prep advice

[Jared C]

I recently found a lot of great teeth in soft Eagle Ford formation slabs, and I'm working to prep a few to expose them better. This is my first prep project ever. The slabs are quite soft, and break apart easily if I'm not careful.

 

What can I do as a preventative measure to avoid breakage of the matrix, and if matrix pieces have broken apart, is there a glue that I should use to get them back together in one piece again? Also, one of the slabs has a mosasaur tooth in it, and near the tip is a tiny crack that I'm worried may completely fail, breaking off the tip. I would like to find a clear glue or coating that would stabilize it before I continue further.

 

I'm not sure about how specific I have to be about the nature of the matrix to get the right glue, so just in case I'll tag a few locals who have probably worked with these soft eagle ford slabs before, @LSCHNELLE @JohnJ @Uncle Siphuncle

Thanks for any help

[Thomas.Dodson]

Do a search on the forum for consolidants such as Paraloid B-72 or Butvar for more info on stabilizing the matrix pieces as well as the tooth. If you're in doubt about structural integrity you should play it safe and stabilize with a consolidant anyway. It is always reversible.

 

For repairing broken matrix you can use some consolidants in a heavier concentration but it is generally easier to use plain Cyanoacrylate super glue. It is usually effective unless the pieces are quite large and the bond needs to be very heavy. For very porous surfaces you may need to consolidate the matrix FIRST and then glue where you consolidated for better adhesion.

 

Consolidant concentration can be tweaked a bit to better suit different matrix. For example, you can make the concentration thinner for non-porous, thick rock and thicker for porous chalk, super loosely consolidated sandstone, etc.  Don't worry about a specific glue or consolidant for a specific matrix.

[Jared C]

2 minutes ago, Thomas.Dodson said:

Do a search on the forum for consolidants such as Paraloid B-72 or Butvar for more info on stabilizing the matrix pieces as well as the tooth. If you're in doubt about structural integrity you should play it safe and stabilize with a consolidant anyway. It is always reversible.

 

For repairing broken matrix you can use some consolidants in a heavier concentration but it is generally easier to use plain Cyanoacrylate super glue. It is usually effective unless the pieces are quite large and the bond needs to be very heavy. For very porous surfaces you may need to consolidate the matrix FIRST and then glue where you consolidated for better adhesion.

 

Consolidant concentration can be tweaked a bit to better suit different matrix. For example, you can make the concentration thinner for non-porous, thick rock and thicker for porous chalk, super loosely consolidated sandstone, etc.  Don't worry about a specific glue or consolidant for a specific matrix.

perfect answer, thank you. I'll get some online right now 

[Uncle Siphuncle]

I’d use thin superglue sparingly and wipe fast with a paper towel to remove all excess from the surface.  The portion that wicked in will do the trick.  Sometimes I get 4 tubes in a black and yellow blister pack in the Walmart paint section for a buck.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

You are wise to ask.  I ruined my first matrix mos tooth years ago with scribe vibration bcz I didn’t know to stabilize it.  Dang shame as it was a pretty pink one.  Doh!

[Titan]

I’ll throw in a fairly obvious point that you should definitely practice on some less desirable specimens first. I’ve prepped a number of mosasaur teeth in soft matrix and they are extremely prone to breaking due to vibration or accidental bumps. Something about their enamel is fragile in my experience. Shark teeth are a great practice species. 
 

Also I really like paranoid b-72. It flows easily into cracks and gaps and is easier to alter than super glue in my experience (which is significantly less than Dans or Thomas).