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Hi All, I was given this fish as a present for Xmas. It is labelled as: Syngatus sp, Miocene, Nevada USA The matrix seems very soft and fragile. How would I stabilise it and give it more strength. Thanks

Hello TFF members - I'm in need so some advice on this one please. So this is my first post (happy to be corrected on any newbie errors) and although preparation is my favourite part of the fossil game, I am 'fairly' new to it - In other words, please go easy on me, I'm aware it's going to be all too tempting to say I've bitten off more than I can chew here... I recently purchased this Mosasaur skull from a well known European fossil auction site; you may have seen it yourself if you follow such things. It wasn't 'hugely' expensive, but that doesn't mean I'm not serious about making something good out of it and giving it a lot of attention (which clearly it will need...). It is from Morocco, was sold as a Platycarpus (from the teeth I would tend to agree, but please correct if you think otherwise) and originally was complete in a plaster jacket. The seller decided to prep it and remove from the jacket. Whilst this may have exposed more of it, some quite nicely, they have also turned it into the most insanely fragile fossil I have ever come into contact with! It was already in five large pieces when advertised for sale, and despite being very well packaged, has suffered further in transit. The matrix is not much more than hard (ish) sand and the bone only marginally more solid. Doesn't help that it's so crushed, so only matrix between each piece. Clearly leaving it in the matrix, perhaps replacing the jacket with something more aesthetically pleasing as part of a mount and prepping only the surface would have been the way to go, but it's beyond that now, so I would really love some thoughts and suggestions on the following: 1 - Immediate stabilisation and strengthening to prevent further breakages and reattach the broken sections (buckets of CA to solidify the sand matrix and reduce porosity to enable gluing?) 2 - Rebuilding/mounting (combining these two, as it will never be strong enough to hold in one piece and the mounting technique will likely need to be integral as it will need complete support across the entire back. It would never be my first choice, but I'm thinking a rebuilt matrix under the fossil to support and hold it together at the same time?) Ok, lots of text there for background and to give you more context, here are some pictures which will help... Original, in jacket: Advert pics: And another: Now it's home, in a slightly more confused state: And another: Last one, you get the idea: If anyone is interested in seeing more of it, please let me know, have lots of pics. It's an interesting item and despite being crushed to hell, looks to be fairly complete (the reverse tells it's own story too, more teeth there, etc.), but it's realistically only ever going to be an 'in matrix' display piece. Out of curiosity, I believe it's upside down, with the two maxilla visible on top and the upper jaw section being below, sure someone will easily be able to confirm? Anyway, enough from me, would love your thoughts and really appreciate anyone who has the time to consider and reply. If I haven't been clear or you need more info, please just let me know. Thank you, Dave

I recently purchased this Alethopteris sp. at a local fossil show. It is typical of shale found in St. Clair Pennsylvania being beautiful, but also very fragile. It’s my first plant fossil that isn’t petrified wood so I’m very excited about it! My question to all you experienced preppers out there is... Should I consolidate it? It has the characteristic layering associated with shale, which tend to split and come apart easily. I don’t plan on the piece being handled much, if at all, but don’t want it falling to pieces in a few years as it sits in my display case. If best practice is to consolidate, what consolidant would you recommend?

So... This specimen is currently in ID- section here, but since it doesnt have any suggestions, I figured out that I should try to get some more features to help IDing. This is from northern Germany. I found this little stone and after a while, I decided to smash this into another rock. It kinda worked and this is what was in there. The fossil itself is quite fragile, and I accidentally managed to swipe lots of the material away from the other half. That was poor handling from my part.. :S I must say that Im quite inexperienced (only "re-prepped" one Otodus tooth which had some features under rock. Turned out to be quite fine fore first "prep" IMO). I have magnifiers, dental tools, glues etc for basic working but no powertools bc I live in an apartment building. Not saying that I would use any powertools for this. How would you guys deal with this, or is this something I shouldnt try to tackle?

Hi, I am after a bit of advice please. Finally got out on a collecting trip at the dump of an abandoned coal mine. Plenty of plant material but it is very very fragile. Some of the pieces literally disintegrated as I lifted them up. So my initial thought is that with the specimens I have, how do I go about preserving them - prevent further cracking and flaking. I will tackle the broken ones at a later stage. The specimen in the photo is roughly 10 cm. Most of them are similar size or smaller. Any advice appreciated

Yesterday I picked up several shells from the Red Crag formation at Walton on the Naze that are incredibly fragile. What is the best way to preserve them to keep them from falling apart? I already crumbled a few while rinsing them in water, I am hoping to keep the rest intact lol.

@StevenJDennis brought me quite the project. It's a central Texas mammoth tusk that is in terrible shape! Texas tusks are as close to the complete opposite in preservation as compared to Siberian or Alaskan tusks. They are always brittle, broken, and just looking for an excuse to fall apart. Props to Steven for rescuing this monster from a terrible fate in the back of an old man's shed! The pics below show the tusk in the sate of preservation as they arrived to me. I have spent the last week with the fragments on end literally pouring medium viscosity PVA solution (about as thick as 20w 20 motor oil) into the cracks in an effort to stabilize them. 1 gallon later and they are beginning to toughen up a bit. PVA application will continue until the fragments will no longer absorb the solution. Then, I will attempt reassembly of the fragments. Unfortunately, there has been serious degradation of the fragments in many places. More to come!