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Showing results for tags 'cleaning'.
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I just purchased some beautiful mammoth tusk pieces that I will hopefully restore into a tusk that will be at least 20 inches long down to within 2 inches of the tip (which is missing). It is a project I am working on with my daughter. I want to start by cleaning the pieces which are very dusty and dirty. I read to avoid water and maybe use rubbing alcohol but many of the pieces have a beautiful blue color to them and I am afraid of ruining that. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
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I just purchased a Badger Air-Brush Co. 260-1, but from the looks of the previous posts the abrasive media that comes with it is junk. I'm going to try to use it on the top "rough part" of Meg Teeth that I get out of Venice. I've tried the vinegar and dental picks, but I don't like the color bleaching that can happen, nor can I get into every single crack with a dental pick on encrusted teeth. What do you guys recommend for me to try with this brush? Here's an example of what we normally pull out of the ocean before any cleaning.
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My last time out I found a lot of shark teeth. They are all black. Can these be cleaned or are they just black? If they can be cleaned how does one go about cleaning them?
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So my daughter decided she wanted to go look for shark teeth yesterday. I went to a nearby spot that we to this point had found very little, to my surprise we found some of the best color teeth I have personally ever seen. Any suggestions on how to clean the root?
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I'd like to whiten a fossil sea urchin. Is hydrogen peroxide effective and harmless? I'm thinking 3%... any tips?
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I have this item which looks to me like a shell. It has the shape but it appears to be incased in rock. Is there any way for me to "uncover" the shell if there is one at all? How would I go about trying to discover if there is something hidden within? The pics don't show the form as much as in person but hopefully you guys see what I see!
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How to clean and preserve a mammoth tooth with part of a jaw
Shomi posted a topic in Fossil Preparation
Hi guys, can someone please help me by telling me how to clean and preserve a mammoth tooth. My dad got this mammoth tooth from an archeologist about 20 years ago. In that time it was never cleaned and it is really dry and a bit crumbly. I would like to clean it and preserve it, it would be a shame to watch it turn to dust.
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I had an accident last night while preparing a trilobite from a new location. I had just finished air abraiding the trilobite and was getting ready to start using my landscaping scribe. Just after I started smoothing out the matrix apparently a drop of oil sprayed out of the tool onto the trilobite and matrix. I tried soaking it in water with dish detergent since the soap has a mild de-greaser in it but it didn't help. Any suggestions on how to salvage this piece would be greatly appreciated as it's only the second complete trilobite from this area in seven years and it's nicely inflated. I know why oil came out the tip of the tool (that issue is fixed) so I really just need some advice on how to clean it or suggestions to improve its appearance. Thanks, Andy
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Hello people, This and more stuff I found on the hills of Ayios Athanasios, app 10km from the beach. It looks like a shell, or 2 shells, and I think is one of the cases that needs to be cleaned. Any idea how to remove the white stone material without breaking the 'shell' which is brown/orange/yellow colored
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Hi, Does anyone know an effective way to clean fossils that does NOT damage them? I've heard about using vinegar, but I do not know how long or how diluted the solution must be... most of my fossils are in limestone, so idk if that helps with anything. Thanks PS- I found out about using vinegar and how the acetic acid dissolves CaCO3, but would the acetic acid also dissolve fossilized shells and whatnot (specifically chonetes fossils)? Thanks again
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Is there a way to clean pyrite? I have a Athyris spiriferiodes that is trimmed in pyrite that looks better to the eye than the photo shows. I think it will be better if there is a way to clean it
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Hi. I have a Aero tool air scribe that works for 10 minutes and then stops. I have a water trap in the air line as well as a filter on the air feed line and the tool air line. It worked great for a year. I've replaced the stylus spring and the two o-rings with no success. If I take it apart and wipe all the parts down it runs for another 10 minutes. I put one drop of oil in the tool before use as recommended. Any thoughts anyone?
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Hi, I am lucky to be near a great source of pyritized fossil wood, but have had little joy in my attempts to clean and preserve a nice piece for my display. If anyone has any knowledge or good advise on this subject I would be grateful for any help.
