crabfossilsteve Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Yes indeed, those are some meticulously and beautifully prepared specimens. Wow!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amaltheus Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Amazing prep and diversity of trilobites. My question is how do you tell the Trilobite is complete when you have broken open the rock. I can tell with most fossils, but trilos are not getting into my thick head thanks for this informative thread, always love to see the dedication given by collectors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted March 4, 2016 Author Share Posted March 4, 2016 (edited) Amazing prep and diversity of trilobites. My question is how do you tell the Trilobite is complete when you have broken open the rock. I can tell with most fossils, but trilos are not getting into my thick head thanks for this informative thread, always love to see the dedication given by collectors. Actually you can`t! Trilobites are mostly found breaking rocks, heavy duty manual work. It takes a lot of luck and hard work to find em, that`s also the reason why unpreped trilo material is usually expensive, even if you can`t be sure about condition. But what you can see are randomly broken parts or crossections of trilobites hidding in matrix. Based on crossections, layers and type of matrix experts can "guess" the species and some crossections are a bit more promissing as other, so there is some sellection going on on site. Some species are known to have "issues", broken spines, drifted librigenia or tiny areas of lost shell are the least of the problem. We have to realize these are fossils, millions of years old, so imperfections are not actual problem or faults! In some layers species like Phacops are usually found complete and withouth major "faults", spiny species like Sagitapeltis on the other hand almost never found complete and without "faults". The rest is luck and a lot of work to get em out. A promissing looking crossection can reveal a disarticulated trilobite or molt or partialy preserved or damaged specimen or dissolved/eroded shell/skin after many hours of prep work. Still beautiful and amazing, but sometimes you can basically start working on what you think could be a perfectly preserved specimen and realize it`s only partialy preserved or a molt remain or ... in the last hours of prep work. Edited March 5, 2016 by aeon.rocks 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amaltheus Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 Thanks for your reply, i have been to Morocco and been privilged to do some collecting with the Trilo miners, they are very good at knowing which ones look most promising once the rock is split. Its getting the cross section shape into your head i guess, which like other areas of fossil collecting where you split open the rock only comes with years of experience. I hope to go back at some stage and have another go, will post it up if i do. Looking forward to your next prep post, cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted March 5, 2016 Author Share Posted March 5, 2016 Yes, Moroccan collectors are experts for this! They can even tell which couche the rock comes from and some trilo positions are more common and promising as other, but that takes years of experience. As you say, they can tell a good bug from a problematic one easy. I am not good at reading these honestly, but learning with each new bug preped. Best crossections show a complete trilo from pygidium to cephalon without disarticulated segments and rock is homogenous. When you check crossections at high magnification you can "guess" even more. You can predict a lot, but still it`s never 100% sure. For example, this looks like a very promissing Paralejurus sp. on photo, turned out a specimen without free cheeks - molt. Btw., it`s available for even less as payed for it unpreped, just mentioning in case of interest. And another example of a Phacops sp., which looked like a complete perfectly preserved specimen also. Turned out nice, but without pygidium (no after photo though): And these are crossections, where you can see some shell or almost a complete bug, also meaning matrix separation could be good.... But usually crossections look more confusing, like this Dicranurus. On close inspection of the break missing free cheek could be very likely predicted, nevertheless a common condition. If lucky 1 in 3 will be good: Clearer with horns now, but far from finished, have to get some more motivation to work on it again: There are no perfectly preserved trilobites, just some that look a bit nicer. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 (edited) Now how did I miss out on this thread all this time? Nice to have you aboard and sharing your expertise and knowledge with us, aeon. Looking forward to more Edited March 5, 2016 by Ludwigia Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted March 6, 2016 Share Posted March 6, 2016 I stumbled across this post and could not stop reading! What a fantastic post, love the pictures and the prep work is top notch!! Keep it up will look forward for more!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted March 6, 2016 Author Share Posted March 6, 2016 (edited) Thanks for the kind words guys! I`m glad you like this topic and you`re welcome to join in sharing your knowledge and expertise or sharing photos of trilobites, before, after, insitu or as you like, if you collect or prep trilobites, this topic was meant that way. About Moroccan trilobites, but always fun to see photos of other trilobites aswell! Could be fun to see some insitu photos also... Ok, so, on we go with more Devonian trilobites from Morocco, two Cyphaspis species clearly showing how complex, diverse and distinctive this genus can be morphologically... First a "tiny" undescribed Cyphaspis species from the ceratophthalmus group, as I was told quite similar and yet still different to Cyphaspis ceratophthalmus found in Gees, Eiffel, Germany. Edited March 7, 2016 by aeon.rocks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted March 6, 2016 Author Share Posted March 6, 2016 And a larger Cyphaspis boutscharafinense from Jbel Oufaten. A very nice and interesting species with hair-like pointy tips/spines on the glabela, posteriror segments and spines, but difficult to prep and preserve them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 6, 2016 Share Posted March 6, 2016 Breathtaking! 1 "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...
