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Found 25 results

  1. A few random preparations I completed this weekend, my first try at these: Amphidonte walkeri- Fort Worth formation, I used an air abrasive tool and a small touch of air scribe. I sprayed a clear satin polyurethane spray on it afterward. I go back and forth on whether to use a coating or not depending on the fossil, and it can be risky..but I think it works ok here. The Mortoniceras was prepped by Mercer Brugler. It’s almost 7” diameter. I broke it in 3 places while removing it, so he used epoxy to glue it back together. I used an acrylic paint over those spots, and I’m not super happy with the slight visible difference upon close inspection, but it’s better than the color of the epoxy. Any tips?! The echinoid cluster is one of my favorites, low phase Holaster echinoids in a clutch(with a bit of clam visible), I mostly used the air abrasive here with an aluminum dioxide (?) grit. Lastly, Mercer prepped the 10.5” Eopachydiscus using sand paper, then a water color paint across the sutures to highlight the details.
  2. I had a fairly good last two Saturdays finding larger (relatively for me) mortoniceras ammonites in a creek off of I-35W south of Denton, TX. Here are some unprepped stacked ones waiting in line at the beauty shop. I also found a 14-inch mortoniceras that appeared risky to remove at first glance so I left it in the surrounding matrix and removed the entire area. Very heavy quarter mile hike back to my car. But I’m stronger for it. lol! I also wanted to highlight a 13-inch ammonite I skeptically chiseled out of a huge rock in the summer of 2023 from the Benbrook area (east of the lake). The creek side exposure was so worn down, there’s almost nothing left. But the other side, once I got it out, showed a beautiful orange color. It was broken in two pieces and the end of the ammonite had some very dense rock around it. Instead of chopping it off and trying to make a smaller ammonite, we decided to carve the rock into its own base. Glue lines were prepped out and it made for a very nice one-sided display after the usual yet detailed air scribe and air abrasive work. Some people like perfection on both sides (I do too), but sometimes creative solutions exist to make the imperfect look great.
  3. Shaun-DFW Fossils

    First “prepped” echinoids

    I am new (12-14 months) to hunting for fossils and even newer to trying my hand at prep work. I have zero tools and I’ve mostly dabbled with a few air scribes doing volunteer work cleaning dino bones at southwestern Adventist university, who has a massive collection. But my friend let me practice with his air abrasive tool, which I had not used before. I was pretty happy to get these three hemiaster whitei echinoids prepped after finding them in Fort Worth. He advised me to hold the tool at least an inch away and do slow horizontal back and forth motions to blast away the tiny particles of matrix (and a few larger chunks) I had to free up. I managed to not chip any of them, thankfully! I will be trying my hand at some larger macrasters next. One of them still needs just a little work near the bottom.
  4. RJB

    Fossil prep video

    I've make quit a few video's in the last year or so. This one is about all the tools and things I use to prep fossils along with examples and lots of info. Its a bit long at 44 minutes but even that was not near enough time to get every thing in. It was also one of my most fun video's to make. I was either sitting at my prep bench taking video clips or sittin at my computer editng for 2 days! That was the longest amount of time I've spent on making a video but probably the most fun I've had doing it. If you enjoy this half as much as I did making it, then my job is done here. Enjoy https://youtu.be/GUESK2qOjqE
  5. I collected some potentially nice Ameura trilobites this past year. I sent them to get professionally prepared and had Malcolm Thornley do the work. Both our efforts have definitely paid off! My favorite is this almost prone bug. There is some small restoration on the back half were some shell flaked from the split. Very happy and impressed with the results. As found After preparation
  6. Sagebrush Steve

