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Showing results for tags 'preparation'.
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Crab preparation (How to fill cracks to apply paraloid?)
pochoclo666 posted a topic in Fossil Preparation
Hello everyone ! I have stored these crabs a couple of years ago, while storing them they cracked (I suppose it is due to the internal humidity, they were found on a sea coast). I have the paraloid to apply them, but there are these cracks that I have to fill somehow so the paraloid doesn't leak. What material do you suggest as filling? And please know what percentage of acetone and paraloid is in the mixture? Thank you all ! greetings ! ps: the material that covers the crabs is hard sand EDIT: The reality is that I don't have much of an idea of how to prepare them, I was thinking of applying a layer of paraloid on one side, also filling in the cracks on something (the one where the broken crab can be seen, the place where it was exposed) and working on it on the other side.
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This is my (very unintact) egg. Would an electric chisel be okay to clean up the eggshell pieces?
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For the past month or so I've been working on an exciting (for me) multiplate of Green River fish. I've enjoyed working on it a little at a time in the quiet of my kitchen with just some x-acto knives and an occasional needle. I have magnification and illumination but just whatever I could find at a local craft store. It works for me but I do crave an air abrasion set-up now and then. If I ever finish this multiplate I have a few other fish to play with too, and I'll probably post them here eventually. For the most part this plate is a pleasure to work on, not too hard or soft and the layers peeling off reasonably cleanly without being too sticky. The fish is somewhat fragile though, and extremely thin in places, especially the tails, at least so far. It bothers me when I lose bits of the tail, or they just aren't there, but I'm still happy with the progress so far and it's almost a good substitute for getting out in the field again. Almost. I enjoy seeing my own progress, slow as it is, and I've shown it to local friends and family who nod their heads and humor me, but here on the forum I'm pleased to share it with some people who appreciate the good old days fifty million years ago. Of course I still have a bit of prep to do on this pair of Knightia, and I think there's more tail to uncover despite the missing pieces, but this is where I'm at for now. Thanks for looking.
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I recently bought this gem remopleurides (?) trilobite and I think it could definitely use some work. my question is, how the heck do I find someone to prep this thing for a normal price without destroying it! I live in NC so the closer to me the better!
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Been using paraloid for a while now but I've found that it dries way too quickly making it difficult to achieve a smooth and consistent finish. I've heard I could use isopropyl alcohol instead of acetone which takes longer to evaporate which could be useful in allowing me to cover my entire specimens with an even layer. I was wondering if anyone else has tried this and if so I was wondering if there was anything I needed to know before trying this. I also wanted to ask about concentrations, at the moment I'm using a roughly 2% mixture to improve contrast and minimise that dusty look you get on many fossils on some brachiopods I found in Morocco. Is this the correct concentration? I hope someone can provide some insight here. Thanks.
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Over the last few weeks I have been preparing a nice xenacanth skull. Will continue to post updates as I go, but here it is so far! The nodule was huge, so we started off by removing a small chunk to see if there was anything in the cross section. It was up a fairly steep embankment, so after we rolled it down I inspected it for any signs of fossils. Surprisingly, it had something in it! The nodules from this horizon are usually empty. It is hard to see in the photo, but it was clearly the cross section of a xenacanth skull. The distinctive bubbly texture of cartilage and weird looking teeth ruled out any of the other fish from this site. Our car was already full by this point, so we decided to leave the rest of the nodule and take the smaller chunk to prepare and see if it was worth going back for more. After preparing this piece, it became clear that it was a nicely articulated (but slightly squished) skull! The nodules from this site tend to be shocking to extract and prepare since they splinter into pieces right through the fossils, but this one was surprisingly solid and nice to work on. The matrix was still incredibly hard, but good separation between the fossil and matrix made it much easier to air scribe than most others I've worked on from here. After our success on the first chunk, we decided we needed the rest! It was too heavy for one (or even two) people to lift, se we had to slide it up to the work bench on a trolley. Here it is after bulk matrix removal with the angle grinder, plus some air scribe work. Some more work over the last couple of days And here it is currently! Still lots more to do, but it is coming out well. A pleasant surprise considering how terrible some other things from here have been to prepare. The nodule is incomplete, so we only have the skull and some vertebrae, but hopefully there is enough for some pectoral fins to fit in there somewhere. Time will tell!
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Found this lovely piece in Barrington NSW Australia. It has many crinoids, brachiopods and molluscs in it. I'm particularly interested in these white brachiopod specimens. It looks like calcite (I'm too scared to scratch it to check). They are all over the rock and some of them are half filled with calcite showing that it potentially goes really deep. Potentially a full outline of a brachiopod in calcite. What do you guys think? I've included some microscope pictures to help. Also is there a way to prep them out of the matrix? I believe the matrix is limestone. Is there an acid that WONT damage calcite? I do have a dremmel engraver with palaeo tips as well. Any tips would be very much appreciated
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Hello everyone, I was wondering if it would be possible to prep Moroccan trilobites with my dremel 290 and ZoicPaleotech bits (and get decent results). I've been wanting to buy some unprepared specimens, but am unsure if I'd be able to do anything to them. Is there any particular matrixes or species you'd recommend? also, where would one aquire affordable, unprepared specimens? I'm not an expert fossil-prepper by any means (as you can tell by my current tools). Thanks in advance.
