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Anyone local to Dallas in need of a functioning air compressor? It is well used but working fine. Internal regulator failed several years ago so, I added an aftermarket regulator/filter combo. I also built a muffler to help with some of the noise. It’s an oil lubricated unit so, not as loud as oil less but still pretty noisy. I’ll let it go for a trade on a cool fossil. I like teeth, ammonites, trilobites, amber with inclusions. Drop me a line and I’m certain we can make a deal.

I have some unprepped fossils I got online and I have the paleobond starter kit but don't have a compressor or scribe. Are those tools necessary? Can I just use the compressed air cans? If I need a compressor does it have to be a high quality one?

My last post about the setup of my fossil workshops for a while.... In this video I show how I constructed a MONSTER, DIY air dryer for the compressed air system in my fossil prep workshop. Just as a caveat, don't do this yourself, its a terrible idea, don't try this at home, your mileage my vary.

Good Morning. I am looking for a quiet compressor that allows me to use in a residential area. Preferably I would like to visit a shop. Does any one have any advice. I have the equipment to go with it. Thanks, Sue

Hello, I am wanting to buy a sandblaster. I already have a compressor. I heard they are kinda expensive. I have around 300 euros. does someone have tips?

Cards on the table I don't know much of anything about air tools. I have had a CP9361 scribe for a while which came with a type M air fitting. I was recently gifted a new Fossil Shack scribe that came with a type Q air fitting. Is there a universal quick connect that can work with both or a splitter I could put on the compressor with both types of connections. I have tried talking to a couple of local warehouse store workers about it to no avail so I figured I would take a shot and ask here. Top is from the CP9361, bottom is from fossil shack. I could replace the fitting on the CP9461 to match since that one at least comes apart. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated

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?

My daughter and I do most of our collecting around the Whitby area where we mostly collect ammonite nodules with high iron content, making them very hard. I have tried prepping them with a Dremel rotary tool and while it often works quite well around the outer whorls it barely scratches the centre. I’d like to step up to using an air pen or similar but it looks a heck of a jump in terms of cost. Initial research looks like it’s going to cost £400-500. Is this a realistic estimate for entry level, but decent equipment? I wouldn’t want to throw a couple of hundred at poor quality gear that isn’t up to the task. (I’ve seen cheaper alternatives on a popular auction site that are shipped from China that I’m keen to avoid) Any advice is greatly appreciated

So I had previously bought an electric diamond tip Dremel but I want to upgrade to a faster way to break off matrix because at this rate fossils are taking me 8+ hours for a mediocre job. I am now looking seriously into air scribes because their efficiency and ease on my hands and time. So I have a budget of around 400$ (total for the airscribe and compressor) I was looking into the Chicago pneumatic CP9361 which is 260$ on amazon but its from Hungary and the reviews say sometimes it doesn't work. And I saw another for 900$. So I am confused on how much this should cost. If I am going to spend nearly 260 I want it to work. I have decided that maybe I should play it safer and try out a less expensive scribe *because I still need to buy a compressor* and this is my next option (see photos) My questions are 1. Does this look like it would be slightly faster than a 20$ electric Dremel. 2. Do you think this will be a good tool for basic fossil prep work. 3. Where can I buy a compressor? (budget of 200$) 4. What should I look for in an air compressor to fit the needs of this scribe. Thank you for any feedback, hopefully someone can help out a novice like me

I know little about compressors and I am thinking of putting a compressor in an unheated garage. Is that an issue? Winter temps in there could be minus 25-30 F. Also, is distance from the compressor to the work area a problem? Mike