    Simple Homemade Display Stands

    Thought I would share some simple, inexpensive display stands I made for some of my smaller fossils. I don't suggest these are museum quality, but hopefully this will encourage others to experiment. These fossils were in my display case but just lying on the floor of a shelf. I didn't feel this was an optimum way to display them. I wanted to get them up off the floor, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money. So I decided to go with a simple wooden base together with some brass rod I bent to shape. The wood came from a 1x3" piece of red oak, 2 feet long, that I got at the local Osh hardware store for $4.49. I sawed some pieces off of it the correct length and have plenty left over for future use. For the brass, I bought some 1/16" rod (4 pieces, 12" long each, for $2.99) and some 3/32 brass tubing (3 pieces, 12" long each for $3.49), also from Osh. I figured out what lengths I needed and cut them with a jeweler's saw. There is plenty left over for more stands. The tubing serves as the straight vertical piece, and the rod (which fits neatly inside the tubing) is bent to shape to hold the fossil. I don't try to get a tight fit around the fossil, I want to be able to easily remove the fossil whenever I want. After I got everything the way I wanted it, I soldered the brass together using 95:5 tin-silver solder (it is fairly strong for a soft solder). Unfortunately the color of the solder doesn't match the brass, but it's behind the fossil out of view so I wasn't too worried. For the wood stand, I rounded the corners of the wood and sanded it smooth, then figured out where I wanted the vertical rods and drilled 3/32 diameter holes at those locations. I then stained the wood with some leftover stain from another project. After it dried, I sprayed on two coats of clear gloss polyurethane. After everything was dry, I inserted the rods into the holes and used some 5-minute epoxy on the underside to hold them in place (there is a shallow clearance hole drilled on the underside of the hole for the epoxy). The labels are just something I put together from PowerPoint and printed on ordinary paper using a color laser printer. I protected the front of the label with ordinary scotch tape and used spray adhesive on the back to apply it to the wood. The one thing I'm not sure about is whether I should dip the ends of the brass rod where they touch the fossil in some liquid plastic something like black Plasti-Dip. I'm worried the brass might scratch the fossil where it touches, but I'm not sure whether a plastic covering would be archival quality. Any advice would be welcome. Hope this inspires you to try your own designs.
  7. I have been prepping for nearly 7 years and work on private contracts. I used to work in a museum where they have been using the same methods since mid-2000s so I was taught to prepare using the techniques and tools that they taught me with (and developed my own skills for micro-preparation), namely just using a pneumatic scribe (ME-9100, CP9361, MJ) and a microscope. I've been curious about chemical prep, and was wondering if someone could explain to a complete newbie some of the ins and outs of the method? Or direct me to any forum threads/good websites that explain it. I want to broaden my abilities and also find out if there are any modern developments, besides just buying a new scribe, to preparation as a whole (not just mechanical). I've also never tried sandblasting but wasn't sure if that would be useful. Basically I want to know when it's appropriate to use chemicals, pneumatic tools and sandblasting. Any insights from fellow preppers would be appreciated! Just for a bit more information I primarily work on mammal-like reptiles (therapsids) from the Permian-Triassic boundary from the Karoo area in South Africa. Disclaimer: I must admit I haven't had the chance to search the forum extensively for this information so I'm sure there must be info I just haven't found it yet
  8. From discovery to display: how does a fossil go from the ground to a museum? Eliza Noe, Craig Press, October 21, 2021 CNCC’s Paleontology Program Yours, Paul H.
  9. fossilsonwheels

    Donatello the Tortoise

    I’m excited to finally be able to do a fossil prep post here on TFF. In addition to the Fossils on Wheels stuff, I am also a Supervisor at the Gateway Science Museum here in Chico. I’ve mentioned that the Gateway has some pretty special fossils right now that will become part of a fossil exhibit in the fall. Some of the fossils are getting quite a bit of attention from media outlets from around the world. These fossils come from the Miocene Merton Formation of Central California. Most of the prep work is being done by faculty, staff members and students of the Geology department at CSU Chico. Employees of the museum can also help and today was my first experience prepping a fossil. I got to work on a block containing Tortoise bones and possibly other stuff too. The Tortoise is named Donatello after one of the TMT characters. The block is fairly soft mudstone that contains a lot of volcanic material and was pretty easy to work with. I used dental picks and managed to make some progress. I was probably being a bit more cautious than I needed to be but being my first attempt at this work, I didn’t want to damage anything. I dont know if the pictures will show the progress at that well but I did make some headway. I can not yet tell what part of the Tortoise I have with the exposed pieces so far but I should have a better idea next week. This was so so much fun and a fantastic learning experience. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the prep work. Here are before and after pics of Day 1 of my fossil prep adventure.
  10. PrehistoricWonders

