-Andy- Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Hi all, I have here what I am sincerely hoping to be an unhatched Hadrosaur Egg. Could anyone offer me any advise on how I can begin to clean and expose it better? I would especially like to prep out its back better, I see faint traces of what I am hoping to be egg shells there. I have no proper fossil-prepping tools, just different toothbrushes, sponge, chisels and hammers. Also, what would be a good fossil preservative to use on this? Looking forward to meeting my fellow Singaporean collectors! Do PM me if you are a Singaporean, or an overseas fossil-collector coming here for a holiday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 I have successfully employed the "back" edge of a C-shaped dental pick to gently scrape away the whitish mineral deposit on the shell of a Hadrosaur egg. Any non-scratching implement will do. You just want to scrape off the thin layer occluding what we believe to be the shell of this piece. A damp paper towel is useful to get rid of the pulverized matrix, hopefully revealing the unmistakable surface of eggshell. CAUTION: if this is indeed a Hadrosaur egg of Chinese origin, the reddish matrix that supports and fills the interior of the egg may be extremely hydrophillic. If you follow the natural impulse to "wash" the piece during prep to remove powdered matrix - you may end up with a basin full of viscous mud and shell fragments. Good luck, have fun. Above is a previous response I gave to a similar post. The "coating" that seems to cover the surface of your piece will probably scrape off with ease. It is just a long tedious process to complete the entire surface. I have found it best to use the "flat" portion of the implement employed - not the point. Again avoid the impulse to expose the piece to water (soak) - use a damp cloth only. I have never used any type of coating on a prepped egg. In my experience they are stable. Perhaps if it were to be handled a lot, as in a classroom, a coating would be of benefit. For display I feel none is needed. Good luck and have fun. If employed, this method will be a long process. 2 Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 I looked at your pictures in more detail. The coating I see appears mostly to be a thin coating of the red colored host matrix, not the white mineral deposit I have encountered. The same gentle mechanical prep should work. I assume the last photo is what your believe to be the "bottom" of the egg. Its backwards - when we display Our eggs the "bottom" is actually the "top" (as it was oriented in the nest) displaying the hatching window. I think your last photo is showing evidence of shell shards at a right angle to the original surface. This is typical for the hatching window. I do not think the egg is unhatched. If it were mine I would be conservative about digging into the surface shown in the last photo. That is you may simply be heading into the matrix filled interior. If the piece were mine I would start (surface scraping) with a small section of a surface show in one of the first two pictures, where shell is obvious. You can then evaluate how effective this technique will be and if you wish to proceed. Have fun (and a ton of patience). 2 Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Andy, here is a photo of the surface of an egg I prepped, as I have described. The best I can tell from the pictures is that your fossil is an egg of this type. One more caution in addition to the water. Be careful about about your tool catching the edge of one of the many pieces of shell. Be sure to have the "superglue" handy in case you inadvertently pop a piece off. Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Andy- Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Andy, here is a photo of the surface of an egg I prepped, as I have described. The best I can tell from the pictures is that your fossil is an egg of this type. One more caution in addition to the water. Be careful about about your tool catching the edge of one of the many pieces of shell. Be sure to have the "superglue" handy in case you inadvertently pop a piece off. IMG_7255cz.jpg Lovely! I shall begin prepping the egg this weekend. I am considering using a soft brush to scrub on it. Looking forward to meeting my fellow Singaporean collectors! Do PM me if you are a Singaporean, or an overseas fossil-collector coming here for a holiday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Andy, I (and I'm sure others) would be interested in your prep progress. Please post photos and comments about your experience. Have fun. Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Andy- Posted June 21, 2014 Author Share Posted June 21, 2014 After scrubbing for 3 hours, I am beginning to see what looks like eggshell under the matrix of the "bottom" side. I think I could be looking at an unhatched egg here! Looking forward to meeting my fellow Singaporean collectors! Do PM me if you are a Singaporean, or an overseas fossil-collector coming here for a holiday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 It was wonderful to see the post of your work with the egg. I had previously opined that I thought I saw signs of a hatching window. The new photos have not changed that impression. I am, however, seeing lots of shell in the new pictures. I wish I could hold that piece in my hands! Of course only your diligent effort and patience will reveal the true state of the fossil. If it does prove to be an unopened egg, that will lead to even more areas for exploration of the piece. This is a very exciting project. Thanks for sharing the experience and I hope you will continue with more photos as you move along. Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Andy- Posted June 21, 2014 Author Share Posted June 21, 2014 Thank you Snolly. This is an exciting project indeed! I am continuing the cleaning effort. I went on to prep the edges of the hatching window. The hatching window "circle" is around 4cm in diameter. Looking forward to meeting my fellow Singaporean collectors! Do PM me if you are a Singaporean, or an overseas fossil-collector coming here for a holiday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Thank you Snolly. This is an exciting project indeed! I am continuing the cleaning effort. I went on to prep the edges of the hatching window. The hatching window "circle" is around 4cm in diameter. That seems small for a hatching window. Sign of predation? Damage to an unhatched egg? I hope your prep efforts will perhaps unlock the secrets the egg must hold. It's a fascinating, exciting project. Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Andy- Posted July 13, 2014 Author Share Posted July 13, 2014 My new project. An enormous 22-cm Citipati egg. Looking forward to meeting my fellow Singaporean collectors! Do PM me if you are a Singaporean, or an overseas fossil-collector coming here for a holiday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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