My Isotelus

[hrguy54]

OK, so guess who's using this Covid-related down time to post the topics he never got around to?

 

In late 2013 I visited the Mt Orab "trilobite farm". This was my 3rd or 4th time (and final) and, as were most, I was always fairly lucky finding something.

      

 

I usually just "dug" in the area where the flexis could be found, once stumbling on the partial Isotelus shown above. This day I decided to lend a hand on the area where Isotelus' were more prevalent. As at Penn Dixie, long crow bars were pounded into the layered shale so that massive pieces could be extracted. Those pieces were then methodically chiseled into smaller and smaller pieces in the hopes of uncovering an Isotelus.

 

One partial was uncovered and folks oohed/aahed and commented about it. But at the end of the day it was laying in the scrap heap. I asked about it and was told by the "owner" of the property that since only a part of it was showing it wasn't worth his time to prep it further. As at many such spots, the impressive ones go to the owner. He told me I could have it.

 

When I got home I wrapped it up good and pondered for a long time on how to prep it. 1 1/2 years later it still wasn't prepped (but still wrapped) and we moved into a big DIY house that I had to put a ton of time into. And the Isotelus was forgotten. And it stayed that way until this past fall/winter when I came across it among the boxes in my basement. "Oh yeah!"

This was my first time prepping something so fragile but I decided on a plan. I'm a dremel and dental pick guy but I knew those were not the way. I used the dremel attachment with the sharp point as a chisel and slowly started to chip the dry shale. It worked remarkably well.

 

 

The "lower" portion is the newly uncovered area.

 

Once I got it completed I decided it needed a covering. It was too brittle and fragile to last. that's where I made my mistake !!!

 

[hrguy54]

I used a Elmers glue/water mixture (it's all I had and I'd never done it before). That probably is fine really, but the error was in trying to apply it ...using a small light art paint brush from my daughter's old paint kit.  What she used when she was 5 yrs old to do watercolors. With a blue handle.

The cephalon (head) and pygidium (tail) were just too brittle and pieces broke off and got caught up in the mixture. I literally screamed, but had to continue to an end. The thorax remained in good shape and the one eye that I uncovered remained intact.

 

 

You may notice in this picture that there is no matrix under the pygidium...but there was.

After the project was complete it bothered me that there was so much matrix, so I tried to gently chisel off some of that matrix. And the back part fell off. JUST. FELL. OFF. Clean as can be, leaving the pygidium intact. So below is something rarely seen...the underside of a Isotelus pygidium. Remember who brought it to you!!!!

 

In conclusion: If done by someone who had experience with such processes it would have ended up much better. Was it a comedy of errors? Yeah, maybe. But I really enjoyed the hell out of doing this. Ugly, yes...but it's my Isotelus.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Nice story, sorry about the unfortunate Elmers' error.

Still, a pretty nice trilobite in the end, all in all. 

[Peat Burns]

Awesome find!  Great that you got to keep it.

 

I never got to go to Mt Orab because I have an out-of-state job conflict every May during the trip.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[Kane]

Good find of a healthy sized Iso.  I know in some formations, like the Verulam up here, they can be very flaky. I know I'd be proud to put that on my shelf. 

[Malcolmt]

Many have never tried so good on you. Much more special when you do it yourself rather than sending it off to someone.....

[jpc]

Nice work.  I think we can say, with mild jealousy, that you have one more Isotelus than most of us. 

[erose]

I’m brutal on specimens when I have to pick and pry. Give me some water and a tooth brush. But that requires a sturdy specimen to start with. I’m planning on finally setting up a small blast cabinet with an air abrasive pen.  I think your effort was  heroic. Kudos. I would display that one with pride.

[Fossildude19]

Great find, and prep work!  

Thanks for letting us see this. 

[minnbuckeye]

The best fossils are those with many memories attached to them. This one should qualify!!!!!! 

 

Mike

[Wrangellian]

Yikes... Could you not have just glued that chunk of matrix back in place, or did you decide that you want to be able to view that pygidium's underside? I think I would be nervous about leaving it unsupported. I'd keep the chunk handy, in any case.

[hrguy54]

On 5/3/2020 at 5:10 AM, Wrangellian said:

Yikes... Could you not have just glued that chunk of matrix back in place, or did you decide that you want to be able to view that pygidium's underside? I think I would be nervous about leaving it unsupported. I'd keep the chunk handy, in any case.

 

I wanted the underside to be visible, I think it's unique. And yes, I have the chunk stashed away "just in case"

[Wrangellian]

Good!