First Prep of 2023

[BentonlWalters]

With the start of 2023 I decided to take a break from my long running prep project and prepare out something smaller to start the year off. I collected several of these C. clallamensis shrimp nodules last January and in my previous experience they tend to prep well. This was one that I had split on the beach so I knew that there was a large-ish claw and hoped nodule contained the rest of the arm also. 

 

The nodule before prep

 

 

Unfortunately this nodule didn't contain an arm but rather a bunch of fragmentary shell remains and one large disarticulated claw, but the claw tip glued back on nicely and I decided to have a play with shaping the matrix resulting in an interesting bowled out effect. 

 

 

In total the prep took about 3.5 hours with my Ken Mannion TT pen and I'm quite pleased with how much I managed to undercut the outside of the nodule without breaking it away. While not the best shrimp this was a fun prep to start off the year. 

 

Thanks for having a look

Edited January 7, 2023 by BentonlWalters

[RJB]

I haven't prepped one of these out for decades.  I think after the second one I quite.  Just too difficult to prep out that shrimp hash.  Nice job you have done though.

 

RB

[BentonlWalters]

2 hours ago, RJB said:

I haven't prepped one of these out for decades.  I think after the second one I quite.  Just too difficult to prep out that shrimp hash.  Nice job you have done though.

 

RB

Thanks, I think I've prepped about 7 of these and I enjoy the challenge. This one was definitely more hash than some of the others. Here's one from last year where the arm is at least semi together, though whatever I do I haven't managed to find the floating pincer by any other method than chipping the tip off. 

 

 

I've been using them as practice to build confidence for trying to prep one of the tiny (golf ball to baseball) crab nodules I've found, but I don't think I'm there yet. I might also want a smaller tipped pen.