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Greetings all. It looks like I'm finally getting my hands on a decent desmostylian molar from STH. While I'd prefer to have found it in the ground myself, I can make no such claim. It was a purchase. While easier on my back, the rewards are certainly less. But I'll take it. The images of the rootless tooth look like it has never even had the matrix rinsed from it, as sand grains are in evidence falling from the tooth. Does anyone have any dos and don'ts for preserving the tooth? I have dealt with shark teeth from the same formation and usually have no problem just rinsing them with a little scrub from my roommate's toothbrush. Should such treatment be avoided or duplicated? Thanks ahead of time. Cheers.

I have some Cucullaea gigantea mud impressions with shell fragments still left. These fragments are extremely fragile. Is there anyway to store or preserve them to keep the shell pieces on?

Hello, Just got back from Kemmerer Wyoming with 63 fish fossils. I was told by my dad's co-worker that using a 50/50 mixture of Elmer's glue, and water would make the fossils more durable and seal them. I'm curious about the process. How long do you let them soak in this mixture? Is it a good technique to use for my kinds of fossils? Any help will be appreciated, Jared

Help please. Complete beginner, first time hunting for fossils in Yorkshire, England (kettleness) I have no tools, just my hands and eyes at the minute Ive found a few ammonites which I would like to free. Thus far Ive watched youtube videos and googled only; they make it look so easy with just a hammer. My first attempt I broke the end off my ammonite and now afraid to try again. Please advise for tools and extraction methods? Also, how do I care for them once they are freed? many thanks!

Boy! I could really have some fun with this but I'll be nice for now as I'm new, new, & more new to the world of fossils. Once again, my name's Tracy & as I mentioned in previous post, I joined so as to research a recent project I've taken on. A friend of mine recently expressed that he was going to "get rid of" his Mastodon fossils. He didn't want them in his house anymore so he was going to throw them out! Shocked, to say the least, I asked him if he'd hang on to them long enough to give me a chance to do something with them. At this point I started looking for the best ways to go about getting them ready to auction, which auction & how best to make sure they made it to their destination intact. Now, there's the first group of questions I'm seeking advice on. 1.What auction house has the clientele that would appreciate this type of fossils. 2. What preparation should be done to them to solidify the outer portions which seem very fragile at this point? 3. How should they be shipped & in what? Below are a few pictures. #1 & 2 are of one tooth. #3 & 4 another. I'm over my limit in file size so I'll be posting somewhere with more pictures, more questions, etc. Any input would be highly appreciated. In next entry I'll tell you a little more about them. They've got a good story. Think I'll pop on over to i.d. list to post part 3 of my adventure. See me, Tracy

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.

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