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I know that the recommendation for cleaning and prepping fossils appears to be an air compressor with the air engraving type tool.....but I CANNOT use an air compressor, it freaks my dog out!! So I have looked at Dremmels today and various other small tools for fine work. They appear to be only rotating tools? So can anyone make a recommendation for an electric tool for me? I guess one that can have interchangeable heads? I look forward to your recommendations
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Hi all fossil enthusiasts, I'm very new to the fossil hunting scene-live in the UK and recently went on my first hunt at Charmouth beach on our south coast (Jurassic coast)...loved it so much I plan to go regularly. Having done 2 hunts, I'm wanting to make sure I do right by the fossils I find, and to present them in all their glory. Charmouth is overflowing with Belamnites and also I have found quite a few ammonites already (mostly looking barely recognisable preserved in iron pyrite). For the belamnites,they are already pretty good but wondering if there is anything I should spray or soak them in, now they're fully exposed to air and dry. For the pyratised ammonites, can anything be done to remove the pyrite that is not ammonite (or are they all one entity now?). I also have a piece that appears to b a slatey rock with ammonite imprints...bit worried it could break easily...any advice on how to treat it (see photo). I would also also like help identifying one (photo attached of round fossil on its own)...I thought when I first found it that it was an ammonite,but it doesn't have rings wrapping around it. Could it b something else (or just a central bit of an ammonite with the outer rings lost?). N.b. To date, I have soaked them all in tap water and used a toothbrush to clean mud off...hope that is ok?! If u made it reading this far,thanks so much for your time-any help would be greatly appreciated! K V
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Hi guys, I am new here so I hope I am doing this right, haha. I have a trilobite I was hoping to get cleaned up. It is enrolled with just a bit of limestone leftover on it. I was told that vinegar could be used to clean it off but I am worried it might damage the fossil. The visible eye has pretty good detail, so I want to make sure I don't do anything that would damage that in particular. I just want to know if it will be okay to use vinegar, or if anyone has tips for other cleaning methods? I have a few brachiopods to practice cleaning with before I try the trilobite. Each are about an inch long. Here is a pic of the trilobite with two of the brachiopods: Also, I was asked to identify some rocks&minerals by someone and was unable to identify one of the minerals. It had a hardness of at least 5.5 and had a sub-metallic luster I believe. I was just curious if anyone knew what they were and was hoping to be able to identify them for her. I have them pictured here: I forgot glass had hardness of 5.5 and not 7, so I fixed that. Thanks in advance, and it's nice to meet you guys!
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Never Even Thought About Preparing A Fossil In Her Life; Need Some Assistance, Please!
Triflin_Trilobite posted a topic in Fossil Preparation
Hello forum! So about a week ago, a couple friends and I went out to the Mazonia-Braidwood Fish and Wildlife Area in Illinois to do some amateur fossil hunting (first time for all of us). I was so excited when, at our first site, I found a pair of trilobites on the same rock and a few feet away there was the top half of the rock with their impressions. First of all, I love trilobites. I'm currently reading the book by Richard Fortey, Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution, and I hope to be able to study them somewhere along in my educational career. So far, I've identified these little guys as Calymene celebra, but I'm not 100% sure on the species since this is my first time ever finding a fossil let alone having to identify it. But that's not my main focus as of right now. What I'm asking for is some tips on how to clean the rock containing the trilobites (it's really dark and still covered in some moss and lichen). I've rinsed it in warm water the night I brought it home, but that's all. I didn't want to risk doing any damage since it's my first fossil find and I'm overly attached already haha. I'm also wondering about preparing it: what tools would you use, etc. I've never done anything like this before so any and all advice will be greatly appreciated! Here are the photos so far! Cheers! --Jessica
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Hey everyone! I found this bone buried in silt while snorkeling about 6ft underwater (freshwater). I have no idea how old it is or what animal it belonged to. I'm wondering if anyone here can tell me the best way to clean it at home and how I should preserve it. I'm assuming it could be pretty old since the cold freshwater preserves things so nicely. Thanks, Paul
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Douglas Pass & Florissant Quarry Fossils - Cleaning & Preparation
Kelleyack posted a topic in General Fossil Discussion
I am relatively new to fossil hunting and most of my collection is from the coast of South Carolina. I do have some gorgeous fossils that we found last summer from the Douglas Pass area and the Florissant Quarry in Colorado. I finally had time to get them out of storage, organize and label them but am not sure if there is anything I should do as far as cleaning or preparing them so they don't deteriorate? These are a few of my favorites - the spider, flower and grasshopper(?) were magnified. Also, if anyone has specific thoughts on identifying any of them, I would love to hear what you think. Thanks in advance for any help!
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I have tried to search the forum for this topic but haven't found the newbie information that I'm seeking. Please bear with me if this has been covered elsewhere here. I know absolutely nothing about fossils, but my young son is very into them. He received a big box of Mazon Creek rocks/fossils for Christmas, and is going through them one by one. We don't have any specialized equipment, so he is simply brushing them off and inspecting them. Can he clean them off in water (or another solution), or is that a bad idea? They are covered in an orange-ish powder/dirt. He of course doesn't mind the dirt, but we're just wondering if it's a good idea for him to be cleaning them in some way as he goes along. Thanks in advance.
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When you find fossils, how do you clean them? I want a way that won't harm them in any way, shape, or form. Most of my specimens have sand in crevices. Any ideas? I did check out some books from my school library, but they're VERY old books and they suggest gasoline for some and to paint the fossils to make them stand out. I didn't think this was modern protocol lol.
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Hi this is Matthew my question is can you use acid to clean fossils and what kind should I use ? and does anyone know how to do it correctly ? and thank-you
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