"liberating The Specimen"

[Precambrian Man]

Just recently dug out some concretions and i am certain that a few of them contain whole ammonites. However,i did not want to attack them until i receive some suggestions on how to "free" them from their concrete like encasement for fear of destroying them entirely. Otherwise,i may just have to enjoy them as i found them [in their natural state] Any ideas would be welcomed thankyou

Edited May 26, 2014 by PRECAMBRIAN MAN

[fossilized6s]

I would say freeze thawing them might be the safest way.

I know some professional preppers on here would just start prepping them. But it may be a big waste of your time....

I slowly chiselled all of my ammos out if they were in a concretion. But that's the "caveman" crash coarse. Mine luckily stood up to my mindless abuse. Haha

[Precambrian Man]

I would say freeze thawing them might be the safest way.

I know some professional preppers on here would just start prepping them. But it may be a big waste of your time....

I slowly chiselled all of my ammos out if they were in a concretion. But that's the "caveman" crash coarse. Mine luckily stood up to my mindless abuse. Haha

Alright,then into the freezer they will go,idea on timing? intervals? I will try anything once,i mean almost anything Thankyou !

[Mr_ed]

Hey Walley ... was that specimen so for in the rock that it wouldn't have frozen and thawed a million or two times already..?

good luck

Ed

[Precambrian Man]

Without knowing or having experimented with concretions,here is my feeble theory!.. some comes from fact and some comes from maybe a false hope?: Bruce told me that his 15,000 year old salmon/kokanee fossil concretions,once removed from their wet enviroment eventually cracked at the seams and he was then able to split them open perfectly. So i am associating dehydration with the release/separation between the fossil and the surrounding matrix. I do realize we are talking 2 different things[million year old versus thousand year old and diff minerals that make up the concretion]. Now that the ammonite concretion is removed from its constantly hydrated enviroment maybe that separation will become possible? and maybe the back and forth [ freezer to open air or heat] may facilitate that? but, thats a lot of maybes and just maybe i will have to wait a million years for that to happen? or maybe i will try the "caveman" approach, hammer and chisel?thanks Ed

[Fossildude19]

Don't try to heat them after a freeze... the quick change can shatter them.

Regards,

[Precambrian Man]

Don't try to heat them after a freeze... the quick change can shatter them.

Regards,

Good point,thanks

[Wrangellian]

First, wash them off so we can assess what you've got!

It almost looks like you've got most of the ammo showing there already. I'm afraid freeze/thaw might wreck the whole thing. I'd get someone to prep it out with the proper equipment if you don't have it yourself. (If not, patience is a virtue - I've got years worth of stuff still waiting for prepping simply because I don't have the equipment or the money to get it, and I don't want to hack at them with primitive methods, I have damaged too many already!)

Be prepared to glue a bunch of small pieces together, anyway. Maybe your matrix will cooperate better than mine, I dunno

[Precambrian Man]

First, wash them off so we can assess what you've got!

It almost looks like you've got most of the ammo showing there already. I'm afraid freeze/thaw might wreck the whole thing. I'd get someone to prep it out with the proper equipment if you don't have it yourself. (If not, patience is a virtue - I've got years worth of stuff still waiting for prepping simply because I don't have the equipment or the money to get it, and I don't want to hack at them with primitive methods, I have damaged too many already!)

Be prepared to glue a bunch of small pieces together, anyway. Maybe your matrix will cooperate better than mine, I dunno

Good advise,thanks,Mr Ed has some from the same site and i have seen them after he had worked on them.They look o.k.. I will have to talk with him a little more when i see him next.I think he said he chiseled them and yes,glue was part of the program. I had just thrown it out on the F.F. to get some different ideas? I do like it in its natural state, i would like it even more prepped out. The matrix looks very un-co-operative