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Fossil Preperation Help?


Zenmaster6

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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 :P 

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I'm afraid I can't answer any of your questions, since I'm not familiar with any of this equipment. I would however suggest that you read your way through this thread in order to get some answers. Maybe it would make sense in the end to save up for a longer period of time and get yourself some quality equipment? It's not just a compressor and air pen which you need, but also water traps & filters, air lines, fittings, prep box, dust extractor vaccuum, etc.

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Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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1 hour ago, Zenmaster6 said:

Where can I buy a compressor? (budget of 200$)

Harbor Freight

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I agree with ludwigia.  I had a lot of fossils sitting around for years... waiting to set up the prep lab while I saved up my pennies.  And I love it this way.  

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The bigger the better to keep the compressor from shutting off. I think most preppers are using 20 gallon. I am just starting and purchased a 21 gal. from harbor freight.

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18 minutes ago, minnbuckeye said:

The bigger the better to keep the compressor from shutting off. I think most preppers are using 20 gallon. I am just starting and purchased a 21 gal. from harbor freight.

I got a 2 gallon 135 pound 2.1 CFM which meets the needs of my Colorado Pnuematic Scribe. Now I just need to buy the scribe.

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I would think that a 2 gallon compressor will be running almost non-stop to keep up with the demands of a CP. If you plan to do a lot of preparation, also be prepared to replace this compressor as the motor might conk out on you from overuse at its maximum capacity. 

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...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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1 minute ago, Kane said:

I would think that a 2 gallon compressor will be running almost non-stop to keep up with the demands of a CP. 

True. I will probably need to buy a 10 gallon later on but I can return it in 90 days if it isnt working for me. 

I calculated that I coild get 2 minutes from the tank before Id have to let it charge back up

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6 minutes ago, FossilDAWG said:

While we are at it, which is better, an oil-less compresser or "with oil"?

 

Don

Oil will be slightly quieter and last longer (the latter being what I’ve heard from other preparators). @Ptychodus04 @jpc

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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Also, another question. 

I have found a amazon page with a CP9361 for 264$ would this be a good place to buy it? I know I could go to their website but it always seems more expensive on strange websites in the corner of the internet. 


 

chig.PNG

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There is a lot in here since I last visited a mere few hours ago. 

 

I agree with a lot of the points made.  The small 2 gallon compressor will run all the time with an airscribe.  Compressors need to cool down, so as has been said, it will burn out sooner than you want it to.  Your calculations are good (I think) but you will find that running the tool for 2 minutes then waiting 5 minutes for the compressor to pump up will test your patience.  

 

Oiled compressor is indeed quieter and lasts longer.  If you do get one eventually, and an air abrasive unit, you will need a coalescing filter to get the oil out of the air lines.  

 

The old school CP you posted here in the last post has a standard tip.  These are tough to sharpen and also don't last long.  PaleoTools used to make a better tip, but they no longer do.  

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4 hours ago, jpc said:

There is a lot in here since I last visited a mere few hours ago. 

 

I agree with a lot of the points made.  The small 2 gallon compressor will run all the time with an airscribe.  Compressors need to cool down, so as has been said, it will burn out sooner than you want it to.  Your calculations are good (I think) but you will find that running the tool for 2 minutes then waiting 5 minutes for the compressor to pump up will test your patience.  

 

Oiled compressor is indeed quieter and lasts longer.  If you do get one eventually, and an air abrasive unit, you will need a coalescing filter to get the oil out of the air lines.  

 

The old school CP you posted here in the last post has a standard tip.  These are tough to sharpen and also don't last long.  PaleoTools used to make a better tip, but they no longer do.  

Yeah I bought the CP tool above.

This is my game plan


1. Return the 2 gallon for a 5 - 8 gallon (I work mainly on small already almost exposed gastropods / scallop fossils. I usually won't need more than 5 - 10 minutes of run time however I will need a 5 - 10 gallon compressor later)
2. I will buy an air abrasive tool when I get paid next (my favorite tool because it really is like magic)
3. I might need to buy a better tip, possibly a sharpened tungsten carbide one. Fortunately they only cost 22$ a tip rather than the 80$ for the less expensive tool above.
4. Build a glove box out of a large tub, drill holes and hot glue inverted rubber gloves. Drill hole in the side and put the scribe within the case.
5. Start working on those fossils! 

Obviously I could get a 20 gallon compressor and a paleotool scribe and a professional glove box but I just wanna do basic preparation work (more than a Dremel but less than a scientist) which is why started my own thread because most other people asked questions about specific kinds that were either out of my price range or didn't fit my needs. Thank you to everyone who commented!

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I would opt for the 29 gallon compressor if you can afford it. Even with a 10 gallon tank, your compressor will still struggle to keep up with heavy use. 
 

I use a 21 gallon oil lubricated compressor with 3 oil and water filters on the main line and a massive desiccant canister on the branch line to my abrasive system.

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If you're going to get an air abrader and have an oiled compressor, then don't forget what jpc told you about getting a coalescing filter, otherwise you're gonna run into problems. Cleaning oil out of the lines is a messy and time consuming job.

 

Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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My two cents on air compressors would be to reccomend an oil less 20 gallon as well, or higher. I don't typically run my abbrasives higher than 55psi, and depending on your scribe you use it could take as much as twice that amount of air (I usually run my main scribe around 60 psi for softer limestones in MO, bulk removal I use a different scribe at higher psi). My 20 gallon kicks on more than I like, but I live outside of town and have neighbors spaced far apart so noise is not an issue for me. I would hate to do scribe work with a 10 gallon. Do yourself a favor and before buying something like a paleo tools scribe, buy a cheaper one to get the feel of it (I would recommend an ARO clone for around 100$ or possibly a fossilshack.com one. I think I paid around 95 on sale to try on softer limestones. A ME-9100 or PaleoARO are much better, though expensive options). It would be nicer if you could get hands on with a more expensive, professional tool. But this obviously isn't always the case.

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On 1/18/2020 at 11:57 AM, Jackson g said:

My two cents on air compressors would be to reccomend an oil less 20 gallon as well, or higher. I don't typically run my abbrasives higher than 55psi, and depending on your scribe you use it could take as much as twice that amount of air (I usually run my main scribe around 60 psi for softer limestones in MO, bulk removal I use a different scribe at higher psi). My 20 gallon kicks on more than I like, but I live outside of town and have neighbors spaced far apart so noise is not an issue for me. I would hate to do scribe work with a 10 gallon. Do yourself a favor and before buying something like a paleo tools scribe, buy a cheaper one to get the feel of it (I would recommend an ARO clone for around 100$ or possibly a fossilshack.com one. I think I paid around 95 on sale to try on softer limestones. A ME-9100 or PaleoARO are much better, though expensive options). It would be nicer if you could get hands on with a more expensive, professional tool. But this obviously isn't always the case.

I bought a 300$ CP9361.

I have an oil less compressor but its only 2 gallons. Im working on getting a nicer one.

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Once you start down the path and really get to prepping, you'll find it is a maelstrom of costs. My lab is sparsely outfitted and I have spent thousands of dollars on it. The compressor is probably the least expensive piece of equipment I own.

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I agree, it only gets more expensive as you go on. The scribe you picked out is a good scribe to start on, I had one for a few months and used it mainly for bulk removal on softer limestone. A bigger compressor will definitely help. Goodluck, and be sure to share some things you've prepared on the forum!

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