    Air Scribes

    Hi all, I was wondering if anyone could give me advice on 1. air scribes you’ve found are good for fossil prep, and 2. All the parts needed for Scribes. I’m not quite sure all the parts needed for a scribe, I know you need the scribe itself and an air compressor, but I don’t know beyond that. P.s; the fossils I’ll be working on will be Green River fish, for the most part.
  11. Hello All, I acquired a Odontocephalus fossil that would benefit from matrix removal (limestone) especially on the cephalon. I was hoping for some references in the US? Thank you very much! Wayne
  12. I don't know if this has been addressed, but do you want to prepare fossil WITHOUT an airscribe or compressor? The Dremel 290 is bulky but there is an alternative: CH Hanson 50002. It acts like a mini jackhammer instead of rotating like most other rotary engravers on market. You can get 3600-7200 SPM (Stroke Per Minute). You can control the speed, and power by turning the knobs on the top. Super easy to use and I use it to prepare fish fossil. The stylus has a really small point too with diameter stylus 1/1/6" or .062 in and can be easily changed. So you if you want to prepare fish fossils, without the need for air compressor a cheap alternative is the CH Hanson which cost around $65. I've been looking for an airscribe without the need for an air compressor and this works perfectly. It's not loud either. It's actually very quiet compared to an airscribe. It runs at a lower SPM but it works perfectly fine with softer matrix. An all electric "airscribe" without the hassle of an air compressor! The convenient of this is you can prepare fossil anywhere inside the house since it's not loud and did I mention no need for an air compressor?
  13. Phevo

    Phevo's prep thread

    A year and some ago I bought a Krantz W 224 airscribe to start doing some mechanical preparation and promised to do a prep thread once I got started. Prior to this type of prep I have done a lot of silicone casting (which I might make a separate thread for) and on softer matrix used a mix of dental picks/tooth brushes. I have had several different setups over the past year, and the past 2 months or so can be seen on the following picture After spending a tedious amount of time with the rough matrix removal I decided to add a Cp9361 airscribe, which has sped things up a lot.
  14. Does anyone know of a resource/person for prepping an articulated, out of the matrix ceratopsian? Skull intact. Near complete animal about 3.5 ft long. Looking for someone with experience. I'm in the San Francisco area - North Bay (Marin,Sonoma). Thanks!
  15. Doctor Mud

    ME-9100 lost power

    Hi everyone, Hi have an ME-9100 and I’ve had years with no problems. Yesterday I took off the sleeve and cleaned everything and the only difference to my routine was that I directly put oil in where the piston is. now I can get it to start, but there’s no power, seems like the stroke length is almost zero and the stylus is barely vibrating. I took it all apart, including taking the tool off the hose and removing the pin and checking the piston, but it back together. Had slightly more power for a few seconds. But now the same problem. Any ideas? Thanks!
  16. READ ME FIRST. Every once in a while the topic of consolidants and adhesives comes up. I've attached some information that has helped me in the past. The first is a publication put out y the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections. The next is a discussion of consolidants and adhesives put out by Florida Museum Of Natural History. The final document is a study I did on consolidants about 15 years ago. To this day my favorite adhesive is a combination of Paraloid B 72 and acetone at various concentrations. I like this because it is reversible in acetone. If I have an immediate need in the field I prefer superglue. My favorite consolidant continues to be Elmer's glue all (poly vinyl acetate emulsion) diluted to 5 to 10% in water. I hope this information proves useful. Tom C104282020.pdf C204282020.pdf C304282020.pdf
  17. Can anyone explain or provide sources on methods of fossil preparation during the 19th Century? I am interested in what tools, chemicals(if any), etc., were used to prepare fossils from the mid to late 19th century. I recently read one of Beecher’s papers from 1893 with a drawing of the antennae and legs of the Triarthus he found in the pyritized Lagerstätte ein Rome NY and was curious how they prepped fossils at that time? Also, when was air abrasion introduced? Thank you
  18. Hollie Bird

    Prep intro for a beginner

    Ive always enjoyed fossil hunting in local areas however I've never done any prep. work at all to specimes I've brought home. I've two practice pieces singled out to experiment with. (If it goes horribly wrong nothing lost) One a random chunk of lias clay with some bivalves and the other one a little ammonite just peaking out of another lump of jurassic lias clay. The matrix isn't particularly soft or hard with either. I have no appropriate tools in my possession however I'm willing to buy some basic things which are necessary. Any advice would be appreciated.
  19. Hello everyone, I recently received this large 14inch ammonite and the shipper had no care in the world to put even an ounce of protection thus this is the result I'm not experienced with much prep and not confident superglue would cut it so what would you all recommend to help repair this specimen as well as clean off some of the dirt/dust layer coating alot of it?
  20. I have recently begun my journey into fossil prep, i'm using a dremel electric engraver as it seemed to be the best cheap tool. I have several ammonites from Yorkshire within nodules - these are very hard in the centre and consist of pyritised sediment. It is taking a very long time with the dremel using tungsten-carbide point, so just asking for any advice on how is best to try and get through these very hard bits. Cheers in advance!!
  21. Okay so I have some questions on what you can and can't do with your typical trilobite in shale fossils. To help direct the discussion, I am interested in setting a small trilobite in silver as a gift. I make silver jewelry both using PMC (Precious Metal Clay) and traditional cutting and soldering. So, first question: Can you use high percentage (70% or higher) rubbing alcohol to clean all the dust and debris before sealing a trilobite? If not, what should I use? (I know you shouldn't use water) Question 2: What sealants can/should you use on a trilobite? I am looking for something that will be both waterproof and help prevent chipping. Question 3: Does anyone have any experience exposing them to high heat? It is common in jewelry making for heat to be involved, from both direct flame and indirect radiant heat. Is there any kind of precautions I should take and if so, what? What type of heat did you expose them to and what was the result? Different minerals act differently so remember we are talking about soft-medium shale. Question 4: Do you have any other advice or precautions you can give me regarding the use of fossil trilobites in/from shale matrix regarding their use in mixed media projects? The information I gather on this will help dictate my methods and help me create a plan for my project. There are many different ways I can do this and want to get a better idea of my options. Thanks. Picture is not of the exact trilobite to be used. It's just a reference for the kind of material/fossil I will be using.
  22. fossilsonwheels

