fossil internal moulds casts from hard mudstones

[trog]

I'need to remove some internal moulds/casts of small Ammonites and Gastropods for identification purposes. 

 

The Fossils consist of the same material as the matrix, namely Liassic mud/limestones of lower Jurassic age; they're coated with a brown pyritical stain/shell remains.

 

Any advice would be most welcome. I have managed to remove one or two but with not very satisfactory results.

 

Thanks

 

Trog

[ynot]

Welcome to TFF!

It may help if You post pictures of the piece.

Tony

[Ptychodus04]

I find that attempting to remove fossils from the matrix winds up damaging the specimen. Go at it from a different angle. Remove the matrix from the fossil. Mechanical removal works well with this thought process. 

 

You can remove matrix to the point that the specimen is on a pedestal and then cut the pedestal with your scribe and remove the remaining matrix.

 

As Tony said, pictures are worth a thousand words.