FossilDudeCO Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 I would love to join the group...can i enjoy even if i dont currently own a trilobite? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted March 7, 2016 Author Share Posted March 7, 2016 I don`t see why not and it`s never to late to start collecting trilobites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted April 19, 2018 Author Share Posted April 19, 2018 Quick post to revive the topic and share a few more preped bugs: Walliserops trifurcatus, Harpes sp., Drotops megalomanicus, Koneprusia dahmani, Wenndorfia planus. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 5 minutes ago, aeon.rocks said: share a few more preped bugs: Very nice! Can We see other angles of these beauties? Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted April 19, 2018 Author Share Posted April 19, 2018 Arhive photos from "step by step prep arhive", will need to take some more better pics when I find time for photo-shoting. They're nice from all angles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 20 minutes ago, aeon.rocks said: They're nice from all angles That is why I asked for more views. Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonianDigger Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 These are killer! I have a whole new respect for you, @aeon.rocks!!! (Not to say that I didn't have respect for you before, but now it new, and bigger... and better!!! ) Jay A. Wollin Lead Fossil Educator - Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve Hamburg, New York, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonianDigger Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 Oh, and don't forget spinier!!! Jay A. Wollin Lead Fossil Educator - Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve Hamburg, New York, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 OUtstanding bugs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 5 hours ago, aeon.rocks said: Quick post to revive the topic and share a few more preped bugs: Walliserops trifurcatus, Harpes sp., Drotops megalomanicus, Koneprusia dahmani, Wenndorfia planus. Do these have all of their original parts on, or have they been at least partially restored and/or enhanced or spines reattached? Can you please provide a link to that step by step archive? Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted April 19, 2018 Author Share Posted April 19, 2018 Quote These are killer! I have a whole new respect for you, @aeon.rocks!!! (Not to say that I didn't have respect for you before, but now it new, and bigger... and better!!! ) Hehe, I know my rants about fakes might come out a little harsh sometimes, it's all with good intention tho. Thanks! Quote Do these have all of their original parts on, or have they been at least partially restored and/or enhanced or spines reattached? Can you please provide a link to that step by step archive? Original! Except for Walli, has about 2% resto on a few spines, partial - parts that were missing in the break, was not the best looking material when I started, but turned out nice. Koneprusia has around 3 glued spines and right librigenia moved 5 mm to fit tightly to the glabela, but no resto, no enhancements on Drotops either, some glued parts, the rest are also unrestored without reattachements. Coated in the end to stabilize and bring out a bit more colors. I try to prep spines without breaking because it's a pain to reattach them even if you break some by accident. You work with what you get. No bug is 100% perfect, so minor aesthetic repairs are needed sometimes for close to perfection looking display specimens - like glued or filled parts. You could add me on FB (Alex Žagar) to see more pics. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 I missed this thread first time around, too. Great trilos and great prep work! Of course it helps to have all the right tools, but also the know-how/experience. I just can't picture trying to scribe the matrix out from between the lenses on those eyes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted April 19, 2018 Author Share Posted April 19, 2018 Quote I missed this thread first time around, too. Great trilos and great prep work! Of course it helps to have all the right tools, but also the know-how/experience. I just can't picture trying to scribe the matrix out from between the lenses on those eyes... That's exactlly how it works, but not just for lenses, 95% is airscribe-work, except for freeing the spines out of matrix... Coltraneia eye below. Matrix often sticks to the lenses, so the best option is to work with a sharp needle and a steady hand. Sometimes you get good separation, but not always. If sticky it can be a problem to figure out exact position of each matrix-covered lens, but it's a pattern. Sometimes not much contrast between the matrix and the fossil makes it more difficult. If there is a bit of separation the matrix will become loose at the last micrometres, if not, it results in damage or sandblasting, which will also damage the lenses, because calcite in lenses is softer as the rest of the skin. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonianDigger Posted April 19, 2018 Share Posted April 19, 2018 23 minutes ago, aeon.rocks said: That's exactlly how it works, but not just for lenses, 95% is airscribe-work, except for freeing the spines out of matrix... So then... Are you blasting the spines out? Or pin vise? I'm curious because some of those spines are truly a force to be reckoned with. Jay A. Wollin Lead Fossil Educator - Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve Hamburg, New York, USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted April 19, 2018 Author Share Posted April 19, 2018 Thin as hair spines are impossible to scribe out full to prep free-standing, are best almost fully blasted, but even then not as easy as it sounds, to easy to break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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