LabRatKing Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 So, I tried out my new air scribes and media blaster today. Finally, time to play with real fossils for a change! I’m starting to enjoy all the half days I’m working due to the pandemic. First up a bug from Warren County, Ohio that I found as a Boy Scout over 30 years ago. For years thought this was a partial hidden in the matrix. Next is a brachiopod from Cass County, Nebraska It was fractured, but I reconstructed it. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 They came out nice! Good job! Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabRatKing Posted November 5, 2020 Author Share Posted November 5, 2020 1 minute ago, Fossildude19 said: They came out nice! Good job! Thanks! I’m already enjoying these methods far more than scratch and pick...and I really enjoyed that. Next up is Cowboy Pass stuff from 2019! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntonia Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 That's a beautiful prone flexi! Personally I'd spend a bit more time cleaning with the abrasive, you can probably get a lot of that matrix out from between the segments. Great work! Can't wait to see more 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabRatKing Posted November 5, 2020 Author Share Posted November 5, 2020 1 hour ago, Huntonia said: That's a beautiful prone flexi! Personally I'd spend a bit more time cleaning with the abrasive, you can probably get a lot of that matrix out from between the segments. Great work! Can't wait to see more Yeah...I admit I stopped early on the flexical. I’m not fully confident with the blast yet. You don’t want to see all the elrath fragments I practiced on... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntonia Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 9 minutes ago, LabRatKing said: Yeah...I admit I stopped early on the flexical. I’m not fully confident with the blast yet. You don’t want to see all the elrath fragments I practiced on... What PSI are you working at, and with what medium? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabRatKing Posted November 5, 2020 Author Share Posted November 5, 2020 1 minute ago, Huntonia said: What PSI are you working at, and with what medium? I’m using sodium bicarbonate as suggested by others, though I have dolomite, cerium and aluminum oxide and diatomaceous on hand. As for pressure I have 120PSI @ 10CFM though I found throttling back to to around 80PSI at 5CFM was doing well. Biggest issue is I need to get some magnifying goggles as my vision is pretty poor through these multifocal glasses! Goid news is I have buckets of junk fossils to practice with. These guys were in fairly soft matrix, so very forgiving. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntonia Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 1 hour ago, LabRatKing said: I’m using sodium bicarbonate as suggested by others, though I have dolomite, cerium and aluminum oxide and diatomaceous on hand. As for pressure I have 120PSI @ 10CFM though I found throttling back to to around 80PSI at 5CFM was doing well. Biggest issue is I need to get some magnifying goggles as my vision is pretty poor through these multifocal glasses! Goid news is I have buckets of junk fossils to practice with. These guys were in fairly soft matrix, so very forgiving. If you want to clean up that flexi more I'd recommend trying closer to 50-70 PSI, I've had good results at this pressure and haven't felt very scared of damaging my fossils thus far. From my experience that Ohio matrix is pretty soft. As an added tip, if you aren't already, you can attach a dispensing needle to the abrader for extra precision. A microscope could be a good investment, (I've got one on the way myself ) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabRatKing Posted November 5, 2020 Author Share Posted November 5, 2020 8 hours ago, Huntonia said: If you want to clean up that flexi more I'd recommend trying closer to 50-70 PSI, I've had good results at this pressure and haven't felt very scared of damaging my fossils thus far. From my experience that Ohio matrix is pretty soft. As an added tip, if you aren't already, you can attach a dispensing needle to the abrader for extra precision. A microscope could be a good investment, (I've got one on the way myself ) I’ll try that out! I’m enough of a geek I have a collection of microscopes...I never thought to use one while blasting! But with bicarbonate as media, that’s no risk to the optics...I’m going to try that out! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sjfriend Posted November 6, 2020 Share Posted November 6, 2020 On 11/5/2020 at 5:06 AM, LabRatKing said: I’ll try that out! I’m enough of a geek I have a collection of microscopes...I never thought to use one while blasting! But with bicarbonate as media, that’s no risk to the optics...I’m going to try that out! You'll want a stereo microscope for fossil work. Need the depth perception. