grampa dino Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 For those out there who collect Micro fossils How do you store them How do you display your fav's I have some idea's that I have being working on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkfoam Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 grampa dino, I have collected and displayed microfossils for a while, let me explain what I do. After collection I screen or sieve the material to concentrate the micro material. This concentrated material I store in glass jars until it is picked through under the microscope. Next I generally pick through the concentrated material and put the picked fossils in a glass vial, 3/4 inch plastic cube, or an old 35mm film can. (See photo below). At this point the fossils are not separated by specie but all stored together. Next I pick through the fossils and separate them by specie placing each specie in a separate glass vial, plastic cube, or sometimes I use large gelatin capsules. (Size 000, you can get them at a pharmacy or health food store. People use them to load herbal remedies in.) Then I place the fossils in the vials/cubes/capsules in a 2 inch paper (fold up) box and place in one of my storage cabinets. See photo below. For display I mount the fossils in single cavity 1 X 3 inch slides with a glass cover. Labels are glued to the front of the slides. Sometimes I use a slide with a multiple square ruled cavity. See photos below. Fossils are glued to the slides using a very small drop of clear model airplain dope. I handle and pick up individual micro fossils using the frayed end of a toothpick that I dampen with water. I made a special case to store and transport my slides. In March of 2008 I posted on this site a procedure for making slides. Also, if you are interested you can PM me and I'll send you info on where to purchase vials, plastic cubes and slides. JKFoam The Eocene is my favorite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncjack99 Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Hi Grampa Dino, I use gem jars for the very tiny teeth that I collect. I don't know if these would work for the smallest fossils, but work great for many other smaller items. Below is a website that has the gem jars, displays for the jars and possibly some other items that might be useful for the micro fossils. JK's suggestions were great and I will have try those in the future. Jack http://www.fdjtool.com/category.aspx?categ...amp;startpage=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 While this isn't the greatest photo, it gives the general idea. 1 1/4" diameter jewellers cases from Lee Valley Tools (you have them in Calgary & Edmonton) mounted in a peice of exotic wood, in this case purple-heart, also from Lee Valley. Some upholstery filler in each case, a few labels and voila. I don't have any teeth smaller than 3mm (1/8") as they wouldn't show up too well. I like JK's slide set-up for really small stuff. What do you have for micros Grampa? There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 While this isn't the greatest photo, it gives the general idea. 1 1/4" diameter jewellers cases from Lee Valley Tools (you have them in Calgary & Edmonton) mounted in a peice of exotic wood, in this case purple-heart, also from Lee Valley. Some upholstery filler in each case, a few labels and voila. I don't have any teeth smaller than 3mm (1/8") as they wouldn't show up too well. I like JK's slide set-up for really small stuff. What do you have for micros Grampa? I know a guy that uses a similar type of display. He uses those little containers and puts them in a frame, sort of like a Riker mount. Don't know where he gets them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 While reading the thread, I thought of one of jkfoam's old threads entitled "Make Your Own Paleontology Slides For Microfossils". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 While reading the thread, I thought of one of jkfoam's old threads entitled "Make Your Own Paleontology Slides For Microfossils". Thanks for posting, I knew it was here some place but couldn't find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grampa dino Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 One more question = what is the max size a fossil has to be, before it's not considered Micro? Some very good ideas for storage and displaying. The photo's show some of the ways I have played around with displays. I still like the glassless side mounts and plastic rap idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grampa dino Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 While this isn't the greatest photo, it gives the general idea. 1 1/4" diameter jewellers cases from Lee Valley Tools (you have them in Calgary & Edmonton) mounted in a peice of exotic wood, in this case purple-heart, also from Lee Valley. Some upholstery filler in each case, a few labels and voila. I don't have any teeth smaller than 3mm (1/8") as they wouldn't show up too well. I like JK's slide set-up for really small stuff. What do you have for micros Grampa? Hi Guy I have some small Dino stuff, teeth,unguls from the late cretaceous,and some fish ,shark bites and reptile. Shark teeth from the top of Nihahi Ridge Trail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkfoam Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 One more question = what is the max size a fossil has to be, before it's not considered Micro? grampa dino, A paleontologist friend once explained it to me saying, "Size isn't that relevant, if you need a microscope to identify the fossil then its a microfossil. Bryozoa are a good example, some bryozoa colonies can be quite large but you need a microscope (10X) to examine the zooecium to identify the specie of the critter. I also use as a rule of thumb, anything less that 3/8 of an inch is a micro. I love this hobby, there ain't no real rules, LOL. JKFoam The Eocene is my favorite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 ...what is the max size a fossilhas to be, before it's not considered Micro? If I can't feel it in my pocket for the lint, it's a micro. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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