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Found 17 results

  1. A recent fossil exploration trip in North MIssissippi resulted in a new Mississippi Fossils YouTube "How to" playlist. I believe I found a horn coral (top) and a crinoid stalk piece (bottom). A small quartz rock is also pictured in the middle. I also think I spotted an embedded oyster shell. darrell barnes
  2. Hello. I was wondering how to make from sylvania OH Brachiopods with pyrite shine. Because i have some that have pyrite but are covered in matrix and are not sparkling the same way that ones that have been treated with acid. Thanks! Trilobites_are_awesome.
  3. Mostly sandstone from clallam formation WA. The fossils are flaky and the sand stone has many cracks threatening to break into pieces. I know it’s not the prettiest, but I was hoping to stabilize the matrix a bit as well as some of the more preserved shells to expose and highlight them a bit
  4. I recently completed my first fossil prep. Woohoo! As a novice, I did a lot of reading and research; trying to piece together exactly what I was supposed to do. How exactly I was supposed to "prep" the fossil and what that process entailed. While I found a wealth of information here on TFF, and other avenues, that information took a while for me to uncover and assemble into something useful. Not that the information itself wasn't useful, but uncovering a bit of info would often cause even more questions to arise. Consequently, it sometimes felt like taking 1 step forward but 3 steps back at the same time. So here is a novice guide, written by a novice, for other novices. It is intended for someone trying to figure out how to get started in Manual Fossil Preparation. The following information is what I feel is the basics of getting started in prep work based on my observations, research, and very limited experience. A quick guide to help get someone started who has been wondering what to do, but hasn't quite figured out where to start yet. Hopefully this will open up the wonderful world of fossil preparation for a few more people. What is Fossil Preparation? Fossil Preparation is the name given to the process of cleaning and repairing fossils. Making them more presentable for display, and revealing more diagnostic detail for study and research. Preparation at it's most basic form, is cleaning. Simply using a brush with water could be considered preparation. However, when most of us discuss fossil prep, it typically involves removing matrix. There are basically 3 ways to remove matrix from fossils. Using hand tools is generally referred to as manual preparation. Using power tools that require an air compressor, or electricity, is referred to as mechanical preparation. The third option is chemical preparation. Which, as the name implies, is using chemicals to prepare a fossil. Typically by dissolving matrix. Most people use one, two, or a combination of all three methods. I chose to focus on Manual Preparation. In my opinion, it is the cheapest, easiest, and the most forgiving form to start with. This is where most people tend to begin their prep journey. The process is pretty much the same with mechanical means. The more aggressive tools just make it go much faster. Which can lead to quicker results, but also quicker damage if done improperly. I figured it was better to cut my teeth on the cheaper, slower option, then upgrade tools if I liked it. I typically see “starter kit” recommendations for mechanical prep in the $800-$1000 USD range. You may get by with spending a little less, but it will still cost hundreds of dollars to get going. I spent less than $50 USD on my manual prep “starter kit” and you can get by with spending much less. Chemical prep can work well, and can be fairly cheap. A gallon of vinegar doesn't cost much... but it can VERY easily damage the fossil if you are not careful and don't know what you are doing. Proper precautions will need to be taken as well. Most chemicals used in fossil prep pose some sort of health hazard. Also, not all chemicals will work in all situations. What tools do you need to get started in Manual Prep? Anything that is sharp and can dig into the matrix that you want to remove. Seriously... Anything! There are people on TFF who started prepping with a wood nail, drywall screw, a push pin, and even a steak knife! That being said, there are definitely tools that will make life easier. Listed below are ones that I found the most helpful and personally used. Pin Vise* Magnification Lamp Dental picks Razor Knife** Brushs Sewing Needles Scribes (Sometimes referred to as Scribers) Scratch Awls Water *A word on Pin Vises... These are handy little gadgets, who's name is somewhat of a misnomer. While they are very useful for holding pins/needles and the like, they are typically sold as small hand drills, and can come with an assortment of micro drill bits. You will not need these drill bits for fossil prep, and if you can find a pin vise without the bits, it will usually cost less. They are sold by many hobby stores, or can be found online very easily. Simply put, they are handles with collets or chucks, used to hold very small things.You don't need a pin vise, but if you do purchase one, I would suggest a range of 0-.125 (1/8) inches or 0mm-3mm. This way you can hold the smallest of