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted November 6, 2020 Share Posted November 6, 2020 The microscope should be looking into the blast cabinet, through a nice clean piece of glass. 120psi is very high. On the other hand, I have been using air abrasives for decades and I have never seen a CFM reading or setting. How do you know or control what CFM you are using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabRatKing Posted November 6, 2020 Author Share Posted November 6, 2020 2 minutes ago, jpc said: The microscope should be looking into the blast cabinet, through a nice clean piece of glass. 120psi is very high. On the other hand, I have been using air abrasives for decades and I have never seen a CFM reading or setting. How do you know or control what CFM you are using? Leftovers from my industrial maintenance dude days. When I built my system and piped it up from the garage, in addition to fluid separators, air dryer/desiccant I have in line pressure regulators and flow regulators with the proper gauges. I repurposed parts normally used in pneumatic conveyors, industrial five axis machines and automotive “bag” systems. sure, it’s probably overkill design, but I believe anything worth doing is worth overdoing. To clarify, 120PSI is max available off the compressor tank. In line I lose 5-9psi depending on weather. I can regulate flow within about 2.5cfm and within 1.5psi accuracy. This was by design, as I need the fine control for my art, engineering, and automotive hobbies too. Sure, sounds expensive, but with my professional contacts and biotech/industrial experience, I get good deals. You guys would probably call bovine fecal matter and make your own coprolites if you saw my labs at the Uni and showed you my operating budget.(shameless bragging- high tech for garage sale prices is my only real skill) <wink> 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabRatKing Posted November 6, 2020 Author Share Posted November 6, 2020 As for the scope, I have five stereos at a wide range of magnification. I’m in process of mounting my vintage Zeiss head on a swing arm with a repurposed borosilicate boiler peep window as a shield. ( I was a licensed boiler tech in my old career amount other things, so have lots of parts that aren’t safe for use in their original purposes but we’re in too good of shape to scrap) <double wink> Im hoping that will work for now, I ordered a multifocal screen magnifier that I can install in the blast box to help too. My vision is really bad- nearsighted to a 20cm range! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted November 6, 2020 Share Posted November 6, 2020 I need to come visit your lab someday.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabRatKing Posted November 6, 2020 Author Share Posted November 6, 2020 21 minutes ago, jpc said: I need to come visit your lab someday.... You know where I work, there’s a weblink in my email that can show you around. My home lab I keep private as to laymen it appears dangerous... <insert mad scientist laugh> I only get raided every other year these days, and all involved enjoy coffee and ask if they can bring their kids over to see the show. and we’re open to the public for tours M-F year round! and the truth is I should come up and visit you and a few others on my next non-pandemic excursion so I can learn stuff to teach my students...paleontology is my hobby, getting folks under the age of 30 really fired up about the sciences is my passion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 post pandemic... the list is getting long. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabRatKing Posted November 7, 2020 Author Share Posted November 7, 2020 1 minute ago, jpc said: post pandemic... the list is getting long. Truth. Idle hands... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 Nice first results. Sounds very much like you know exactly what you're doing. Any chance of seeing some photos of your setup? 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabRatKing Posted November 12, 2020 Author Share Posted November 12, 2020 On 11/7/2020 at 3:38 AM, Ludwigia said: Nice first results. Sounds very much like you know exactly what you're doing. Any chance of seeing some photos of your setup? Eventually. I haven't got the flooring in yet, and I have two more walls worth of shelves to put in...and a window that needs updated (lots of ductape keeping out the drafts on a 60 year old single pane). Right now its a workbench in the middle of a disaster area, and frankly, a bit embarrassing if functional. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntonia Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 4 hours ago, LabRatKing said: Right now its a workbench in the middle of a disaster area, and frankly, a bit embarrassing if functional. I can relate to that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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