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Showing results for tags 'preservation'.
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Hello! I'm considering coating some of my delicate fossils in Paraloid (mixed with Acetone), to seal them and protect them for the future. How long would a typical, let's say, Green River fish take to decompose without such or similar techniques applied? I am very wary of doing irreversible acts to the rocks, so, how would one de-Paraloid a fossil, and would there be any damage? Just, any tips whatsoever would help, I'm feeling pretty inadequate about all this
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(First post so sorry if there are formatting errors) Yesterday I took my first fossil hunting trip ever and had some beginners luck! I went to Cory’s Lane in RI and stayed for about an hour and a half. I found a few pieces (pics below) that I’m really proud of. I’m not sure if the large one with big lines in it is a fossil so if anyone knows that would be great. All that said, I still have no idea what I did right (or what I was doing wrong). Some members told me that I should go for the dark grey shale and not the graphite-black stuff, which I tried to do. I was a
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Hi all! I recently bought these two pieces of mammoth tusk that have been fished up from the North Sea during the 80ties. The current owner inherited them and didn't know if they had been desalinized. The larger one was badly preserved and coated with some sort lacquer with all kinds of ugly blobs. I did 3 passes of 400 grit water resistant sandpaper on both of them which removed all the old gunk from the larger one and smoothed both of the tusks out nicely. As you can see in the pictures they both have some cracks, the larger one gets up to abo
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So I have recently gotten into collecting fossils. Nothing serious, but I really want to make sure I don't screw it up! So I want to ask around and see if I should invest in a nice carrying case? I just keep my fossils in an open wooden box. Usually, they are either in jars or small cardboard boxes with cotton/paper strips for a cushion. I imagine that once I start adding more specimens, there will be a tipping point, and ill run out of space (which is soon, unfortunately). Does anyone recommend a specific product, or should I establish some foam padding in a small plastic container? I wa
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Hi all, I’m excited to be going on a field trip with a a group in Illinois (ESCONI) later this month to a site that has a huge mound of mined-up Pennsylvanian shale. There may be some carbon-film plant impressions there. I’ve never collected this type of fossil before, and I’ve heard that carbon films can disappear quickly when exposed to the air. My question is should I bring something to coat this type of fossil? And if so, what? In doing some research, I see that some people recommend spray-on Krylon while others recommend against it. Would brushing on a thin coat of Paraloid do t
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Hi everyone! I have this middle section of a trilobite from the south pit at Arkona, but it’s very fragile. I’ve already lost some of it, so I’m looking for tips to keep it safe.
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Hello! As I fall further into this very enjoyable rabbithole, I have enough of a collection now to put some additional time into taking care of it. The fossils I have are primarily trilobites, and I think mostly calcite on limestone matrix, though I’m not informed enough to say if any portion is composed of pyrite/another mineralization. Any tips for keeping everyone in good shape? Is sunlight rough on fossils? Any requirement to maintain moisture/avoid excess humidity? pH considerations? Balanced Breakfast? Thanks! best, Noah
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Preservation of colour in fossil shells
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon posted a topic in Questions & Answers
Hi all, Some time ago I found this shell in (what I believe to be) the French Upper Muschelkalk (Triassic). Now I'm not into shells myself, but to judge from the remains of operculum on the underside of it, the specimen concerns an oyster. Most strikingly, however, the shell has a pattern of darker-coloured lines that do not correspond to any three-dimensional/elevational differences on the shell surface - which is, in fact, entirely flat. I haven't seen this on a fossil shell before. Now when doing a Google search for my response on whether it would be possible for cru -
When faced with a radiodont appendage fossil; How does one effectively determine which slab contains the "part" or "counterpart" ? For reference, here's the holotype Pseudoangustidontus appendage. The first pic, Figure A, is apparently the positive(?) "part" of the fossil. Whilst the second pic, Figure C, is apparently the negative(?) "counterpart". Like it's easy to tell the difference between an impression/cast, or the actual fossilised remains for hard-bodied specimens like shells, exoskeletons and bone. But for some soft-bodied organisms, it's especially difficult when bot
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Preparation of fragile crystallized fossils
rickeclectic posted a topic in General Fossil Discussion
I have several fossils that have crystallized shells. I would like any advice on preparing the fossil without having the crystallized structure disintegrated. See example photo and the crystals structures around the edges of the spiral. Thanks. . -
Hi Members, I'll start off by saying that I'm a complete newbie in the fossil/dinosaur world, so please forgive me for using incorrect terminology. I have just come to acquire a complete Psittacosaurus mounted skeleton (see photos), that is mostly intact on the mount. The previous owner had a box of manus parts (phalanges, etc.). She also had an old tube of adhesive in that box (B-7000 in the "parts" photo). I would like to "restore" the structure via glueing the loose parts back onto the skeletal structure. I am looking for advice on which adhesive to use, e.g. should I use the B-7000
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Hi im and amateur collector and I'm not sure if the was the right section to post this under. I purchased this tusk a couple years ago. The seller said he's had it since the 1970s. Because of the large crack from top to bottom and the inside is quite powdery. Is there and thing I can do to preserve it? Its about 6.5 feet along the curve and 120lb so I get worried when I move it. Also I see that great patina on some tusks is that something that is added 5o make it shine or does it comes out of the ground like that? Any help would be appreciated!
