What should I do with this Eurypterid?

[Philosoraptor]

I got this eurypterid this weekend at a fossil show. Considering the price of the other eurypterids there I think I got a good deal at $30. But the reason I'm posting this here is because I want to know what or if I should do to clear some sediment off of the fossil. I haven't really done much with preparing fossils so I figured I'd hear what you all have to say. Thanks in advance.

[Fossildude19]

If you don't have any experience prepping, then I would say leave it, as is.

You would need an airscribe, and quite a bit of skill to remove any of the excess rock.

You could try to get it professionally prepared, but I'm not sure it would be worth the cost for what might be uncovered.

Regards,

[Herb]

you should sent it to me, I will be happy to take care of it.

[Malcolmt]

At $30 that is a very decent price. That would be better than most people would find in a full day of eurypterid hunting.

If you had an air scribe and you had a fair bit of practice with these types fossils then you could use the scribe to expose more of the telson (tail). It may not actually be there, one of the first parts to break off a eurypterid exoskeleton is the telson. I personally suspect it is not there from what I can see of the dish that the eurypterid was deposited in. The actual fossil is very thin and should not be air abraded. unless you have high end equipment and really know what you are doing, you will burn through it instantly.

I have had more eurypterids than I can count cross my workbench over the years and most benefit from nothing more than a delicate painting with clear matte krylon spray (apply using a fine artists paintbrush) This one I would delicately use a toothbrush to loosen any dirt that may be on it and then coat with krylon. A lot of the exo is on the counterpart to this fossil so it is not going to clean up much if any better than it is now. The coating will prevent to some extent oxidation that will occur over time . Be careful the exo skeleton looks like it might flake off in areas. Alternately you could use a very dilute (1 to 10 In acetone) Vinac , Butvar or other polyvinyl acrylate. This would wick under the exo and act to consolidate. In this case you would coat the fossil again with a fine paint brush using the vinac solution.

Edited April 18, 2016 by Malcolmt

[RJB]

Im no expert on eurypterids but looking at the picture maybe you can brush off the 'stuff' with a tooth brush and water? Hard to tell. If that doesn't work, then maybe some bicarb on low pressure? Just guessing. Good luck though with whatever you try.

RB