Lobster Prep Advice

[Fossil Fen]

Hello All,

 

I came across this fossil at a local rock and gem store and I'm having a go at preparing it. Apparently it is from Indonesia and I believe is a Thalassina, although with the spindle like legs I haven't seen anything that looks like an exact match.

 

Here's my question; the fossil is covered with a sticky coarse sandstone, and I'm wondering how much of the matrix I should leave between joints in the tail and between the legs on the main body. I'm not sure if removing too much matrix will just cause the fossil to fall apart, but I suspect it might. Has anyone had experience with these fossils before and be able to lend a rookie some advice?

 

Cheers,

Ryan

 

Edited July 7, 2021 by Fossil Fen
Format looked strange,

[Al Dente]

I’m not positive but the legs look like echinoid spines that have been glued together.

[Fossil Fen]

27 minutes ago, Al Dente said:

I’m not positive but the legs look like echinoid spines that have been glued together.

 

I can totally see why you'd say that, but underneath the legs are attached to the matrix and lobster body. He kinda looks like he was squished downward into the mud.

[Coco]

On the penultimate photo, the horizontal "paw" really looks like a sea urchin spine !

 

Coco

[JohnJ]

Notice that at every "joint" there is matrix.  Also, notice how the matrix looks just like it would if applied as a glue/sand putty.  Most if not all of the "legs" are echinoid spines.  It would be interesting to see what was cobbled together to represent a "lobster".  Prep away.   

[FossilDAWG]

Sorry, but nothing about this Frankenstein creation looks like an authentic lobster. 

 

Don

[Fossil Fen]

14 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

Notice that at every "joint" there is matrix.  Also, notice how the matrix looks just like it would if applied as a glue/sand putty.  Most if not all of the "legs" are echinoid spines.  It would be interesting to see what was cobbled together to represent a "lobster".  Prep away.   

Thanks to everyone for their information, I'm going to prep this ugly mess out and see what we find. Nor gonna lie, Frankenstein's Lobster, sounds pretty cool!

[Ptychodus04]

12 hours ago, JohnJ said:

Notice that at every "joint" there is matrix.  Also, notice how the matrix looks just like it would if applied as a glue/sand putty.  Most if not all of the "legs" are echinoid spines.  It would be interesting to see what was cobbled together to represent a "lobster".  Prep away.   

The suspicious part for me was the slight darkening of the “matrix” at every joint and contact point. 

[RJB]

The instant I saw the matrix I knew this was a fake.  Look at it as a learning experience.  Believe me, most of us have taken before, especially when we were just starting out.  You seem to have a good attitude about it so have fun and good luck

 

RB

[Ptychodus04]

2 hours ago, RJB said:

The instant I saw the matrix I knew this was a fake.  Look at it as a learning experience.  Believe me, most of us have taken before, especially when we were just starting out.  You seem to have a good attitude about it so have fun and good luck

 

RB

I once (long long ago) thought I had found a turtle and was sure of it. It turned out to be a very coincidental septarian nodule, much to my chagrin.

[Fossil Fen]

4 hours ago, RJB said:

The instant I saw the matrix I knew this was a fake.  Look at it as a learning experience.  Believe me, most of us have taken before, especially when we were just starting out.  You seem to have a good attitude about it so have fun and good luck

 

RB

I have learned a lot as a result of this situation and will be far more savvy in the future. That said, the fossil was cheap and it did allow me to practice my prep work on the tail section which was worthwhile. The moral of the story is, if you can, dig the fossil out of the ground yourself!

[Ptychodus04]

5 minutes ago, Fossil Fen said:

The moral of the story is, if you can, dig the fossil out of the ground yourself!

Yes indeed. When buying fossils from an unknown seller, you're always taking a risk. Often, even a known seller with a good reputation can inadvertently sell fakes because they don't know enough about the fossils they are selling. I once had to tell a dealer that he had paid $1,000 for a fake fossil that he was sure was legit when he asked me after the fact to validate its authenticity.