needles, and things up to the size of a standard rotary tool bit. Which is 1/8 inch or roughly 3mm. What you put in your pin vise will vary depending on what you are prepping, but I found that a scrib(er) or engraving tip for removing bulkier matrix, and a larger sewing needle worked rather well. They come in double ended forms, or you can usually find them cheap enough to buy more than one for quick switching between tips if you desire. **A word on Razor Knives... These are also known as hobby knives and are commonly referred to by a brand name that is rather “exact”. I had read people recommending to use these and how great they were to have around. I thought “Why use a razor blade on rock?” I didn't fully realize their use in fossil prep until I actually broke down and tried it. The tip of the knife can be used similar to a dental pick or needle and can slide between the layers of rock to pick it away or split it. I found that it could also be used to sculpt the matrix around the fossil. Sure it will dull quickly, but replacement blades are cheap, and it actually cut and planed the soft shale I was working with pretty well. I am sure there are more uses that I need to discover. Very handy and cheaply purchased. So... How do you actually prep? Well... You remove matrix without damaging the fossil. Things can happen, but this is the ultimate goal. First you use a larger tool to remove the bulk of the matrix. Depending on the size of excess matrix, you may be using a hammer and chisel for this, or you may use something like a scratch awl. My first prep was on a brachiopod valve so the scratch awl method worked well for me. I used the awl to pick and scratch at the matrix. Removing as much as I could, as quickly as I dared. Use a brush to get dust and debris out of your way. I used a small paint brush. Something that puffs air or even a little water can also work. Once you start to get closer to the fossil you will want to use something finer. When I got down fairly close, I switched over to a smaller scribe tip. When I was right next to the fossil I started using the sewing needle and dental picks. When you are right up against the fossil you will want to be very, very careful. Hopefully their will be a small gap between the matrix and the fossil. You can slide a dental pick, sewing needle, or tip of a razor blade in this gap and pick away the piece. Lifting it away from the fossil will hopefully cause it to flake off. If the matrix is more “sticky” you may need to painstakingly pick it off grain by grain. OK. Now you know how to prep, but what do you actually prep first? My advice is...Don't start with a nice, expensive, rare, or scientifically important specimen. Don't grab the one that you have just been dying to see revealed and start poking at it. There is a learning curve to prepping. The concept is simple, but in practice it is difficult. You WILL mess up. Especially on your first try. It happens. The needle slips and scratches. That piece of matrix that looked like it was going to break away cleanly took a piece of valve with it. Practice. Build up your skills and technique, then tackle that nice fossil. Your results will be much better and you will be happier with the outcome. Also, don't grab that big hash plate. Get something small that will give you a sense of completion in a few hours. A hash plate may take 10s or 100s of hours to complete. Starting with a small piece will give you a sense of completion and a much needed reward for your hard work and first try. If you collect fossils, I suggest getting something that is common to the area. Something that you might even currently pass over because they are everywhere. If you purchase your fossils, look for the same type of thing. Something that is common and not too expensive. Something that is a dime a dozen. Maybe even a fragment of a larger specimen that isn't worth much monetarily because it is broken. I would also suggest something that is relatively simple. Something with a lot of bones and pieces might throw you for a loop. Here are some Tips and Tricks that I learned just in my first few hours of prep work. Take your time! This is probably the most important tip I can give. Don't rush it. This process will take hours, not minutes. Even on something small like a brachiopod valve. I didn't time my first prep, but it took at least 4 hours. If you are tired, stop and give yourself a break. If you are frustrated with a piece that just doesn't seem to want to come off, move to another section to work on, and come back to it later. Rushing and frustrations cause mistakes. Magnification is very helpful. I would even say necessary. I used a magnification lamp. The magnification and light combo worked great for letting me see what I was doing. Especially when working close to the fossil. I have seen others who use those magnifying visors, or even a microscope. Keep your tools sharp. It sounds crazy I know. You are pushing these things into rock, and they will dull quickly, but they do work better when sharp. There is a noticeable use of less force when using a sharp tool. To borrow a philosophy from knife use... A sharp tool is a safe tool. Good lighting is a must. This goes hand in hand with magnification. If you can't see what you are doing, you can't prep. Wear proper safety equipment. Dust and