Cheap Fossil Prepping

[hobbitfeet]

What are the best ways to prep fossils on the cheap? I'm a student so I can't use/afford equipment such as ones that use air compressors. I've heard of people using a dremel with various attachments. Some of my fossils just need cleaning and detailing while I have some others where I can only see part of it sticking out and I want to carefully expose the rest. Any suggestions?

[Uncle Siphuncle]

i use water and brass or stainless welding flux brushes for soft matrix. the brass imparts a sheen to the fossil which can be removed by other means...i think soap, water, and a plastic brush will do that final cleanup.

experiment before getting aggressive w the steel brush as it can scratch some fossils. these brushes cost $2.57 at home depot.

[Fossildude19]

Dental picks, manual scribing tools, and engravers are low cost solutions.

Most of these are readily available on the cheap at home improvement stores, or at yard/garage sales or flea markets.

Regards,

[Auspex]

Tools and techniques vary with every situation, but dental picks, pin vises, and hand etchers figure prominently in low-cost prep.

[CStewart]

Auspex, what about solutions to moisten the sediments? Safe ones for us amateurs?

[Harry Pristis]

A rotary tool with a stainless steel wire brush is your best bet. You'll have to practice to learn the tool and to learn the material you'll be preparing.

Use your fingertips to squeeze some colorless silicone caulk into the bristles of the brushes. (Do multiple brushes at a time so that you don't have to do this chore very often.) This silicone will help reduce the number of steel bristles that break off and go flying (always wear eye protection!!)

[snolly50]

Regarding the engravers mentioned previously, I have been very satisfied with an Electro-stylus brand device. If you put that into a search engine you will easily find it. They are pricier than others ($70 or so). For me the sleek pen-like design and variable power feature justifies the cost. Auspex mentioned a pin vise. Equipped with an assortment of carbide needles and a pin vise you can make a ton of progress in softer matrix. Good luck, have fun is the main requirement.

Edited April 25, 2013 by snolly50

[Boneman007]

Auspex, what about solutions to moisten the sediments? Safe ones for us amateurs?

One thing to remember, put a little soap in the water you use to soak fossils. It eliminates the surface tensions and allows the water to soak in better.

Honestly, I can tell you a hundred ways to ruin a fossil with chemicals, but not too many ways to prep them successfully with harsher chemicals.

Patience is your friend when it comes to prepping. Remember: It to a while to find, it should take a while to prep properly.

I use exacto knives a lot, myself. However, I have a lot of scars on my fingers and hands from stabbing myself when I become less patient. It hurts!

Another thing, practice on unimportant similar fossils before you start on the good one. I wish I had followed this advice in the past!

Also, ask questions. Show people the fossil before you start. People in your area will know the easiest ways to prep out local stuff. Do you have a paleontology group in your area? That's a great place to start. Also, you might find someone with more advanced equipement that might be able to help you as well. Time with a experience preparator is worth its weight in gold!

And lastly, and most importantly: YOU WILL DESTROY FOSSILS. Get used to the idea, and don't beat yourself up to much when you do. We all did and you shouldnt expect yourself to walk on water on your first prep!

I look forward to seeing your prepped perfection in the future! Enjoy!

Edited April 26, 2013 by Boneman007

[steelhead9]

The last thing I want to do is bust your bubble, but any work is only as good as the tools used to do it. That said, before I was able to afford a proper prepping lab, I did an awful lot of good work with just a dremel and diamond tip bits, both available at modest rates at any Home Depot or similar store. I think you will find the diamond bits more useful for everyday application than the wire brushes, although they certainly have their uses. My best advice is to spend the most money in the beginning on good safety equipment, especially respirators. You do want to be around when you can afford a great setup! Good luck!

[Auspex]

Short cuts figure prominently in the biographies of many ruined fossils; take your time. If you feel the push of impatience, walk away for a bit.

[snolly50]

In my reply above I mentioned engravers and pin vices, but neglected another low-tech tool of great utility. An art gum eraser is very helpful in "polishing," that is getting the last bit of scuzzy film off of some types of fossils. Of course it comes in a rectangular block shape, but you can cut pieces of various shapes and thicknesses to get at exactly the place you want.

Boneman, I chuckled at your account of X-acto mishaps related above. Not because I think it's funny you got hurt, but out of an absolute recognition of the frequency of those little slips. I once had the aforementioned Electro-stylus in my lap and leaned over to get something off the ground. Yep, it stood on end and I ended up with the stylus stuck in my chest. I will not do that again (I hope).

