Bob Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Can the paint that is used to enhance Green River Fossil Fish be removed ? And what is the process to remove it .Also does any one know what kind of paint etc is used ? Thanks Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Hi Bob, First let me compliment your beautiful Priscacara. Are you positive its painted? I have one that looks almost identical to yours in terms of preservation. Because Green River fish fossils are often enhanced with paint I thought mine had to be 'painted' also. Happily I found out otherwise however. Take a small cloth and dip a corner in solvent, acetone will work nicely. Just dab at the areas you're suspicious of and see if any dissolved paint transfers to your cloth. If it's painted and you wish to remove all of it just go slowly staying within the margin of the fish. Hopefully you'll discover a wonderfully preserved Priscy that hasn't been painted. Keep us posted and Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Can the paint that is used to enhance Green River Fossil Fish be removed ? And what is the process to remove it .Also does any one know what kind of paint etc is used ? Thanks Bob I'm not seeing paint there....nice fishy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruitbat Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 I'm not seeing paint either. Looks like a typical (but very nice) Green River fish. -Joe Illigitimati non carborundum Fruitbat's PDF Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Indeed I also fail to see any paint. Seems to be one of those true beauties. Paleo database, information and community Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelhead9 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Doesn't look like this one is painted. Usually it just the very fine tips of the fins and tail. Also, trying to remove paint with a solvent will only work on some paints. Most restorers use acrylic paint, which will not be affected by a solvent. You can trying lightly scratching a small area with a pin. If the color is just a thin layer on the surface of the matrix, it is probably painted. If it goes down into the matrix at all, it's real fossil. Still Life Fossils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nandomas Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 I should like to have that fish!!! Congrats Erosion... will be my epitaph! http://www.paleonature.org/ https://fossilnews.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 It is probably sealed/stabilized with a clear sealant. Not to enhance, but to keep pieces from flaking off. I would not touch it. Nice fish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I agree... that looks natural. No paint in my book. But, if you must, I like the idea of gently scraping somewhere inconspicuous... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowsharks Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 (edited) Wow, even if it had some paint, it looks so nice I wouldn't want to mess with it in fear of really messing it up. Curious though, where does the lighter colored outline around the fish come from? Is that natural? Either way it really helps to enhance the fish. Daryl. Edited January 13, 2011 by cowsharks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 ...where does the lighter colored outline around the fish come from? Is that natural? Either way it really helps to enhance the fish. Daryl. I believe that is done (for that purpose) by scribing/grinding the matrix. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteseer Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I agree with the others about it not looking painted and that even if it is, it would be only minor touch-ups. Your fish is from what they call the "18-inch layer" where the fossils are darker (more contrast with the matrix) and generally much better preserved. The fossils that come out of the "split layers" (still the Green River Formation) are the ones that tend to be painted to make the fish stand out. Can the paint that is used to enhance Green River Fossil Fish be removed ? And what is the process to remove it .Also does any one know what kind of paint etc is used ? Thanks Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Menser Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 (edited) Actually I think it is not painted, it is stained to produce that dark color. (Note the darker matrix as well). Careful application of common rubbing alcohol will disolve and remove some of it. Here is a Prisacara I used that method on. Edited January 13, 2011 by Frank Menser Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 First of all Thank You very much everyone for all your input .I believe I will leave the Priscacara just the way it is ,I also think that by looking at it closer it looks to me like a stain was used . I wish that all fossils that are prepared do not use stains etc to enhance a fossil ---natural is the best .Thanks again . Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoPastels Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Yeah I do not see any paint either I must agree with everyone else. However I have a green river fish Knightia that was "painted" over with india ink and they did a horrible job at it. I found that hairspray faded the ink and I applied new ink myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old dead things Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 We prepare a lot of fossil fish from the Green River formation. Both split fish and 18". We sell them both with and without a preservative on the bones. The bones will absorb moisture from the air and will in time fall off the plate if not preserved. By in time, it depends on the environment where it is stored or displayed. And in time could be fifty years or more, but I have had bones and scales fall off in a couple of years too. We use different mixtures of vinac on our fish, some times thicker or thinner and always clear to show the natural color. Some dealers dunk the plate in a mixture of water and Elmer's (90% water, 10% glue). This preserves the bone and eliminates the chalky dust from the split fish layer. I've had potential customers refuse to buy a fish because they were too dirty (chalky). Some do paint the fish to enhance or fill in indentations where bone has disappeared, we do not adhere to this procedure. We sometimes put vinac on the bones when we prepare the fish. An air scribe can literally blow the bones off the plate unless they are stabilized. I guess the bottom line is what each collector wants and the best way to get what you want is to collect and prepare your own. Jim www.olddeadthings.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Wow, even if it had some paint, it looks so nice I wouldn't want to mess with it in fear of really messing it up. Curious though, where does the lighter colored outline around the fish come from? Is that natural? Either way it really helps to enhance the fish. Daryl. Daryl, and all the browner color around the body of the fish is the layer that the fish is actually sitting on. The gray that most of the rock shows is the layer they cut through to get to the fish and its own layer of brown rock. The 18 inch layer is made of very thin alternating layers if brown and gray rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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