flying debris is a real hazard. Even when using a tiny sewing needle. I would wear a dust mask and eye protection at the least. Gloves for protecting the hands from the errant dental pick/needle tip may come in handy as well. Know the morphology and/or anatomy of what you are trying to prep. You need to know what you are trying to dig out of the rock and what it looks like to avoid damaging the fossil or digging into the wrong place. The pieces and parts may not be where they are supposed to be, because of the nature of the fossilization process, but you need to have a good idea of what you are looking for. I wet the fossil from time to time. This isn't always an option depending on the fossil and matrix, but in my situation it helped wash away dust, bring out detail so I could better see what I was doing, and softened the matrix slightly, making it easier to prep. Stone is like wood, it has grain. Look for it and use it to your advantage. Picking and poking with the grain will typically yield better results that digging across or against it. Some things are not worth prepping. There I said it. Sometimes things will take way to long to prep, or are too delicate. You need to realize, and be ok with the fact, that some fossils, or part of a fossil, is better left alone. I'm sure I'll think of something else after posting... I hope this quick little guide will encourage other novices to try fossil prep. It is an enjoyable and rewarding aspect of the fossil obsession. Seeing something revealed for the first time in millions (sometimes hundreds of millions) of years has a distinctly wonderful feeling. Thanks to all those who helped get me going with their comments and suggestions in various threads. A special thanks to those that I PM'ed and asked questions of. You know who you are. Your knowledge and expertise were invaluable and greatly appreciated! Comments, corrections, and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Best of luck! Here is a link to my first prep that I referenced...
  5. Recently, guidelines for posting in the ID section were put in the FAQ section: "Identification Posting For The Uninitiated". There, handy tips are provided to help people pose their ID questions in such a way that other members get the information needed to help them come to a conclusive identification (good photographs, any available age/locality data, etc.). All in all a very useful shortlist. However, reading it I felt something was missing. If someone takes the trouble of producing good photographs and provides all age/locality data he/she has, then this person deserves an answer to match the effort. Therefore, it would be nice if "Identification Posting For The Uninitiated" also includes a "how to properly respond" section. Not sure whether I am in the position to write this, but here are a few things I believe would help posters who respond to ID requests provide answers that are of better assistance with identification. >Please provide your arguments as to why you come to a certain identification (diagnostic features visible on presented photo, age constraints, etc.). These arguments are much more educative than the species name you provide: "what properties do I need to pay attention to if I want to distinguish X from Y?" (Being grossly similar to some specimen on a photo found online is a rather poor argumentation if without any additional reasoning.) >Please accept uncertainty. Sometimes specimens are too poorly preserved (i.e. lacking diagnostic features) and cannot be identified up to species or even generic level. In these cases, providing an identification up to some higher hierarchical level (e.g. order, phylum) is just as valuable. Actually, it is more valuable than an incorrect (misleading) ID at the species level, if you ask me. >Please try to provide references. This could be Google images of similar specimens, but should ideally also be literature references. God knows my own answers in the ID section often don't comply with the standard set above, so I don't really have a right to talk, I guess. However, it is good for us all to have something like this to aim for while providing answers in the ID section. Also, are any additions to the list?
  6. Hello FF! I’ve recently taken home some neat fossils from the Waldron Shale in southern Indiana. I’m new to taking fossil collecting seriously, and thus have little experience in trying to properly prep them. For some, the surrounding matrix often crumbles when I take so much as a dental pick to them, though a toothbrush and soapy water hardly yield results after scrubbing for a while. For others, I can hardly get anything to work (such as the large trilobite mold below). The tools I have present are a dental pick, a toothbrush, water (and dish detergent), a small chisel, a hammer, and a jug of muriatic acid, though I have read the muriatic acid should be used as more of a last resort. I just don’t know if I’m doing the methods I’m currently using wrong (likely), or if I need new methods altogether. For the trilobite mold, I’ve been scrubbing and dental picking for 2 hours with little to show, so perhaps I should alter my methods. Lastly, I plan on purchasing an air scribe in the near future, so is that something I should get before working on these further? Thank you kindly for your time and help!
