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I Did My First Green River Fish Prep


fossilized6s

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I had bought a handful unprepped Green river fish last week from a fellow member (Thanks Ron). The goodie package arrived Saturday morning. But all of Saturday was a crazy mess due to my girlfriend's twins birthday party. And anyone that knows trying to handle 8+ nine year olds is just short of hair pulling madness, especially when my gf decided to hop them up on a buffet of candy. So i didn't even get the chance to open the package.....

Sunday i slept in (it was justified), but i remembered my box of fish. The gf and the kids were off shopping with their bday money and my 16 month old son was at Grandma and Grandpa's house, so yeah it was a joyous day of laziness. So i decided to prep out some fish.

I started with the two smallest just to get a feel for it. I simply used an upholstery needle and toothbrush for the prep. I later "enhanced" them a bit were the fish bits had flaked off on me using watered down acrylic paints.

Slow and steady definitely wins this race.

One fish the face wasn't fully intact, so i had to make due. They're not the best, but they sure are fun to do!

post-14584-0-43885000-1422287753_thumb.jpg

post-14584-0-76218300-1422287781_thumb.jpg

post-14584-0-46931200-1422287765_thumb.jpg

Edit: This is highly recommended for any amateur fossil enthusiast. No expensive prep tools are needed.

And sorry i regretfully didn't take any before pics. They basically were covered in matrix. The only sign of them was a raised line (vertebrae) and a faint outline of fins and the heads. I'll take before and after pics of my other larger ones.

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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snarge good job, regardless of the intact portion. I've been working on a few of my finds from the St.Paul Stone Quarry trip. I just hope that they turn out half as good as this prep! We'll see soon.

Paul

...I'm back.

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Thanks guys! I appreciate that.

Paul i cant wait to see em'. I think i may go this May with ESCONI to St.Paul. It's on a Tuesday though......ugh.

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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Great job!

Each dot is 50,000,000 years:

Hadean............Archean..............................Proterozoic.......................................Phanerozoic...........

                                                                                                                    Paleo......Meso....Ceno..

                                                                                                           Ꞓ.OSD.C.P.Tr.J.K..Pg.NgQ< You are here

Doesn't time just fly by?

 

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Thank you lissa, Jeff and Utah! I highly recommend try it if you haven't already.

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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Haha, thanks Malcolmt. I am.

I tend not to buy fossils. I like to find them myself. But prepping pieces is rewarding enough until i save the funds to get out there and split my own or find my own crab nods.

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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Thanks sseth. They are very fun indeed!

I hope to make it out that way in the next five years and collect a couple hundred. :D

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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Thanks Kris. I know what you mean. Just the matrix is paper thin and loves to fold and crack. And if you try and rush anything.......disaster. Im doing one now that a bit completely exploded on me. Ugh

I love it though.

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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Excellent job, Charlie!

Thanks for posting the results.

Regards,

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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Way to go Chucky! I remember trips collecting them back in the 60's when it was much more open for public collecting. Nice job for a first time. Wanting to see your magic on larger pieces.

 

 

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Excellent job, Charlie!

Thanks for posting the results.

Regards,

Thanks Tim, that means a lot coming from a "fish guy". I know the one's mouth doesn't look anatomically correct, but shhhhhhhhhh, no one has to know.

Way to go Chucky! I remember trips collecting them back in the 60's when it was much more open for public collecting. Nice job for a first time. Wanting to see your magic on larger pieces.

Thanks caldigger. It seems as though most fossil spots were great in the 60's and 70's. It makes me worry about the 2030's and 2040's. Could be outlawed.......

I can't wait to try my hand with a larger catch! Thanks for the encouraging words.

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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ya done good. The paint outline really makes them pop...crooked mouths and all. :)

"I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?"  ~Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) 

 

New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletins    

 

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Thanks Mike!

The outline is just a bit of prep and is etched matrix. I just touched up the interiors of the fish when some of the ultra thin skin layer popped off due to inexperience....haha.

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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I just finished another fish tonight and i wasn't going to post this guy, but..... well....it's hideous! Haha

Have you ever seen a snorkeling fish before?

......no, there's no punchline, just this

post-14584-0-26196500-1422339559_thumb.jpg

Now im guessing this is it's upper lip. But i was hoping it just had a sweet Burt Reynolds stache....

Should i prep some bubbles coming up? Haha

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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Looks like coprolite material there, Charlie - no such thing as a hideous fossil fish. ;)

Another good prep job, here.

Regards,

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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Thanks Tim. This one was three times harder matrix then the other two, but it was actually nice not to blow off chunks of this guy. I got to prep every mm.

I was thinking coprolite too. But considering the bottom portion of his mouth is detached assumed this was the top portion. Like some smart@$$ stuck a firecracker in it's mouth before he took his dirt nap.

Edit: here's a couple more pics of this guy

post-14584-0-55545500-1422379647_thumb.jpg

post-14584-0-06585200-1422379675_thumb.jpg

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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They are so cool. The last one looks like he is going for a worm. Obviously not a good thing to do. My husband and I are going cross country soon and spending a month in Santa Cruz, CA where our daughter lives. We will be coming back in April and I was hoping the weather would be good enough to stop there.

Patti

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Thanks Patti!

I hope you guys do get the chance to go there. It's a dream vacation of mine. If you know about when you are going i would definitely call in advance and talk times and money first.

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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