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just seen in the net, 7 month of prep work on a fantastic Gorgosaur-skeleton, wow Video | Facebook
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Dear everyone, I would like to hear your ideas on preparing a fish fossil from Turso, Scotland (Devonian). I am unsure of the best approach. The fossil was embedded between two layers of hard rock. The impression on one side is not entirely clear; the other side is not entirely complete (90% is there). Additionally, fish fillet has fallen out, and I have many loose pieces such as the fins, which are very thin and have matrix (grains) attached. I have been contemplating soaking the small loose pieces in acid (5%) and then rejoining them. For the larger pieces, I plan to reattach them and clean them using an air scribe and sandblaster (2.5 mohs). Another idea is to place the pieces in their original positions and create a replica on the opposite side using epoxy or cement, although this doesn't seem aesthetically pleasing to me. The tools at my disposal include: - Magnifying glass - Air scribe - Engraving pen Dremel - Dremel - Sandblaster - Sulfuric acid 100% - Cleaning vinegar I appreciate your input and suggestions. Kind regards,
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seen some minutes ago in the www great job! Video | Facebook
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How do you clean limestone stones containing nice fossils?
ntloux posted a topic in Fossil Preparation
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. -
I am very intrigued by this critter being currenty offered fo sale. It seems pretty obvious to me that the rock it is sitting on has nothing to do with the original matrix (and indeed, the seller's text does not mention thr world "matrix" at all). But then, if the fossil has just been glued onto an appropriately shaped rock, how was it prepped to start with? Is it possible for crabs to get fossilised into such a soft matrix, that is it then possible to "free" the entire fossil completely intact, with all its legs, sort of Michelangelo's style (*)? And in any case, what technology and tools could produce such a result? (*) Michelangelo maintained that the subjects for his sculptures were already present inside their marmor blocks even before he started working. on them. All he had to do, was to remove the superfluous material.
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I haven't posted in quite a while, so I thought I would post pics of some of my 2023 prep jobs. I have done a lot more than these but these are the only ones I took a before pic. Zacanthoides idahoensis Cambrian Spence Shale Richmond, Utah Pseudogygites latimarginatus Ordovician Lindsay Formation Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada Ceraurus plattinensis Ordovician Bobcaygeon Fm. Brechin, Ontario, Canada Archimedes wortheni Mississippian Warsaw Fm. Fenton, Missouri Platycrinites bozemanensis Missisippian Lodgepole Fm. Bozeman, Montana Aphelecrinus okawensis Mississippian Bangor Fm. Lacon, Alabama Glyptocystites multiporus Ordovician Bobcaygeon Fm. Brechin, Ontario, Canada Eldredgeops crassituberculata Devonian Silica Shale Paulding, Ohio This is one I really wish I had a before prep pic. The specimen underneath was a complete surprise.
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I decided to take a break from house work and the Hadrosaur pubis I'm working on, and prep my first trilobite. It comes from the Wheeler Shale. I'm pretty sure it's an Elrathia kinglii it's missing it's cheeks and some of its head. Here's how it started : And here is how it ended: All in all I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. I used my Dremel to get close and then my blaster to take the rest of the matrix off. The only hiccup I had was right at the edge of the rock - some of the head blew off and was gone in the blink of an eye. After I was done I was looking at it under my scope, and lo and behold, there was another trilobite I'd totally missed near the cheek! It looks like a little 3mm agnostid trilobite. Luckily I didn't blow it off during prep. I have loads more bones and trilobites to just through, and look forward to showing you guys when I'm done.
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Does anyone know of any good resources on and/or off the forum to learn proper techniques regarding sudden field excavation? More specifically, in the event of a significant/highly fragile find, how to properly consolidate, collect, and transport it from the field, especially in limited circumstances where proper tools, glue, paper towel/tinfoil may not be available? I’ve got the documentation/field notes bit down, but I wanted guidance on the extraction part. Photos, articles, videos, books, etc. appreciated! (Note: if this is too specific or narrow of a search request, that’s ok, any even mildly relevant material is appreciated regardless)
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Well, after a year of searching, I finally found my first trilobite! They are relatively rare in my area (KC), so I’m pretty ecstatic. Decided to take this prep nice and slow, here’s the bug how I found it: Rock is thankfully not really sticky, was able to spend 40 min on this yesterday: As you can see in the last photo, I used my chisel tip to scribe excess material from above where the head might be. I took it down as far as I was brave enough to do so, because I’m worried that the head might be curved upward. I’m no trilobite expert, so any premature guesses on the species? Update possibly coming tonight. Have a great weekend everyone! -Jay
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Hello y’all! Since my last brach prep thread, I have actually prepped another brachiopod that I intended to make this thread about, but it turns out that it had been crushed prior to fossilization. I decided that it wasn’t worth writing home for, so I present to you: Project Sticky! Here it is before any prep: Now, the name is self explanatory: the matrix is so sticky, it’s pulling off a layer of shell with every rock flake!!! You can see an area where it pulled off much more than everywhere else: I decided that while this one will be a rough brach, I might as well finish it. I’m still trying to learn, so really this is partially a practice prep. Anyways, here it is after a total of 40 min prepping: Still far from done. Aaand, when I went to hammer some of the excess matrix, this got exposed: Looks like this rock will have a double brach prep. Should make it look more eye-appealing when done. Anyways, I did all this yesterday, and it took about 1 1/2 hours. Didn’t take any pics, but I did paraloid the exposed parts of the main shell. Next update may come tonight, or tomorrow morning. Hope y’all enjoyed this, have a great day!
