Big44g Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 I have a questions on how to properly prep Fish fossils. I collected the attached fish from the green river formation near Kimmerer WY a few years ago. I have not done anything to the sample, I collected it, returned home and displayed it. How does one properly look for other fish in the matrix? I can see very small parts of other fish in the sample, but do not want to do anything to the sample until I get a better understanding on how to prep fish fossils. Thanks for the help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Trilo Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 I've never collected from the green river but would love to. I believe if there are bumps or part of a fish showing is the only way to see if something is definitely there. If you see a ridge it may be a part of the spine or a coprolite. Hope this helps. Nice fish, looks like a diplomystus 1 “If fossils are not "boggling" your mind then you are simply not doing it right” -Ken (digit) "No fossil is garbage, it´s just not completely preserved” -Franz (FranzBernhard) "With hammer in hand, the open horizon of time, and dear friends by my side, what can we not accomplish together?" -Kane (Kane) "We are in a way conquering time, reuniting members of a long lost family" -Quincy (Opabinia Blues) "I loved reading the trip reports, I loved the sharing, I loved the educational aspect, I loved the humor. It felt like home. It still does" -Mike (Pagurus) “The best deal I ever got was getting accepted as a member on The Fossil Forum. Not only got an invaluable pool of knowledge, but gained a loving family as well.” -Doren (caldigger) "it really is nice, to visit the oasis that is TFF" -Tim (fossildude19) "Life's Good! -Adam (Tidgy's Dad) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntonia Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 If you have an airscribe you could try using it to split chunks off the rock in search of other material. Not sure there's much you can do without proper tools. Hand tools would be pretty time consuming and I'm not sure if the diplo would survive splitting the piece with a hammer and chisel. What equipment do you have on hand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 Your Diplo displays very well already. From the photo there does appear to be a fair thickness to the slab, which raises the ? of hidden "treasure." However, it is unlikely that a prize piece will be found within and with additional attempts to split - disaster awaits. The visible material to the right of the slab is from an "exploded" fish, nothing to be gained there. Unless you can see a distinct, raised outline of a backbone (I cannot from the photo) exploration would seem (to me) foolhardy. That is, it looks great already and there is little to be gained by monkeying. I certainly am not trying to talk you out of your interest in fish prep! It's great fun (and caution, addictive). I would recommend acquiring a few unprepped pieces from the split fish layer and giving it a try. Such pieces may be acquired directly from some of the Kemmerer area quarries or perhaps via a "wanted" post here on the Forum. Good luck, have fun. Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 I, myself, typically keep splitting the green river rock until the rock holding the specimen is about 1 cm thick. Rarely do I hurt a fish in that the rock splits so easy. This then would allow you to trim down the face that is left to produce a more aesthetic display. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 I am with snolly... I would leave it as is. This fish is in great condition and needs no further prep. If you try to split the rock any more, you run a risk of breaking the fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 I'm with @snolly50 and @jpc I wouldn't try to split it further. I've worked on a handful of Green River fish and there's 2 distinct ways to find fish depending on the layer you are collecting in. With the 18" layer, the rock is very laminated and typically splits between the fish, leaving a raised bump indicating the vertebrae and the presence of a fish. Rarely does it split cleanly on a fish. The Sandwich Beds are different all together. They aren't nearly as distinctly laminated and the rock tends to split on the fish, which gives it the nickname "split fish layer". Your fish is variety #2. With a very thin chisel, you can split it further but you take the chance of wrecking your display fish in search of something that may not exist (trust me on this one... I've done it many times). 1 1 Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 I gave my 2 cents above but will give 2 more cents now. Look at the nice fish presented to us. It is "lost" in all the matrix that exists around it. If excess rock is removed, a much more appealing display piece can be created. Worth the risk to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 Now that I read @Ptychodus04 response, maybe splitting it is unwise, but trimming the bulk rock away seems like a winner to me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 I might be in the minority, but I like fish displayed in natural rock breaks, as opposed to square or round (nothing personal, minnbuckeye). Another reason I would just leave it as is. Aren't you glad you asked us all....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 2 minutes ago, jpc said: I might be in the minority, but I like fish displayed in natural rock breaks, as opposed to square or round @jpc, I agree 100%!!!! I just took this picture as an example to show how the fish is lost in the matrix as presented. I have not worked with the 18" layer but it looks like one could break some of the rock away leaving a natural look to it yet. Maybe not??????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 minnbuckeye- isn't that fish you showed from the 18 inch layer? Antway, here is what I do to trim the split fish layer (like the OP posted) and make it look natural. I have a hand saw dedicated to rocks. I turn the fish upside down (protecting the fish as I do this_) and saw about three quarters the way through the rock from the back side then I can just snap the rock at the cut and from the front it looks somewhat natural. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big44g Posted March 16, 2021 Author Share Posted March 16, 2021 22 hours ago, Huntonia said: If you have an airscribe you could try using it to split chunks off the rock in search of other material. Not sure there's much you can do without proper tools. Hand tools would be pretty time consuming and I'm not sure if the diplo would survive splitting the piece with a hammer and chisel. What equipment do you have on hand? I am just getting started, so I only have my old field equipment. I will be reviewing the equipment threads for all the stuff I need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big44g Posted March 16, 2021 Author Share Posted March 16, 2021 10 hours ago, snolly50 said: Your Diplo displays very well already. From the photo there does appear to be a fair thickness to the slab, which raises the ? of hidden "treasure." However, it is unlikely that a prize piece will be found within and with additional attempts to split - disaster awaits. The visible material to the right of the slab is from an "exploded" fish, nothing to be gained there. Unless you can see a distinct, raised outline of a backbone (I cannot from the photo) exploration would seem (to me) foolhardy. That is, it looks great already and there is little to be gained by monkeying. I certainly am not trying to talk you out of your interest in fish prep! It's great fun (and caution, addictive). I would recommend acquiring a few unprepped pieces from the split fish layer and giving it a try. Such pieces may be acquired directly from some of the Kemmerer area quarries or perhaps via a "wanted" post here on the Forum. Good luck, have fun. Thanks for the advice, I do have other fish I collected. I will test on those first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big44g Posted March 16, 2021 Author Share Posted March 16, 2021 7 hours ago, jpc said: I might be in the minority, but I like fish displayed in natural rock breaks, as opposed to square or round (nothing personal, minnbuckeye). Another reason I would just leave it as is. Aren't you glad you asked us all....? LOL Actually I am glad, I do like the extra rock. But do see how removing it would make the fish stand out. However I am afraid that splitting or removing rock would mess up my fish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now