Lyme Nautilus Prep... Lets see some Nautilus from your collections

[Terry Dactyll]

Even though I'm mainly an ammonite collector more than often I'm always hoping to drop on a Jurassic nautilus fossil when I'm out hunting to prep for the collection... I like finding them from different beds of the lower Jurassic as very often they are preserved in different colours of calcite crystal due to variations in the mineral content of each layer... They are not always common to find but I do like prepping them....They have survived ... What 420 plus million years until today ?... so they have seen a few things come and go... They are a great survivor...

Heres one I found that was on an angle in the limestone layer so the prep had to evolve as we go to decide what I would end up with...The sea has taken nearly half the shell off one side so to get a display fossil turned it into a serious mining operation from the other side.... I was very pleased with the end result....

What have we here...

Starting to make some sense....

Lets cut a base on it....

All done...

Please add your nautilus fossils to the thread from any age.... Bought found or traded....I'd love to see them....

[Mike Pocock]

Another fantastic prep job, just a few questions if you don't mind.

1 - how long did it take to prep the Nautilus?

2 - Where did you find it?

3 - did you hand polish the fossil or use a tool?

Thanks for sharing I look forward to seeing some more of your prepped finds.

Regards

Mike

Edited January 4, 2016 by Mike Pocock

[PaleoWilliam]

Nice job!

[Ludwigia]

Phew, Steve! That was a lot of chopping and grinding! Looks fantastic!

Reacting to your request to see more, I'll post my favorite which I found last year during your abscence here. It's a Digonioceras sp., perhaps D.tintanti, which I found in the Aalenian site in the Wutach valley. It turned out to be an extremely rare find for these parts and even made the front page of "Fossilien" magazine It measures in at a diameter of 23cm. If you look closely, you can see a couple of spots where I filled in some gaps.

Edited January 4, 2016 by Ludwigia

[ZiggieCie]

Taking an old dead fossil and you turned it into a beautiful work of art.

[Terry Dactyll]

Thanks Guys....

Mike.... Probably around 30 hours and it was found at Lyme Regis.... A combination of both really....

Roger.... Wow, that sounds very rare.... Your luck was in that day, congratulations and nice prep....

Keep them fossil Nautilus coming.... From all over the world....

Edited January 5, 2016 by Terry Dactyll

[andreas]

Hello,

and welcome back Steve !

The posted nautilus is a Clydonautilus quenstedti (HAUER) from the Triassic/Norian/Alaunian 1, from Austria.

Diameter is about 12cm.

[Vieira]

Fantastic Work

[Terry Dactyll]

Andrea's.... Thats a fabulous example.... Such a shapely keel....Thanks and hi....

Viera.... Thanks....

Looking forward to seeing some more of your nautilus... Polished, natural or as you found them.... Keep them coming....

[Ludwigia]

Hello,

and welcome back Steve !

The posted nautilus is a Clydonautilus quenstedti (HAUER) from the Triassic/Norian/Alaunian 1, from Austria.

Diameter is about 12cm.

Well, just to keep the thread on the move, I'll post another pair, both Cenoceras intermedius from the upper Aalenian bradfordensis zone at Geisingen.

[taj]

So you like nautilus , he ? Plenty of them over there ...

Cymatoceras form the cretaceous of Normandy ( white chalk of Rouen )

Paracenoceras giganteum from the Kimmeridgian of Normandy .This one kept me busy over the summer ...

Lots and lots from the Toarcian an Aalenian near Lyon :

[taj]

still more ...

and some from this last Chritsmas ( still not prepped) , from the callovian of Normandy ..

and the Triassic of eastern France ( Germanautilus)

I might go on further back in time , but these would be purchases or trades , not personal finds , so let's keep them for a bit later !

[Terry Dactyll]

Roger.... Fantastic.... Are you never tempted to polish these lol I know I would....

Taj.... Beautiful specimens.... You have some excellent hunting grounds finding those....I have seen some from France for sale that have fantastic pinks and creams preserved in the chambers.... One of those from the callovian of Normandy looks quite pink....

[Ludwigia]

Roger.... Fantastic.... Are you never tempted to polish these lol I know I would....

Even if I was, it wouldn't be worth the effort on the big one, since the preservation wouldn't allow for a proper sheen. But since the phragmocones are invariably crystallized, they lend themselves well to median sections. I was hoping to reveal the entire siphon with this one, but I didn't get the angle quite right. Nevertheless, one of the photos was used for an article on cephalopod anatomy in the Schweizer Strahler magazine.

[taj]

fantastic pinks and creams preserved in the chambers

Terry , these are coming from the Toarcian/Aalenian near Lyon, either Belmont Quarry of nearby roadcuts and civil works .Other sites from the same period around Lyon from the old iron mines tend to be more on the dark grey/brown hues .

[Manticocerasman]

This is my best specimen, from a construction site in Belfort (France), I think those were Bathonian or Bajocian deposits. But I never found specific information about it.

I also found this little gem: (It counts as Nautilus J ) from Oxfordian deposits in Northern France:

[taj]

That last one is a monster!!

[fossilized6s]

Eutrephoceras

Fox Hills formation

I found this about 12 years ago.I think I will prep more of this out some day. Haha!

TD, that is one awesome prep! Stunning!

Edited January 7, 2016 by fossilized6s

[Terry Dactyll]

Roger.... Great slice, Interesting perspective and experiment....

Taj.... Thanks, they are beautiful, maybe one day I get one....

Kevin.... Very nice specimens.... Blimey, Is that a beak?...

Fossilized6s..... That Fox Hills one is a beauty...Certainly worth finishing.... Nice find...

[Manticocerasman]

Kevin.... Very nice specimens.... Blimey, Is that a beak?...

Thanks,

Yes it is a beak (Rhyncolites sp. ) It must have been from a quite large animal.

[andreas]

The posted nautilus is a Pleuronautilus cf. esinensis

from the Triassic/Ladinian/Longobardian,of Austria.

Diameter is about 8cm.

[taj]

Nice eutrophoceras and pleuronautilus !

Terry what exactly are you looking for ? If you're looking for such a beast with preserved shell , that may be difficult. Most of them are preserved as steinkerns . If steinkerns are ok for you , then I might be able to help you ...

[Terry Dactyll]

Kevin....Thats Fantastic, I'd love to find a beak one day....

Andreas.... I never knew there were ribbed Nautilus.... Wonderful specimen, thanks for sharing it...

Taj.... Yes a Steinkern showing the different coloured chambers, pinks cream, dark etc... Preferably in matrix so I could prep it....

Heres the only Scunthorpe lower Jurassic Nautilus I have...

Edited January 7, 2016 by Terry Dactyll

[Ludwigia]

Wow! You sure do know how to get the best out of these crystallized things!

[taj]

hmmm .. with matrix , that's not for sure , but I will check . ill have to dig through some of the piles of stuff the wife brought back from Christmas holidays before I reach the fossiliferous layers . Will keep you informed on this one by PM when I'm done !

Edited January 7, 2016 by taj