    Ichthyosaur prep workshop

    In addition to my work with Fossils on Wheels, I also work for a small science museum that is part of CSU Chico and sometimes there are perks to that job. Tomorrow CSU Chico is hosting an Icthyosaur prep workshop with Dr. Greg Cole. Richard Hilton will also be there and he literally write the book on California's marine reptiles and dinosaur fossils finds. This should be a really informative and fun workshop. I know very little Icthyosaurs so this is a great opportunity to learn more about an animal that we need to learn more about. It is also a chance to learn more about fossil preparation, which is something I want to learn about, and to network with professionals. I will update this tomorrow with more information and hopefully have some pictures as well
  23. Hi. I saw this multitask engrave/sander tool for sale. Is this suitable for fossil preparation? Thank you.
  24. Hello everyone! So i have been hard at work. Last time I damaged a couple of fossils because the PSI on the sandblasting machine was too high while I was working on removing matrix directly off the fossil. This time I learned that higher pressures like 20 or 40 PSI can be useful for removing large amounts of matrix that are not directly touching the fossil. While lower pressures like 5 PSI are useful for removing small amounts of matrix to expose details of fossils. Also it is a good idea to wait to expose details until the entire fossil is mostly exposed and only detail work remains. This is because the more a fossil is exposed and being worked on the higher chances are that details will be erased by the air abrasive moving over the fossil. Even in areas you are not directly working on. Please watch my video and learn more about it! Special thanks to the University of Utah for letting me use their lab, and a special thanks to the University of Utah Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program for helping too!
  25. Zachster

    Getting Started

    Hey guys! So I thought that I would start a new blog here. I have been looking for videos and other instructional material on line for how to prep / clean a fossil and have not found much. Google did not seem to be to helpful in this matter. I did find a few more things on this forum and they were very helpful. I learned what materials I needed and some techniques of how to clean fossils, but nothing like "Make sure to do this.....", "don't do this....". So I was able to gain access to my School's Palio and geoscience lab, and we put together a fossil prep lab. Now it may not be as fancy as a museum but it works!! And I am excited to work there! I may also be able to go to a nearby museum and be trained in how to do this as well. We will see. So I have some trilobites from the wheeler shale formation, in Dugway Utah, that I will be practicing on. The point of this is to get my skills high enough to be able to work on other fossils with out damaging them, for a research project I am involved in. In the video I show you what I do and talk about why and also talk about what I do wrong and how I fixed them. Please feel free to talk about this and to give advice. Here is a video of what I have been able to do so far. I started a youtube channel so that everyone can see what I am doing. So far I found that if i put a circled groove around the fossil, hopefully deep enough, that when I break the parallel layers of shale below the fossil that it will let the fossil be removed, with some matrix, from the rock. I will then later remove the excess rock off the fossil with an air abrasive / sandblasting machine. After I put the circled groove around my trilobite fossil I put my finger on it so that way it does not fly away when I use the air pen to pop it out. I had some success with this. I also found that keeping the PSI on the sand blasting machine around 5 PSI was necessary. Anything higher then that and I was damaging the fossils I found this out the hard way. I damaged two fossil because I did not check the PSI on the machine before I started. Fortunately they are ones that I own and not some one else. Best check that PSI next time!! Well enjoy my video! and remember please share this with others who are interested in getting started. And feel free to give any advice I would need for a beginner! Zach
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