mikecable Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 This series of unfortunate experiments may well turn into some fortuitous knowledge. Maybe. Unfortunate in that I acted likea sixth grade scientist when I started these experiments. No protocols whatsoever--I just went wild. I should be starting this thread with a picture of a rock. But I wasn't sure where the rock came from in the first place, and then I messed with the rock. And messed with the rock some more. But I should at least end this post with some picture of the rock. Best I can do tonight. Tomorrow will come the story of the unfortunate rock. Which does appear to be very fossiliferous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 Mike, what is the geology or general location of its origin? The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikecable Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 Mike, what is the geology or general location of its origin? That's the first unfortunate part. I'm not sure. My brother gave it to me from one of my father's rock piles. It probably came from within 100 miles of Abilene, TX--most likely to the south or west. My best wild guess would be somewhere between Brownwood and Goldthwaite. The next unfortunate experiment occurred in my lab at school. I put the entire specimen in a large beaker and submerged it in 5% household vinegar. Much bubbling and foaming ensued, which confirmed my suspicion that the matrix was limestone. After letting it soak for about an hour, I took it out and rinsed it. That's when I realized I needed to slow down and think. The larger bivalve at the lower left used to have a pinkish, translucent coating that I wrongly assumed was silicate. It must have been calcified instead, because the vinegar had eaten it away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 The larger bivalve at the lower left used to have a pinkish, translucent coating that I wrongly assumed was silicate. It must have been calcified instead, because the vinegar had eaten it away. To check for silica, try scratching glass with it. (I wouldn't recommend using the fine stemware. ) Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikecable Posted December 9, 2011 Author Share Posted December 9, 2011 To check for silica, try scratching glass with it. (I wouldn't recommend using the fine stemware. ) You're right--I could have done a basic Moh's scale test. I just got excited and jumped ahead--exactly what I get after my students for doing. Now I'm boiling the matrix--but it's breaking down very slowly. I'm about to try a combination of freezing and boiling. Next will be hydrogen peroxide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 You're right--I could have done a basic Moh's scale test. I just got excited and jumped ahead--exactly what I get after my students for doing. Now I'm boiling the matrix--but it's breaking down very slowly. I'm about to try a combination of freezing and boiling. Next will be hydrogen peroxide. I'll be interested in your results. I have a number of unprepared fossils sitting in the basement..... Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 I applaud your efforts Mike.A little unsure how to proceed myself, I soaked several likely looking Silurian hash plates in household vinegar.The bubbling was very slow, but steady for several hours.At the end the hash showed alot more detail, and quite a bit of unexpected color, and the most minor signs it was starting to affect the fossils as well - several more hours, and the vinegar had stopped bubbling. the fossils had at that point lost a discernible amount of detail, and I will now try other solutions for this matrix, which is to say, the vinegar may yet prove useful for other samples, I havent tried rock from several other locales yet... I imagine if I only wanted to clean this hash, a half hour would more than suffice, and I will clean a few more pieces, the smaller one I pulled out after 1 hour turned out nicely... a photo after about 2 hours in the vinegar... "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 (edited) here's a piece of the same matrix after a quick 15 minute bath, followed by scrubbing w/ a soft toothbrush.Next I''l get the Muriatic acid, which I'll try next... :)and a large crinoid stem (10"+) after a 1/2 hour soaking although there wasn't noticable damage, I'd refrain from using the vinegar for any longer... Edited December 18, 2011 by xonenine "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Scaphite Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Few methods I have read about not mentioned here is the use of peroxide solution, sodium hydroxide and lastly was the use of electric current. Yep, a professor I had in college did research on it, high voltage through wet matrix. Sounded dangerous to me. Tried to remove shark teeth from the Turner sandy member of the Carlisle shale by way zaping it... he he he. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 a bump for the ever popular PDF Liberation of Fossils Using High Voltage Electric Pulses "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 try some dishwasher liquid (Cascade) and a soft brush, it will help soften the clay/silt. And vinegar and a soft brush. Leaving it in the acid will destroy the details. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks 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