Looking for an air scribe for details

[fossilhunter21]

Hey everyone! So I recently purchased The Zoic Chicago, it is a very nice tool but I would like to get something for details. I would love to hear your recommendations! 

[Thomas.Dodson]

You might look into Aro-type scribes. They compliment the CP-9361 scribes (like the Chicago) quite well in covering the fine details and more fragile specimens. There is a large amount of them on the market so your decision may be based on budget and the type of fossils you plan to work with the most.

 

You can find some decent relatively cheap models ($100-200 range) that work surprisingly well. I'm still using a 8315B scribe from QTENA at the moment. My plan was to run it into the ground and then quickly upgrade into something like a Paleo-aro but it surprised me and is still running strong after several years of heavy use. They also sell extra long tips now which is a nice addition to cheaper models. If you do a lot of softer matrix preparation and detailed work AND have the budget you can consider immediately going into a better model. I'd do a forum search to get more opinions as there are now a good amount of scribes. I'm a big fan of Ken Mannion's scribes. Paleotools makes some very popular ones as well. Zoic must also make a scribe similar to an Aro if you're impressed with the Chicago. 

[jpc]

that's some good advice form ThomDod

[fossilhunter21]

Thank you so much for your response, @Thomas.Dodson, and jpc! I will definitely take a look at those.

[Ptychodus04]

How detailed is the detail prep you're shooting for? If you're working on small/delicate stuff, an Aro style scribe can still be too much scribe. I'm running a range of scribes for different applications. From most delicate to least, they are:

 

Paleo Tools Micro Jack 4

Fossil Shack air scribe

An old Aro modified to use the longer Paleo Tools PaleoAro stylus

HW-70

Paleo Tools ME9100

Paleo Tools Super Jack

 

Now that I list them all out, I'm realizing that I spend too much $$$ on prep tools!

[fossilhunter21]

Thank you so much for your response, Kris! I am looking for an airs cribe that can be used for things like oreodonts and trilobites and other things that have a lot of detail or could fracture from vibrations. I am thinking perhaps a Micro Jack 6 or 5?

2 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said:

Now that I list them all out, I'm realizing that I spend too much $$$ on prep tools!

It is very easy to to spend a lot of money on fossil prep tools and fossils. 

[Ptychodus04]

2 hours ago, fossilhunter21 said:

Thank you so much for your response, Kris! I am looking for an airs cribe that can be used for things like oreodonts and trilobites and other things that have a lot of detail or could fracture from vibrations. I am thinking perhaps a Micro Jack 6 or 5?

It is very easy to to spend a lot of money on fossil prep tools and fossils. 

 

 

I would go smaller than a #5 for detail work on trilobites. The MJ 4 hits the sweet spot for matrix removal and gentle touch. It takes it off really slow, so you sill want something in the ARO range for moderate removal where your CP scribe it too much.

[fossilhunter21]

Thank you so much for your response! Hmmm... That would be very expensive... I did not realize that I would need so many air scribes to prepare fossils well.   

 

I am going to think for a while...

[hadrosauridae]

4 hours ago, fossilhunter21 said:

Thank you so much for your response! Hmmm... That would be very expensive... I did not realize that I would need so many air scribes to prepare fossils well.   

 

I am going to think for a while...

 

Yep, you need a lot of different power levels.  I have a CP9361 for "heavy" work and I have some blocks that I wish I had something even stronger.  I also have an Aro clone for finer work, but still cant use it on many delicate specimens.  I wish they werent so expensive, but you do get what you pay for in these.  For a single use pen, I would suggest something like an Aro clone.  Just know its limits and dont try to do too much.  You can always clean up the fine detail with pin-vises, brushes and air-abrasion. 

[fossilhunter21]

9 hours ago, hadrosauridae said:

 

Yep, you need a lot of different power levels.  I have a CP9361 for "heavy" work and I have some blocks that I wish I had something even stronger.  I also have an Aro clone for finer work, but still cant use it on many delicate specimens.  I wish they werent so expensive, but you do get what you pay for in these.  For a single use pen, I would suggest something like an Aro clone.  Just know its limits and dont try to do too much.  You can always clean up the fine detail with pin-vises, brushes and air-abrasion. 

Thank you  so much for your response, @hadrosauridae!

[fossilhunter21]

Hey everyone! So recently I have been doing some research on fossil prep air scribes. I have heard that the Microraptor by Zoic PaleoTech is a good air scribe for fine details. But before I purchase it I just thought I would ask how well it might work. If anyone has had the chance to use it I would love to hear how your experience was (but please PM me). Thanks in advance.

[Ptychodus04]

On 3/13/2022 at 12:32 PM, fossilhunter21 said:

Hey everyone! So recently I have been doing some research on fossil prep air scribes. I have heard that the Microraptor by Zoic PaleoTech is a good air scribe for fine details. But before I purchase it I just thought I would ask how well it might work. If anyone has had the chance to use it I would love to hear how your experience was (but please PM me). Thanks in advance.

 

I've never used one but it looks like it would get the job done for detail work. Good prep tools definitely put a dent in the wallet. I don't even want to think about it while I'm staring down the barrel of needing a new compressor and a Swam Blaster... I wonder how much I could get for a kidney, slightly used? 

[fossilhunter21]

Thank you for your response Kris! The other day I decided to go ahead and purchase a Micro Jack #4, I am sure it is very worth the money I payed for it.  

 

13 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said:

I wonder how much I could get for a kidney, slightly used? 

 

It sure does not look very worth it to me.  

[Ptychodus04]

5 hours ago, fossilhunter21 said:

Thank you for your response Kris! The other day I decided to go ahead and purchase a Micro Jack #4, I am sure it is very worth the money I payed for it.  

 

 

It sure does not look very worth it to me.  

 

The MJ 4 is a great scribe. It's my go to for delicate work or fine detail. It's well worth the investment.

 

I guess I'm going to have to sell both kidneys. 

[fossilhunter21]

1 hour ago, Ptychodus04 said:

I guess I'm going to have to sell both kidneys. 

I guess you could have lots of fossil prep equipment.  You may not be in the best health condition though...