  7. Hello, there is a subject that I know almost nothing about and I would like to learn more about it. I am talking about the process of uncovering fossils and I don't mean getting them out of the ground, I am talking about cleaning them and removing stone from them (I am sure there is an actual term for this but as I said I know almost nothing about it). I saw the tools that are used for this task in a lab in the united states about 2 years ago but I would love to learn more about the process and is it possible for me to do it? I have no experience or special tools but can I learn this skill and can I get the needed tools or are they incredibly expensive and hard to get? I would love to learn from you and read anything you have to tell me
  8. Many of the fossils collected from the Bighorn Basin are coated in this nasty purple-ish carbonate material. I've tried soaking it in a dilute acetic acid but it's not very effective. Would dilute muriatic acid work? Or would it react with hydroxyapatite?
  9. I found two ichthyosaur ribs and a fern leaf on my local beach, yesterday. Unfortunately for me, they were in a massive slab which probably weighed no less than 25-30kg. At first I tried using my chisel and hammer to try and split up the rock into more manageable chunks but that didn't seem to work. Moreover, the bits of rock were flaking dangerously close to the fossils. I then tried rolling the rock, and this worked for a while until it rolled into a pit where it got stuck. With the tide coming in, I was forced to leave the slab. Now this got me thinking: How do people go about getting big and heavy slabs off the beach without specialist equipment. I was thinking of maybe coming back to the beach tomorrow to try again to see if I can still find the slab and bring it home. Some methods of transportation I've been thinking of include: Rolling it onto a flat board and dragging it over the rocks. Putting it in a carrier bag then dragging it. More information: The beach is very rocky The tide comes in very fast so I'll only have around 20 minutes to get it past the tideline I don't have a stone saw or any other similar equipment I don't think its of any scientific value, but it would definitely be one of my best fossils. If anyone could give any advice on how to go about getting big slabs like this off the beach it would be great! Thank you! Also I'm sleeping for the next 12 hours so probably won't be able to reply
  10. VERY new to all this - like, started internet research a few days ago. My 4 year old son is obsessed with sharks, so I am taking our family to mataoka beach to look for some shark teeth fossils. I picked up some colanders and sieves from the dollar store to make double level shark tooth sifters, similar to some stuff I saw on this forum. **But how do I know where or which stuff to scoop sift for sifting?** Thanks in advance for any advice - links to videos especially appreciated!
  11. ParkerPaleo

    Tar pit materials prep guide

    Does anyone have good information regarding tar pit prep?
  12. Megalodoodle

    How do I Begin Collecting?

    I’ve already bought a few specimens, but I haven’t really collected fossils personally. What do I collect first? Where to collect? What to look for? How do I identify a promising collecting spot? I want to collect fossils without having to travel beyond my state, Virginia, (obviously due to ‘rona.) Obviously this may not be the best time to leave the house, but I want to at least be prepared for when we are released from quarantine! Already have a the basic collecting tools I just need to know how to use them (any specific techniques, or is it basically the same as when your mineral collecting?)
  13. Found this video on Youtube, and thought it was pretty ingenious. I like the DIY blaster box idea, as well. Thought it might be an option for those of us who cannot break the bank to do our own fossil prep. This has given me some ideas to try out. Hope this helps someone out. Good luck!
  14. As the title states what is your standard hunting gear? For those who need a prompt here is one: A fellow TFF member has asked you to join them on a hunt. They are keeping the location a secret. What do you bring?
  15. Hello all. I recently received a fossil branch in delicate shale. It wasn't packaged well and arrived broken. It is a shame. I want to know what the best way is to repair it and hide the cracks. The first picture is what it looked like before it was sent to me. Thank you! ps: if anyone knows what it is an ID would be appreciated as well, but my primary concern is the best way to repair it.
  16. I have some megalodon teeth that are prime candidates for being “diamond polished”. I just don’t know what tools to use. Or if I need a certain polish. I just have no idea. Also how to add graphite into the teeth to polish. I think that’s really cool too. If anyone has any advice it will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
  17. When posting in the ID section it is very important to follow these simple guidelines. Images should be in focus and the fossil should take up most of the photo, it is important that the details of the fossil can be seen. With some fossils it is necessary to take multiple images of the fossil at different angles. It is also important to tell us what formation or location the fossil was found or to know the geologic age of the fossil. When posting a new topic for an id be as descriptive as you can in the title instead of putting id needed put mammal tooth id need or if you think you might know what it is put in the title what you think it is followed by a question mark. If anyone else would like to add to this please do so. <EDIT> A good example may be seen by clicking on this link: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?showtopic=9913&view=findpost&p=112443
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