be! Found this yesterday below a roadcut in Kansas City laying by itself. The shape instantly caught my attention, and when I looked at it, I believe it is a totally encrusted large bivalve/clam! Very similar to the large native freshwater clams we have around here. The encrusted material is limestone- there are crinoid parts/what appears to be sea urchin spines and "hash". You can see faintly concentric lines. So my questions are-Since it has the shape and appearance of a bivalve, but
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I am trying to find an easier way to effectively remove green and black lichen from the exterior and crevasses of rock I've collected. Soaking it and using a needle does work, but causes damage to delicate specimens. Does anyone know of a chemical or technique that truly gets the stuff to let go easily?
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I have been watching Youtube videos about cleaning fossils and have learned quite a bit. Since I have SO many rocks in my yard I decided to kind of take one apart and learn about it. I originally thought this was some sort of coral/sponge fossil, but now I am not so sure. It has been thoroughly cleaned with vinegar and then I started removing what I think is the "matrix" with a dental pick. It's okay if I damage this - I am doing it so I can learn! I basically dug out any soft areas and have been surprised at what is emerging. In fact, I am not so sure it is a fossil at this point?
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I think I have completed my first full cleaning of a fossiliferous limestone rock. I will post a series of macro photos of the rock here and would welcome input. I am new at this (like I said, it is my FIRST full cleaning) so would appreciate input and suggestions. I first soaked the rock in a vinegar and water solution for a couple of days, taking it out every once in a while and brushing it with a soft bristled paint brush. I had ordered some essence of vinegar to have a stronger acid, so when that arrived I used a very small amount of it on the brush to continue cleaning the rock. I th
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Ammonite Ammolite Disaster! How Should I Fix/ Clean This Specimen?
Kurufossils posted a topic in Fossil Preparation
Hello everyone, I recently received this large 14inch ammonite and the shipper had no care in the world to put even an ounce of protection thus this is the result I'm not experienced with much prep and not confident superglue would cut it so what would you all recommend to help repair this specimen as well as clean off some of the dirt/dust layer coating alot of it? -
Hi everyone, I've been wanting to clean this fossil up for a long time but not really knowing how to start because I have little experience with cleaning fossils. Anybody got any tips for removing the hard stone covering the front of the fossil? Thanks in advance! (dimensions are 9x9x7 cm)
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Hello, i have a few fossils like the one in the picture, they are all shells in limestone. I want to clean them and i have had some success with acetic acid. I just wondered if someone had any tips or a better way to clean them, also if anyone knows whats the best concentration to clean them, mine is 25% acid but this seems a little high. I can post a picture of a relatively clean one if it helps to identify the best way to clean them.
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When I get a new rikers display case, the glass invariably needs cleaning to remove fingerprints and whatnot. What would be the best choice of glass cleaner? I’m worried about using standard glass cleaner (ie windex) as these could possibly degrade fossils (or am I paranoid?).
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Hello all! I always see very nice photos of fossils that have been very neatly cleaned and uncovered like the following: I was wondering how I might go about doing this as a beginner and/or what kind of materials react well/not so well when cleaning certain types of fossils. Thanks! -Em
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Hello everyone , this is my first post on here so go easy on me lol. I just bought this Eopachydiscus and im waiting on it in the mail. Is there anything i can do to clean it up a little ? or do you think i sjhould just leave it as is? thanks for your time ! p.s -its 12 inches across if you needed an idea of size.
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