Prepping an Archimedes bryozoan with needles. Lots of work to go.

[Raistlin]

So there was some talk about my recent needle preps and this Archimedes is on the same stone as the broken pygidium. 

The first photo is where it started. The others are where I currently am with it.

I'm prepping at 30X zoom with sharpened sewing needles and hypodermic needles. It is a long process. But I can get some fine detail in the prep.

 

I have 7 needles.

 

Sharpened sewing needles. 

1 wedge shape

1 four sided

2 cone shape

 

Hypodermic 

18 gauge 

22 gauge 

32 gauge 

 

20220722_174254.jpg 20220722_174150.jpg

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Good luck with this interesting project.

I love it when bryozoans get the attention they deserve. 

[Mark Kmiecik]

Nice job! I like bryozoans.

[Raistlin]

I think if I can pull this off I can prep anything. The very tiny trilo I prepped gave me the idea to reach even further and just go all out. How I am doing it is uncovering the outside bottom (the most visible if you were looking at it from the bottom. I will finish by doing the inside top down. Between that I will try stabilizing so that it doesn't break. I'm looking at thinning down Paleobond and brushing it on. A dream prep would be to have a few hole completely through the frond But that's something I will have to think about.  

 

The plan is also to take the one side closest to the edge of the rock all the way in and expose more. I can't do much more the other direction because there is a lot of rock there and the broken trilo. In the end it will be a piece of real uncovered art. 

[Fossildude19]

Looking great so far, Robert!

 

[fossilhunter21]

You are doing a nice job! Bryzoans must be hard to prep.

 

-Micah

[Raistlin]

14 hours ago, fossilhunter21 said:

You are doing a nice job! Bryzoans must be hard to prep.

 

-Micah

 

Thank you.

For me it is pretty hard to prep. It's very delicate. I've broken a few tiny bits off as I learn to prep it. The last bit broke off because my finger brushed it wrong. But if I can do this I can prep anything. I like trying new techniques. Maye not new to others I don't really know. I just get ideas on things and try them. Some work some fail. For some limestone the needle prep works really good. And it's a great thing for detail and delicate stuff because I have better control (at least I feel I do). 

 

The major downside to it is it takes a very long time. You are only removing a very small amount at a time. To do the prep I do some scratching, poking (very light stabbing), deep stabbing, scraping, and digging. Removing dust and a few tiny chips. 

 

Oddly enough it's pretty relaxing.

[Raistlin]

So I am starting to look toward making some video content on prep and finding fossils and such. Here is a start (it's short) of that. I really dunno what to say to fill dead air but I can't use music (normally I listen to that while prepping) due to copyright garbage. I had to rig up something to hold my phone on my microscope I'm looking through to get this. Later I might use a GoPro to do video or maybe just an old phone.

Anyway here is my first real attempt at fossil prep video content.

 

https://youtu.be/iy0YY5ceZQc

   

Edited August 2, 2022 by Raistlin

[fossilhunter21]

It is looking pretty good! I think you did a pretty good job on the vid. But when you talked I could barely hear anything. It may have just been my device though...? 

 

-Micah

[Raistlin]

Thanks, I used my phone but had it rigged up hanging from my scope. I was looking through the scope and the mic might have been facing away from me. Gonna give a GoPro a try this weekend (if I can fit some prep in between mowing and weather).