[CStewart]

Thank you guys! The advise provided in this forum, is layered with "on the job" wisdom not found

in any old book.

[hobbitfeet]

My dremel is working good but I'm getting to the point where I need finer scale work on things such as trilobites and echinoids. Is now the time to start getting into tools like air scribes etc...? If so what brands, models would you recommend?

[old dead things]

I go to a lot of auctions and it alway surprises me some of the tools that come up that make good prepping tools. Probably one of the best was an electric dentist drill with a speed control I got for $25 and I still use it quite a bit. Engravers have been mentioned and I found an engraving pen at one of the big box lumber stores that runs on two AA batteries for $1, and I take that with me to the fish quarry for a quick touch up on fish fossils or to drill an exploratory hole.

There are all sorts of things that make good prepping tools, you just need to be inventive at times and see the potential. I think we all have probably ground down screwdrivers to make a pick point, and those are another auction buy, usually a handful 10-12 for a couple of dollars.I've also ground down old chainsaw files and the middles are rough enough that they won't slip in your fingers. But you got to go to a lot of auctions.

Have fun

Jim

Old Dead Things

Edited February 22, 2014 by old dead things

[LordTrilobite]

Ask your dentist if they have some left over discarded picks you can have. For manual prepping I find that it doesn't get much better than dentist's picks.

And investing in a microscope will help a lot with prepping. Even a cheap one will do wonders.

Edited February 23, 2014 by LordTrilobite

[wolfman]

Regarding the engravers mentioned previously, I have been very satisfied with an Electro-stylus brand device. If you put that into a search engine you will easily find it. They are pricier than others ($70 or so). For me the sleek pen-like design and variable power feature justifies the cost. Auspex mentioned a pin vise. Equipped with an assortment of carbide needles and a pin vise you can make a ton of progress in softer matrix. Good luck, have fun is the main requirement.

I just found one used online for 25 bucks!

[Taogan]

Equipment accumulates over years, it is like fossil collecting, you get what you see when you see it. Like fossil collecting you can increase the odds by going somewhere where there is a higher probability of a good find, but you should always be prepared to explore new sites. Dental tools, mounted needles other medical objects you find in all sorts of places, think "that looks useful" get it (them) and end up with a drawer full of tools. The same goes for drills, engravers and other items.

[hrguy54]

*Sears carries a Dremel attachment with a sharp, very fine point...about $12 apiece and has decent durability.

*I use dental picks but the better ones can cost $15 apiece and more. Fairly durable though. I've asked my dentist for some of his older picks but nowadays he sends them out to be "resharpened".

*I use safety pins for really fine spots, but they can cramp up my fingers and I've never been successful rigging up something that was effective. Still, not a bad way to go.

**Harbor Freight carries a pack of 5-6 dental-pick type tools that have surprisingly very fine points...I use these a lot on my trilobites. They come in a white plastic packet similar to the old pocket protectors, and 5-6 of them cost less than $3. But, use them on more solid rock and the tips bend. Maybe less durable but the price is right.

Also use wire smaller wire brushed, but lately the ones typically available are very low quality, bristles fall out too easily from the wood handle. Those with plastic handles seem to last longer.

For years I have been using a 10:1 (-ish) ration of water to muriatic acid to clean my hardy Ordivician horn corals, brachiopods, cephlapods, bryzoans with very good results. Typically only have to dunk them once. Don't do on the more "delicate" pieces like trilobites. I hold the piece with forceps or put several in a handled wire strainer and just dunk 'em. 5-6 seconds for smaller and 10-12 for larger. Then immediately rinse in water. I do this at my laundry tub. Wear safety goggles. Ventilate well. Practice with some low end pieces first. apply the solution with a wire brush and the piece can clean up nicely. (wear dishwashing or latex gloves, though)

[old dead things]

I found this engraver at one of the big box lumber stores, I don't remember which one, but picked up three of them. They work great at the fish quarry for a quick look at something entirely covered with matrix or to check a wrinkle to see if it is a wrinkle or a twig or a bone. Anyway, for a dollar, plus 2 AA batteries a pretty cheap and easy way to prep in the field.

Jim

Old Dead Things

[Auspex]

That's pretty neat, Jim! It can't be anywhere near "Heavy Duty", but for a light touch on shale in the field, it would be real easy to make room for a couple of them.