FYI @DevonianDigger @JamesAndTheFossilPeach @Kane @Malcolmt @caldigger @RJB @Ptychodus04 @Fossildude19 @FossilSloth @FossilDudeCO I need your guy's input as I go along! I'm a green horn! Thank you in advance. Well since some of you who I know have started your own fossil preparation threads I thought I'd do the same. A lot has transpired since, well Saturday morning. I went all chips in and bought a really nice two stage, 60 gallon Kobalt air compressor. You don't want to know the cost. My jaw dropped when the cashier rang up the total but I had no other choice. I was all in at this point. Went home and my neighbors helped me lift this monster out of my cousins pickup and I spent the rest of the day setting everything up then realized that I didn't have the connector for the 3/4 output on the tank so went back today and figured it out. The Lowes guy and I had fun figuring this puzzle out together. So I have a moisture trap, emergency shutoff (isolator) valve, regulator, 25 foot air hose, CP-9361, some fossils to prepare, and 240 volt connection (yes I wired up the plug and cabling). Wiring up this 240 volt electrical housing was probably the scariest thing I've ever done in my life. Definitely not a lot of room for error. Really was nervous about doing this. Also nervous about this. Had to punch a hole through 11 inch dry wall and plywood to get to the washer/dryer room to access the 240 volt dryer outlet. Thankfully we weren't using that outlet as our drier runs on natural gas. Here's the big 250 lb air compressor. This thing pumps out a ton of air. I was able to run the scribe continuously for three hours. No stopping! Moisture trap, shut off valve, and the regulator all hooked up to a large 3/4 elbow. One of the reasons why I had to get the elbow was because I knew with all the extra valves and connections it would put strain on the line so I wanted gravity to compliment the setup (as punishing as gravity can be at times). So now for the good part. The fossils. Recently acquired a massive Tumidocarcinus giganteus crab concretion from New Zealand. Within a few hours the carapace is well exposed. I'm not exactly sure what to look for here. There's either an exoskeleton that's flaking off or that's some sort of chemical process on the outside. I'm really not sure as I've seen these crabs in both that light pinkish hue and then in the black color. Where the black is was where the concretion was exposed to the elements. You can see the non-dominant left claw being teased out. That's also delicate so I've really been taking my time. Worked on it for about 3 hours total. So far so good. Here's a couple pictures to illustrate the process. Unlike @RJB I may not have a beer by my side but I'm ready to go crabbing. Definitely needed the safety goggles. Will need to pickup an air mask tomorrow along with some noise cancelling headphones (have some Beats at work). Roughly 10 minutes in and am really taking my time (don't want to do anything that I might regret later). About 40 minutes in. Slowly inching my way towards the left claw. About two hours into the process. The carapace is starting to show. Decided to leave at this point with nearly three hours invested. I hear crabs can have leg parts in virtually any arrangement depending on their displacement and preservation but I'm anticipating legs going from the carapace region out towards the edges (you can see points where legs should be). Really decided to slow down and take my time. I think this is going to be a very special fossil especially since it's the first crab I'm preparing and the first fossil prepared by my first owned air scribe the tried and true CP-9361. I'm sure I'll make mistakes along the way and I'm not doing this the way other more experienced prepares would but it's a start. The CP-9361. I'm in love. Then for kicks I decided to do some work on this little Knightia from the split fish layers. The Museum of Ancient Life curator that I've been volunteering with has been teaching me the ways of prep. Some secrets I won't be able to divulge here as I've sworn an oath of secrecy but he's really good at preparing Green River fish. He actually uses a CP-9361 so I figured why couldn't I right? Well I went in really slowly on this fish and exposed it in about five minutes flat. There's a few punch holes on the far end of the tail from where I was a tad bit to aggressive with the scribe but with time and practice I'll get a better feel for how to work with this soft matrix. I'm sure the 18 inch layer is a bit harder. Still I think it came out for a common fish and it looks pretty good. I forgot to take a before picture but here's an after picture. Little Knightia required only 5 minutes of preparation work with the CP9361 when it would have taken at least an hour with dental picks, which I'm never going back to again.

Well this year I've started collecting items to begin preparing crabs and trilobites. Obviously the crab nodules are a bit tougher than the trilobites so I'll need to take that into consideration. I recently purchased a CP9361 for a pretty good deal and also have a decent microscope with 20x magnification. I'll build an air cabinet for micro blasting later and then pickup a medium hopper and micro sand blaster for trilobites eventually but I'm going to start off preparing crab nodules which is why I went for the CP9361. Also probably going to pickup a long 2" tungsten point tip for the CP9361 as their stock tip isn't that good (or so I've heard). I work at my nearby museum preparing a Barosaurus and they use everything from the ARO (couldn't find one of those), ME9100, Micro Jacks, and the CP9361. The museum curator advised going with the CP because they are cheaper and he said he's never had one break down on him and he's had a couple ME9100 break down. So now I have to look ahead and decide what compressor to get! I'll probably be preparing fossils for no more than 2-3 hours at a time but want to be prepared just in case. Everyone who is experienced at preparing on this forum suggests prepping for as long as possible to avoid shutting the compressor on and off thereby fluctuating the hardwares air regulation system. A few things to keep in mind when working on fossils for a long time with a compressor as your power source: * Avoid oil lubricated compressors as the oil can leak from your air line to the fossil. * Go with a compressor that outputs at least 90-110 PSI since most scribes operate at this level. Also make sure it outputs at least 2 CFM (cubic feet per minute). Most tools I've observed require about 1 CFM but it's always good to have more in case you want to use your compressor for other things or more heavy duty tools. * Go with a compressor that holds 20 gallons of air or more if you're going to be working on fossils for a while. Here's a couple I had my eye on: 15 Gallon Dewalt: https://www.lowes.ca/air-compressors-kits/dewalt-16-hp-15-gal-200-psi-portable-electric-air-compressor_g1335346.html @Malcolmt didn't you say you had one like this? This one is 15 gallons and I thought you recommended 20 gallons? Thanks. 27 Gallon Dewalt: https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-27-gal-200-PSI-Portable-Vertical-Electric-Air-Compressor-DXCM271-COM/303655008?MERCH=REC-_-PIPHorizontal2_rr-_-206796177-_-303655008-_-N 20 Gallon Husky: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-20-Gal-175-PSI-Portable-Electric-Air-Compressor-C201H/206189626 10 Gallon California Air Tools: https://www.homedepot.com/p/California-Air-Tools-10-Gal-2-0-HP-Ultra-Quiet-and-Oil-Free-Electric-Air-Compressor-10020C/206644539?MERCH=REC-_-PIPHorizontal2_rr-_-206796177-_-206644539-_-N Probably won't go with 10 gallon as that won't produce enough air for longer preps. As long as the compressor runs continuously for a few hours that should be sufficient. I'm leaning towards the more expensive 27 gallon Dewalt because it has such a good rating and a bigger tank then the 15 gallon Dewalt or 20 gallon Husky. I'm a bit surprised both the 27 and 15 gallon Dewalts are priced the same from two different stores. What are your thoughts here? Obviously I'll get the three year warranty with this unit. Can't skimp on that!

