Jimmy From Holland Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 wow so much information here. I wanted some info on how to do better fossil preparation. But I read a whole story about a bird that was cleaned. With x ray and super microscope. I myself thought I had a good tool but the needle that cleaned the bird it was so thin. Although I am very happy with my stuff, I do experience some difficulties. The fossil fish of Scotland slate are not so solid. i have a little one now but the slate is very hard. and the fossil soft. I damage unnecessarily I think. what do i need to make it even more fun? i have 3x zoom goggles dnsons.co.uk airpen. I ordered a UV lamp, maybe that will work well. i also tried sulfuric acid 97% (which works very well on pyrite by the way) The difficulties I experience are. can't see how the fossil is going. While scraping I hardly see any color difference of bone or matix. Stone is hard fossil softer. thank you in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy From Holland Posted May 25, 2023 Author Share Posted May 25, 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy From Holland Posted May 28, 2023 Author Share Posted May 28, 2023 I moved on and got a little more visibility. fortunately it is a complete small fish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy From Holland Posted May 28, 2023 Author Share Posted May 28, 2023 now a night in the sulfuric acid un1830. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 H2SO4? what does the un 1830 mean? Be very careful with this stuff... it is nasty. Why did you go to acid? And why sulfuric? It looks like the fossil was coming out quite nicely without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy From Holland Posted May 29, 2023 Author Share Posted May 29, 2023 (edited) 12 hours ago, jpc said: H2SO4? what does the un 1830 mean? Be very careful with this stuff... it is nasty. Why did you go to acid? And why sulfuric? It looks like the fossil was coming out quite nicely without it. I did it to remove the fine layer of sediment from the fossil, so the color difference is slightly more visible when I work with it. it doesn't always work out well. and a whole evening is a bit long I see. I did get very good results with sulfuric acid, especially on pyrite (UN1830 is on the label). The fish is now ready. Edited May 29, 2023 by Jimmy From Holland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy From Holland Posted May 29, 2023 Author Share Posted May 29, 2023 I did it to remove the fine layer of sediment from the fossil, so the color difference is slightly more visible when I work with it. it doesn't always work out well. and a whole evening is a bit long I see. I did get very good results with sulfuric acid, especially on pyrite (UN1830 is on the label). The fish is now ready. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy From Holland Posted May 29, 2023 Author Share Posted May 29, 2023 I'll do the next one without acid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadrosauridae Posted May 29, 2023 Share Posted May 29, 2023 13 hours ago, jpc said: H2SO4? what does the un 1830 mean? Be very careful with this stuff... it is nasty. Why did you go to acid? And why sulfuric? It looks like the fossil was coming out quite nicely without it. UN 1830 is the hazmat ID number. It so that an emergency responder to a spill or fire sees that number (typically on truck tanks, vats, etc) can quickly find out how to safely deal with the hazard. "There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadrosauridae Posted May 29, 2023 Share Posted May 29, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Jimmy From Holland said: I'll do the next one without acid. Acid prepping is very tricky and takes a lot of practice to get right. It also requires soaking in fresh water for at least 2 - 3 times the length it was in acid. Sulfuric is acid is also WAAAAY too strong to use. Most fossils that are acid prepped are done with acetic (vinegar) or sulfamic (NOT sulfuric) and they are often in the 2 - 3 % strength range. Edited May 29, 2023 by hadrosauridae 1 "There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy From Holland Posted May 29, 2023 Author Share Posted May 29, 2023 1 hour ago, hadrosauridae said: Acid prepping is very tricky and takes a lot of practice to get right. It also requires soaking in fresh water for at least 2 - 3 times the length it was in acid. Sulfuric is acid is also WAAAAY too strong to use. Most fossils that are acid prepped are done with acetic (vinegar) or sulfamic (NOT sulfuric) and they are often in the 2 - 3 % strength range. Ok thanks for the info. i used 97% :| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted May 30, 2023 Share Posted May 30, 2023 On 5/29/2023 at 9:03 AM, Jimmy From Holland said: Ok thanks for the info. i used 97% :| wow!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy From Holland Posted May 31, 2023 Author Share Posted May 31, 2023 I ordered a mini sandblaster I saw on the forum here nice results with a sandblaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 I've used sulfuric acid for fossil prep before in a very limited application. I used it to etch a coprolite in order to expose the fish bones inside. I've also used hydrochloric to etch some tracks. You definitely want to dilute your acids a lot. Your fish looks like the acid etched the scales. Even a cheap microscope will make your prep better. I started with a $300 fixed focal length stereo microscope from Amscope for my first scope. As you get more involved, a variety of scribes is also helpful Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy From Holland Posted June 1, 2023 Author Share Posted June 1, 2023 22 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said: I've used sulfuric acid for fossil prep before in a very limited application. I used it to etch a coprolite in order to expose the fish bones inside. I've also used hydrochloric to etch some tracks. You definitely want to dilute your acids a lot. Your fish looks like the acid etched the scales. Even a cheap microscope will make your prep better. I started with a $300 fixed focal length stereo microscope from Amscope for my first scope. As you get more involved, a variety of scribes is also helpful Thank you you are absolutely right. on this fish I also thought I saw that the sharpness of the scales was slightly less. I will look for a microscope and maybe other scribes. I do have different points flat, point and nail shape. to be continued i have another fish in materix i will do it with microscope. thanks for your tips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now