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Hey all, I am working on cleaning the fossil pictured and would love advice on how to remove the plaster jacket. I was instructed to jacket it with plaster and burlap, using tin foil as a barrier. I tried using scissors which barely made a dent on the plaster, then a hand saw which shook the fossil too much for my comfort, and finally I tried wetting the plaster then cutting it with a utility knife which also shook the fossil more than I liked. I know museums use cast saws, anyone have an economical recommendation? Thank you in advance!
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Beginner's first prep experience; a small Brachipod preparation!
Jaybot posted a topic in Fossil Preparation
Hello y'all, I recently got my Dremel 290, and I haven't actually prepped anything with it yet, as I have just played around with it on a scrap fossil to get a feel for it. I decided to start my first actual prep, and I figured I'd bring y'all along with me as I thought it might help others just starting out by learning from my mistakes (hopefully not too many). Well, here goes. This is a small brachipod I found, and is not very impressive, so I'm not afraid of ruining it. Then again, if this turns out the way I hope, it will be a very attractive desk display piece. Found in Kansas City area, in a roadcut that has the best mineralization I've seen yet here. Some of the shells will be black, and I have found a few that have nice blues and reds. This one is mainly grey. Before leaving town this past week, I was able to get about 30 min in. Started with leveling the matrix around the fossil a bit, then started work on removing matrix from this fossil. Hurts to scribe right through these spines, maybe someday I'll learn how to air abrasion, and be able to save the spines similarly to those spectacular trilobites we've all seen. Leveling the matrix: And getting to work on the shell: Hopefully y'all enjoyed this. I will be posting here as progress is made. Won't be able to work on it until next Monday, see y'all then! Have a great weekend.
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Hey all, I was thinking of getting a dremel 290 or similar engraver so that I can prepare some of the fossils I have, because at the moment I'm using nothing but needlepoints and steel bristled brushes. As you can imagine, using this is extremely slow and not very effective. I just wanted to ask if anyone had any advice on if there are better alternatives or if I need any other equipment (such as additional tips). I already have goggles to protect my eyes and a buff to protect my lungs, so that shouldn't be an issue.
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Like the title states, let's see your results with acid prepping! I have found not as much info on this style of prepping, so please feel free to give some details as to how it was done, i.e. time, technique, soak sessions, etc. Have a great day everyone~
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I was pleased to be the winning bidder on this unprepped Knightia in a rolling auction by @Meganeura this past August. Thank you, Daniel. it was quite generous of you to offer it, along with all your other fine items. I was in no hurry to complete the prep and greatly enjoyed spending an hour with it now and then, or even a quarter- hour as it sat patiently on my kitchen table. While I envy our members with air-abrasion setups, I do appreciate the quiet convenience of pecking away at the Green River matrix whenever the spirit moves me. I began work on the skull soon after I opened the auction package from Daniel and soon found a lovely coprolite has been sitting on the fish's head for the past fifty million years or so. I'm afraid I found it rather amusing, and while the poor animal might find my attitude besmirching to its honor and an added insult to its injury, I decided to leave the attachment right where I found it. Not surprisingly, I found more fossil fish dung as I progresssed, and I've left them as found as well. I did uncover a small mass of fish bones near the top of the rectangular block, sliced by the trimming saw and mostly unrecognizable by me. I'm tempted to keep digging away at the block to see what else might be hiding there, but I'll probably just leave it as it is and move on to another awaiting project. It's not one of my best prep jobs but I'm satisfied with it and appreciate it as a snapshot of a moment in time.
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Hi! Just got this fossil fish from a trusted source. He didn’t know much about the fossil more then that’s it’s a stichocentrus from Lebanon. I’m having a hard time finding out if this is rare on the market. I bought it because I think it’s unique and cool. It’s prepared with resin and acid transfer which i believe is mostly used in science when studying fossils. Do anybody know anything about it? best regards Emil!
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I got my dremel and I want to prep the Ammonite in the picture. Can someone give me some advice or tip to use the tool and for that Ammonite? I will practice first with some Ammonite fragments. The matrix is kinda soft and weak.
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