Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'prep'.
-
Hi everyone, I am a longtime lover of fossils and natural history, but I never did any real fossil hunting until very recently. I took my son to a road cut in upstate NY (Rickard Hill Road in Schoharie) that has tons of Devonian fossils. The attached photos show two of the fossils, one of which appears to be a small brachiopod, possibly the one at the bottom of this ID page: http://bingweb.binghamton.edu/~kwilson/Devonian/DevSites/Schoharie/Becraft.htm I have never done any type of fossil prep, and I am wondering how to get started, particularly with specimens like these. I collected a few larger pieces that have dozens of brachiopods each (they were pouring out of just about every rock in the area), so I have something to test techniques on before working with the more intact/better preserved pieces. Any recommendations would be appreciated! Thank you, Steve
-
I recently picked up this partial Dicranurus elegantus from the Haragan formation, Oklahoma. It was a fun prep! initially it laid flat at a funny angle (don't have a full photo), so I cut a base so it would stand on its own rather than lay flat, and removed a lot of matrix from the new top. I worked it down with my Aro, and used a abrasive unit when I thought I was getting close to the spines. Once I figured out the spine position I started with the Aro again, going slow and following the spines, switching back to the abrasive if I wasn't 100% sure where the spine was. Overall very happy with the results, not bad for a partial bug! Here is the before and after.
-
A package arrived from Spain. Its ill-used appearance caused initial concern, but all was well inside. Within the box - two fossil specimens IDed as: Halisaurus; Upper Cretaceous, Maastrichtian stage; Ouled Abdoun Basin (Phosphate beds); Oued Zem, Morocco. Forum member jnoun11 graciously reviewed photos and provided additional refinement of the ID and the life position of the sections. Halisaurus arambourgi The two jaw sections. upon arrival Right dentary, lingual aspect, 4.56 inches Left maxillary, 5.23 inches
- 33 replies
-
- 2
-
-
- halisaurus
- morocco
- (and 1 more)
-
Here’s the prep thread for the juvenile Psittacosaurus that was discussed in the “Is It Real” section. This is very real although relatively poorly prepared originally. There’s a significant fracture running the length of the matrix just below the plane of the specimen. There are parts that are filled with some rather degraded glue, probably old epoxy. I’m glad I got this when I did as the glue holding much of it together is severely degraded. Here’s the little guy as I received it. First order of business was to stabilize all exposed bones and cracks with PVA. Then I started removing matrix around the tail. This is after only 1 hour. Already a big improvement.
-
Hello. I thought this little Macrocephalosaurus gilmorei would look awesome all prepped out. But the thing is, I have absolutely no prepping experience. My question is could this be prepped further to expose more of the bone? The whole block is only about 7 inches long, so it would be very meticulous work.
-
Finished another one of the ammonites. This one went a lot easier than the first after having a little more practice. Seemed to have a little better separation too. This one was almost entirely with my CP scribe, and just a little clean up and rock smoothing with the Aro. Here is the before.
-
I would love to have a go at prepping some nodules, because the hammer and chisel is pretty brutal. What would i need to set up an airpen? and would it work on Yorkshire fossils? If you have any recommendations for a beginner set i'd love to hear your ideas. Thanks
-
so bought yet another rib from them Berber's of morocco, this one is different to the other two i have in that it is fatter, and has different feel to it, was also found completely in red sandstone not the usual conglomerate mix of clay and silts, just working with an engraving tool and gently removing the hard matrix around it. opinions on how my work is going would be appreciated
-
So, I too, have finally decided to tackle a Russian bug. I have a handful that are in need of prep. I decided to start working on one that I had that is a nice size, but was pretty banged up to begin with, which is a really great thing, because for reasons that I can't quite explain I went on an excavation above the cephalon clear through the matrix and into the fossil without even knowing it until it was too late. Really a bummer that I did that, a very amateur mistake. BEFORE:
-
Been a long time coming, we found this and jacketed it back in October and was waiting for a friend to help with it since it's a new one to me, but he's rather busy so Skye ( @Jesuslover340 ) and I have decided to just do it and get it outta the way. We've started some prep but will be finishing it and updating the thread tommorow, sleep beckons and I'll leave you guys and gals with some teaser pics. Goodnight! ps: for those who already know the answer, shh
- 34 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- plaster
- pleistocene
- (and 1 more)
-
Got this jacket into my prep lab yesterday night, and couldn't stop myself from starting in on it today. The specimen is likely a Gomphothere scapula, with most of the articulating end intact. The matrix is a very poorly cemented sandstone, when exposed to surface conditions it becomes essentially loose sand but a few inches deep it gets decently solid. Most of the prep I did today was just using a dull small chisel to push away the matrix
-
I wanted to enter this one into the IVFOM, but I technically collected it the last day of March, and I didn't take a picture of it before I started prepping it, so that's out. But I will try to chronicle the prep on here. It’s a decent-sized Bellacartwrightia whiteleyi that I pulled from the Windom shale just above the Bay View Coral bed at the site.
-
Hi all, I'd like to blend some glue lines on a piece I had prepped recently. I've read that painting over them with a mixture of elmers white glue, powdered matrix and water can give a fairly good, reversible finish and is cheap! I was just wondering what sort of ratios to go for if anyone has any idea? Cheers, Matt
-
A few weeks ago I realized it had been a few years since I fired up my little prep lab. I went through a career change and I've been super busy. Decided it's now time to take a little time for myself. So I bought a few unprepped fossils on that auction site and today I finally got to work. I started on this little gal from the Weeks formation and, of course, my air compressor decides it didn't want to come out of retirement and crapped out on me. Now I have to wait until I can get a new one, just as the fever was striking again. Oh well. Here's some pics. I forgot to take a before pic, so I had to screen shot the auction listing. It's the one on the far right. The seller listed it as Modocia whiteleyi.
