fossilhunter21 Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 I am not great at fossil prepping but I thought I might keep you guys updated on how my prep is going. This one is a challenge, the matrix is so hard it broke the tip off of my xacto knife. I have been working on this for 6-7 hours. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 Coming along nicely so far! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilhunter21 Posted May 10, 2021 Author Share Posted May 10, 2021 Here it is after a couple of hours. sorry my camera isn't that great. PS. As you can tell I like preparing random spots on the fish. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadrosauridae Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 You're doing a great job so far! Pro tip: dont track the time you take to prep these fish! LOL. The hourly rate will be terrible. 1 "There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 Good work! I'm trying to draw a fish like yours right now and I'm sure it'll take me just as long as you to get it finished 1 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilhunter21 Posted May 10, 2021 Author Share Posted May 10, 2021 2 hours ago, Ludwigia said: I'm trying to draw a fish like yours right now and I'm sure it'll take me just as long as you to get it finished I know drawings can take a long time, good luck. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilhunter21 Posted May 10, 2021 Author Share Posted May 10, 2021 The spine in the front didn't preserve well and there are verts all over the place. I have tried prepping two of them and they both broke, any suggestions? See image below. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadrosauridae Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 The circled portion are most likely scattered bone debris from another fish. If you left them alone, or removed them completely I dont think would detract from the primary fossil you are working on. Yes, verts are terrible to prep. The shale seems to like to stick harder to them, and they are paper thin and hollow. I'm still trying to find a method to safely prep these fish verts. Even low pressure soda blasting is too much. Best I can recommend is a fine needle in a pin-vise combined with good magnification and a steady hand. 1 1 "There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilhunter21 Posted May 10, 2021 Author Share Posted May 10, 2021 48 minutes ago, hadrosauridae said: The circled portion are most likely scattered bone debris from another fish. If you left them alone, or removed them completely I dont think would detract from the primary fossil you are working on. Yes, verts are terrible to prep. The shale seems to like to stick harder to them, and they are paper thin and hollow. I'm still trying to find a method to safely prep these fish verts. Even low pressure soda blasting is too much. Best I can recommend is a fine needle in a pin-vise combined with good magnification and a steady hand. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilhunter21 Posted May 11, 2021 Author Share Posted May 11, 2021 Here it is after some more work, I think it is looking pretty good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 Looking good. This 18" stuff has some nice fish in it. The scattered verts may be displaced from the main fish. Sometimes, they rot on the bottom for a while and bones move around. Do you have any Paraloid? If you do, you can stabilize the verts with matrix on them and go after the prep. It makes matrix removal a bit more tedious but will help to keep the verts intact. Sometimes, they break no matter what you do. 2 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...
fossilhunter21 Posted May 11, 2021 Author Share Posted May 11, 2021 3 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said: Looking good. This 18" stuff has some nice fish in it. The scattered verts may be displaced from the main fish. Sometimes, they rot on the bottom for a while and bones move around. Do you have any Paraloid? If you do, you can stabilize the verts with matrix on them and go after the prep. It makes matrix removal a bit more tedious but will help to keep the verts intact. Sometimes, they break no matter what you do. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntonia Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 Very nice Definitely agree, paraloid (or other stabilizer) is a must for prepping. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilhunter21 Posted May 11, 2021 Author Share Posted May 11, 2021 Been working on it for a while today, and it's starting to look more like a fish. It's not easy chiseling at the rock with a thin exacto blade with one hand and using a hand blower to blow the dust away with the other. PS. If there are any better inexspensive ways of doing this I would like to know them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadrosauridae Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 For blowing away the chips and dust? LOL, I am fantasizing about a directional blower to hook up to a compressor hose. I have worn out my left thumb on some days squeezing the bulb-blower I use while working like this. This is what I want to make use of. I'm sure theres some connectors available or that can be fabricated to connect to an air line. 2 1 "There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilhunter21 Posted May 11, 2021 Author Share Posted May 11, 2021 Thats a good idea! The main problem for me is is that I can't have something loud like an air compressor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 You could rig something like this to fit onto a foot pump. I used to opt for a far less technical approach when I was hand prepping. I simply blew the dust away. I like a large sewing needle in a pin vise for this work. I find it is easier to handle than the x-acto. You're doing a great job. Hand prepping is painstakingly slow but the results are worth it. 3 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...
Fossildude19 Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 2 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...
fossilhunter21 Posted May 12, 2021 Author Share Posted May 12, 2021 1 minute ago, Fossildude19 said: That could probably work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilhunter21 Posted May 12, 2021 Author Share Posted May 12, 2021 15 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said: I simply blew the dust away. I sure wish I could do that, but my throat gets really sore from the dust If I don't wear a dust mask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 Be careful with higher pressure air. I've accidentally blown fish off a plate with compressed air... 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...
fossilhunter21 Posted May 12, 2021 Author Share Posted May 12, 2021 3 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said: Be careful with higher pressure air. I've accidentally blown fish off a plate with compressed air... Thats actually what I was thinking could happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilhunter21 Posted May 12, 2021 Author Share Posted May 12, 2021 Here it is after some more work. I just keep losing parts of the fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadrosauridae Posted May 12, 2021 Share Posted May 12, 2021 (edited) You're doing great. I didnt realize your fish was incomplete and spanning the width of the slab. As for losing bits while working, this is where a super-thin consolidate like PVA, Paraloid or Butvar come in handy. YEs, yes, for the purists out there, I realize I didnt specify the exact variation of each consolidate. What I do is to apply consolidate periodically as I new area is cleared. It prevents the exposed parts from flaking or blowing off. The down side is that it will also create a line of glued matrix at the edge of the working space. Its not impossible to remove, just takes a tiny bit more work to clear those lines off. edit to add- when you got this slab, was anything said about more than one fish being on it? The front of the main fish looks too wide at the edge of the slab, and some of the edges on that side dont match with my expectation. I 'm wondering if you 2 together, of possibly on top of each other. Edited May 12, 2021 by hadrosauridae 1 1 "There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilhunter21 Posted May 12, 2021 Author Share Posted May 12, 2021 7 minutes ago, hadrosauridae said: The front of the main fish looks too wide at the edge of the slab, and some of the edges on that side dont match with my expectation. I'm wondering if you 2 together, of possibly on top of each other. That's what I was kind of thinking to, it does look like there is one mostly complete fish and a partial fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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