First Prep - Hoploscaphites

[John K]

I've been in awe of the prep work you guys have done, but have been too intimidated to try it for myself - I really hate messing with a specimen too much and winding up destroying it (!) But I really do admire the before and after photos some have posted, so decided to finally pull the trigger on a couple specimens we brought back from Montana.

I'll describe the trip on another post, but I found this guy in the Bear Paw shale on top of this bluff on a private ranch we had permission to collect on north of Sumatra, Mt., this last week:

I have at my disposal a Dremmel variable speed grinder and a Dremmel electric engraver with normal Carbide grinding wheels. I didn't think the engraver ( or grinder, without diamond bits) would be of much use with the hard shale matrix, but how wrong I was: I was impressed with how much the engraver took off:

I switched to the grinder and really went to town:

Switching back to the engraver, it didn't take long to bring the matrix down to the fossil:

A light coat of furniture polish and I impressed myself.... there's a little bit of matrix that could be taken off yet, but I'm satisfied at this point.

So, thanks again to all of you who've taken the time to post your great prep photos; I for one have been watching and learning!

Edited August 23, 2014 by John K

[Raggedy Man]

I will agree that the level of preparation displayed here is intimidating, but you also have to remember that they too at one point had to learn how to prep. Now on to your specimen...

I think you did a great job for your first prep. Fantastic job!

[Auspex]

Good job on the scaphite! That Bear Paw shale can be a real...bear...to work with.

[rejd]

Great job on your first attempt. Looking good.

[jpc]

Nice work. I personally am a big fan of the natural finish... no furniture polish for this ole boy, but that is just my bias. The name is Hoploscaphites, by the way, with a p in the middle.

[Adam.morris08]

Nice job!

[Ludwigia]

Well done! Good that you finally plucked up your courage to give it a try. I remember exactly how it felt...before and after...a whole new range of possibilities open themselves up suddenly and then there's also no more chance of sitting idly around the house...

[RJB]

If you can do that with a Dremel engraver and grinder, then im sure you would be a master in no time with the so called professional tools! Nice job.

RB

[Fossil2]

The specimen looks great! Especially, for a first time.

Having never prepared a fossil I was looking for a how to posting. Your process photos are a good start. Thanks for the post.

[Wrangellian]

I am impressed with what a first-time attempt with difficult shale and relatively primitive tools can produce. (Still I bet my local shale would be even more dicey - I am not a prepper but it gives me enough grief just extracting in the field)

You don't think those last bits of matrix on the shell could be removed easily? At that point I think I would not be able to resist spending that last little effort to get it to look really professional.. What is more difficult, the bulk removal or the finer job near the end?

[Ptychodus04]

The devil's in the details as they say. The bulk removal is very time consuming but rather easy. The detail work requires some decent magnification and a steady hand. You're at the point where you have the greatest possibility of ruining the specimen. I've been there and have ruined some specimens in the process. It's all about learning where to stop.