-
36/m/ny seeking used air scribe for long walks on beach
DevonianDigger posted a topic in Fossil Preparation
Hi everyone. Wondering if anyone out there is selling a used air scribe. I don't have a ton of cash available at the moment, but I could always include some trades in the deal. Doesn't have to be an Aro or a CP per se, just something I can use while I squirrel away enough to get the micro jack I'm after. My current tools work great on PD material, but won't work on the harder Moroccan material I've been getting in lately. Thanks in advance! -Jay -
I am looking for a Comco or similar air abrasive unit, have fossils available to trade, or part trade/part cash. Something like these.
-
Hi preppers... I have the ST Mannion pen, I want something more aggressive, Kens TT is an option but... are the Chicago one's worth getting to save the pennies ? Same pen I believe but tweaked, where is the cheapest place to buy ? Only available in the US ? Delivery ? Import tax ? So many questions such little time, thanks.
-
Recently picked up a cheap piece of matrix from the famous quarry in St Petersburg, Russia. I thought I'd give this one a go. It already had some damage on some of the axial portion, so I knew this one wasn't going to be an immaculate specimen when done. Here is what it looked like when I got started:
-
I found what I believe to be baculites and was wondering if there were any suggestions on trying to prep, treat, or leave as is. The one still in the matrix is showing on the back side as just a small rusty dot, but is in direct line with what appears to be the tentacles that are shown oxidized and affixed to the matrix. Any thoughts would be welcomed and appreciated.
-
The prep lab got a bit more crowded today. I got sick of fighting abrasive and dust migration so I went and got a blast cabinet from Harbor Freight. Ran the air lines to it and hooked up my dust extraction. It it needs a light as my lens light causes a horrid reflection on the glass. I also need to fabricate a shelf to rest fossils on as it is a bit taller than I desire. But, I like to tinker.
-
I have come to the conclusion that I need something to magnify my specimens for prep and viewing. Any recommendations? I know a microscope is a big help however I am thinking of a table clamp or floor mount style magnifier with the lamp. What is a good one or one I should stay away from? Also what power should I be looking at getting? I looked at ones at Harbor Freight and a hobby store but the were low power, like 2X. That did not seem like very much for working on small shells and such.
-
I've recently found some medium to large ammonites, mostly apparently coroniceras. They aren't perfectly preserved, but I would really like to do them justice and put the work in to prep them. However. One thing I'm finding insufferably tedious is removing all of the excess matrix before you even get near the ammonite. I have a scribe/pen (a Ken Mannion TT), but that doesn't really seem up to the task of removing large amounts of matrix. Does anyone have any tips? Also, when it comes to the prep - at least of the lias ones - I'm finding that there is basically no separation between the ammonite and the surrounding rock, so all I can do is slowly work away the rock surrounding the ammonite, leaving it rather rough looking (and invariably slightly dinged). This also, of course, seems to take forever. Is that just the way it is? I have heard you then need to sand them down? Surely there must be some kind of trick, or incantation which would help me? How do you avoid ruining the centre, if the outer whorl is this hard? It boggles the mind! I understand that this is a dark art, practiced by highly skilled experts in enormous secrecy from their hidden ammonite bunkers, but any tips would be very much appreciated at this stage! I'm going to tag @Terry Dactyll, because if anybody knows, it's that guy! Just for visual interest, here are a few photos of some of the ammonites in question: Ammonite from unknown original location but found in Somerset. I'll prep this from the back, assuming the back is intact beneath all the rock. Somerset partial. Looks crushed in the centre, but I don't mind that for practice. Did a bit of work on this tonight, and spent about 45 minutes cleaning a single rib on the outer whorl. Somerset ammonite partial. I'm not actually going to do anything to this, because I absolutely love it as it is. The incredible size (I calculated it'd be the best part of a metre/3 feet wide when whole), rustic preservation and encrusted oysters make this one of my favourite recent finds. It may not be complete, but it has character.
.thumb.jpg.0995f142ea800bbff64f13f329ac40b0.jpg)
- 8 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- ammonites
- coroniceras
- (and 1 more)
-
Hi Everyone, I just purchased multiple pieces of dino egg shell that all come from a partial single egg the recently shattered and want to try to glue it back together. There is no matrix and the egg is hollow. I ordered some PaleoBond PB100X Structural Adhesive, is that all I need? Any advice? I've never prepped or reconstructed anything before and figured this may be a fun project!
-
Hi, thought would treat myself to a new hammer (and also let the other half get some hammertime in) my old cheaper hammer has straight angles but the Estwing looks off, bends one way then the other, is this a design in the hammer for the energy or is it just a banana ? Can't imagine a fault but just curious, thanks.
-
I preped this cute partial trilobite last month. This bug was from by secret Santa in Canada . . . I worked with engraving pen! Not a perfect tool for prep but also not bad for starter.(Sadly, I don't have enough money for air scribe and compresor.) . . . After prep. REALLY amateur job... white spots are my mistakes.... I hope I can do better next time. I believe the more practice, the better.... Thanks!
.thumb.jpg.76796f25a72f97c9c2a87f953ebe4dca.jpg)
.thumb.jpg.6496415fcef51ec558d0bd3fb72caee7.jpg)
.thumb.jpg.1aed37431ec5f20cfb3f553300b9d1a8.jpg)
3.thumb.jpg.1ed5fd921892553c9729b7cf75f3bd10.jpg)
.jpg.673ec1693e613b3cf38216d25effb4b6.jpg)