Yesterday i did some maintenance on my tool. I opened my TT pen and added some oil and cleaned the inside and tip. Today when i plugged it in, it started at first then after 30 seconds just blows air and doesnt boot up or make any noise i've opened and closed it afew times but still nothing, any ideas? Thanks, Liam

Christmas came today in the form of a free compressed air filter and desiccant rig. I just need to mount it and replace the desiccant insert. Woohoo! No more clumpy abrasives.

Just got an email from Harbor Freight about a new compressor they have introduced. It’s only 8 gallons so it might be too small for a scribe, but I think would be okay for an air eraser like the Paasche AECR (as long as you keep it set to 50psi or less). It is oil free but claims to be quieter than other oil free compressors. At $115 on sale it might even be in my price range. Anyone already have one or have thoughts about it? Here is the link: https://www.harborfreight.com/8-gallon-15-HP-150-PSI-Oil-Free-Portable-Air-Compressor-64294.html?ccdenc=eyJjb2RlIjoiMTIxNTkwNjAiLCJza3UiOiI2NDI5NCIsImlzIjoiMTE0Ljk5IiwicHJvZHVjdF9p ZCI6IjEyNjExIn0%3D &utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1718c&utm_source=1031&cid=mEmail_s1031_c1718c&sfid=c3RldmVfaGluY2hAY29tY2FzdC5uZXQ=

Right... bought my ST pen few months back, got my compressor today (50l) going to order my water trap soon, got hoses too, got a build up of large Ammonites and bone concretions that need to be prepped, will start off with a few practice Ammonites then move onto bigger things, any hints n tips for first time set ups and prep ? Cheers.

My air abrader got stuffed up over 2 weeks ago, so I sent it off for repairs and I've been twiddling my thumbs ever since wondering what to do with myself It turned out that the real culprit was my compressor, which I had just had repaired a few months ago. This time it was leaking oil into the air system, thereby causing difficulties with the other tools. Fortunately it didn't bother the air pens much, but the abrader needed a complete overhaul and I've been forced to replace the compressor completely this time. I finally got everything put back together yesterday and made a dry run today on a couple of ammonites I hadn't quite finished before everything went awry. I recieved them from a British collector in exchange for some prep work I'm doing for him. I also managed to get his things finished off today as well. Sonninia (Euhoploceras) marginatum Hyperlioceras deflexum Now I'm looking forward to getting back to business as usual.

Afternoon folks Well finally moved into the new house with a brick shed/garage (aka my new workshop) yay! What I need to do is soundproof the compressor so to reduce the noise levels a bit as it will be in there with me, no real option to move it outside etc. I have been looking at numerous options and I need some advise on what is best, I have a load of mdf from an old wardrobe and was thinking of boxing it in with this then adding thick foam boarding to help reduce the noise. I know I need to look at ventilation etc in boxing it in. Or the other option I was looking at was making a box from Knauf sound panels and adding rubber matting or wood to the outside an extra layer. So out of the two option above what do people think would be the best option. I don't want to spend loads but I have around £50 - £75 to spend. If someone has a much better option than my attempts above please let me know or even a photo or two to give me some more ideas. Thanks very much guys Gary

Hey all, I made my own topic so as not to hijack longbow.1's. My goal is to silence my portable compressor, which I use anywhere there's an outlet (to the annoyance of everyone nearby). The intake turns out to be a 3/4" diameter piece of pvc held in place by a rubber gasket. I'm thinking of using 3 pieces of 3/4 inch steel pipe with two elbows and welding a moped muffler I've got in the shop to the end. this would produce the "circuitous path" Ptychodus04 recommended in addition to the muffler. I'm planning to have the muffler end up over the shield and inside the handle, keeping the compressor portable. I'm attaching some pics of the machine. curious if there's any danger of damaging the motor by possibly restricting airflow @Ptychodus04

so I bought a compressor 21 gal compressor and would like to would do I get air dryer filter or dryer and oil filter