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I took another trip yesterday to the Kimmeridgian site in the Danube Valley and continued my dig in the divisum zone. This time I came up with, among other things, a Pseudhimalayites uhlandi ammonite with a diameter of 18cm. These things can get quite large, so I'm dealing with just the phragmocone here. As I've mentioned in other posts, this exposure is in the middle of a sponge reef, so a lot of activity was going on here at the time that this creature hit the dust, so to speak. It landed on a group of sponges and began to deteriorate and deform, revealing the insides of some of the septa, b
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Hello together, I just got a fossil that I am not sure what to make of. The species ID I got is Nemiana/Beltanelliformis, which I have no reason to doubt so far. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltanelliformis What has me wondering is the preservation. Most pieces the seller had to offer seem to be imprints or remnants of sediment glued together by biofilms as one would expect for the species, like in the third pic. Containing mica interestingly. The piece in question appears covered in a shiny black layer that reminds me very much of what I once found in a glass bottle of c
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Look! I found this fossil in Slate. Dinosaur mummy shows they had a cloaca https://slate.com/technology/2020/10/dinosaur-butt-fossil-discovery-cloaca.html
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Brazil Insects - 100% natural
Hollie Bird posted a topic in Is It Real? How to Recognize Fossil Fabrications
Hi eveyone I bought these fossil insects online a while ago now. Seller said they were from the crato formation in brazil. I would love to know peoples thoughts on them. Are these sort of insects generally 100% natural? Also how are they prepped? Thanks- 9 replies
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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, The photo below is my personal collection of Keichousaurus. The bones of this piece seems very fragile to me. I am considering of applying paraloid b72 dissolve in acetone in hope of strengthening the bones. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcomed!
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I have quite a few casts (too many to post here) of small shells. They are preserved in extremely soft matrix and I am worried about the matrix falling apart over time. The matrix also appears to dissolve quickly when exposed to water. I've lost a few specimens to my failed attempts at extraction with water (lesson learned). I live in Virginia which can be very wet and humid at times, especially in the spring/late summer. I'm trying to avoid posting pics (I'm inherently very lazy) but I will if need be. Thanks.
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Hi there! I am brand new to the forum, but have been a fossil lover all my life. I am hoping to learn the best way to preserve sandstone leaf fossils. I've been finding them since I was a kid and my mother use to coat they in polyurethane, I believe. I'm just not convinced this is the best practice. I imagine the chemicals would deteriorate the stone overtime? Anyways, I would appreciate any and all advice. Thanks in advance! Dea
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Is there a youtube video of how this is prepared to use on a fossil? I have one in particular i want to use it on to preserve better. Of course im a total newb to this so i want to know the do's and dont's before i even attempt it.
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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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good morning is there a need to preserve modern bone? and if so, can you suggest a safe and (relatively) easy way to do so? i'm hoping there may be some kind of aerosol spray or perhaps something i can just brush on i don't have the equipment or space to use acetone and paraloid (and am hoping that would not be necessary for modern bone) thank you
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I've owned a sweet Keich that came from China via Germany in the mid-20th century. In our last move, it was broken. The photos attached show the main break point with missing vertebrae. The next photo shows the cross-section, just for the sake of proving authenticity (you can see how the matrix striae curve around the bone as well as the details of the spine in cross-section). As I was lucky enough to find the missing vertebrae I placed the pieces together in the next photo and held the pieces in place in the final photo to show how it should look when finally repaired. My question: What ad
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Hey everyone! I need to prepare some White River fossils and I was wondering the best preservation method for larger bones, such as oreodont skulls, etc. Any response is appreciated! Thanks!
