Where do you get fossils to prep?

[holdinghistory]

I am just getting into doing fossil preparation. In the somewhat near future I am hoping to acquire an air scribe and an air abrasive machine. Question is first of all, any advice on what type of equipment to get? Second, where do you even get fossils to prep? I would guess there are probably quite a few available somewhere, since someone has to do it, but I just don't know where to get them. As far as the investment in the equipment goes, I plan on sticking with it for a while, so I am willing to shoulder the expense to be able to do good prep work.

 

Any advice would be great, thanks!

[Darktooth]

I am not trying to be funny, but you can always go collected fossils on your own to prep unless there are no sites available in your area. 

[Kane]

A very large question!

 

Let's work backwards: first of all, consider the medium you'll be working in. Not all fossils and matrix will require the exact same tools, just as different tools are used by a sculptor to work in clay as opposed to iron, or a painter who uses oil as opposed to watercolour. Knowing what kind of fossils you would like to prep should probably be the first question prior to rushing out and buying tools that may not be the right fit for the job. Some fossils require heavy-duty scribes, while others just need a pin vise and patience

 

In terms of acquiring fossils, you have a good range of options: 1) You can collect them yourself out in the field; 2) You can purchase them on auction sites or fossil sales sites (and keep on the lookout for offers on un-prepped fossils); 3) You can purchase them at rock and fossil shows; 4) Once you have participated enough on this forum, the Member-to-Member Trade and Sales threads will be unlocked.

 

For now, think about what kind of fossils interest you most, and then peruse this Fossil Preparation thread for advice, including paying particular attention to the pinned topics. After that, once you have a load of un-prepped fossils and the right tools, you might need some advice if/when you come up to a particular problem piece, or you are unsure about the functionality of your tools (or even the grit grade for different kinds of matrix!).

 

Apart from all that, some general advice is to study what the fossil would look like in a fully prepped form as that will guide you - like a marble sculptor - in knowing what to remove. Also, get some practice pieces to try on first: very few people get it perfect on the first try, and it is better to have an "oops" on something dispensable than to risk wrecking what could be a fantastic piece

 

[Raggedy Man]

Wisconsin is a tricky place to hunt for fossils. The majority of our state is covered in glacial deposits and in some places it can be 200ft+ of over burden. What part of Wisconsin do you live in?

[holdinghistory]

Thanks for the advice so far! I was thinking of starting with trilobites and then fish. Trilobites seem to be a standard and readily available, plus they are neat fossils. I was able to buy what looks like a really nice Russian trilobite, but I want to start with some lesser pieces first.

 

I am in the Fox Valley area. Honestly not a lot as far as fossils go around here, the only thing we really have that I am aware of (at least the only relatively easy to find thing) are brachiopods and coral along Lake Michigan.

[RJB]

Hey holdinghistory,, what Kane has said is purty much spot on.  Even with the Green River fish, they come from different layers and the rock can be very different from one layer to the next.   But for me, I use moslty the air scribes adn sometimes an air abrasive machine.  Those tools can do a heck of alot of different prep on many different kinds of rock.  I myself can probably get you some practice fish and a nice one to prep too.  But also, getting started can be a bit expensive.  It all depends on what quality of tools/machines you are after.  For me, you get what you pay for.  and also again, there is a learning curve on all of this.  I do wish you the best of luck.  Doing fossil prepping is a super great and fun hobbie.

 

RB

[Yvie]

Are you near the Niagara Ledge?

[snolly50]

Kane has given some excellent guidance. As recommended, take in the Forum's extensive preparation topic. Many situations and experiences are covered. Search for snolly's iconic "Oreodont prep."

 

Here is an additional thought. If you wish to explore hands on prepping on the cheap, contact these folks. In the past they sold "kits" featuring a slab with a common, unprepped fish (most likely, Knightia), instructions and a simple "scraping" tool. This would be an excellent way to explore the addictive joy (and potential heartbreak) of prepping. Instead of their tool, I would employ a pin vise with carbide needle and perhaps an engraving tool. I endorse the ElectroStylus brand. This will give you a relatively inexpensive method of exploring "goodness of fit" of the pursuit before you drop a wad o' cash.

 

ulrichsfossilgallery.com  

 

Protect your eyes and lungs! Good luck and have fun.

[RJB]

Hey holdinghistory, you can also get ahold of @FossilDudeCO  for unprepped fish.  He does a lot of fish digging'slitting every year.  Good luck

 

RB

[JohnBrewer]

I agree with all of the above. One thing I'd like to add is before you start prepping anything do research on what you're prepping should look like. Of course things get squished and broken so you'll need to take that into consideration. I've just started prepping in the last few months but before I do anything on a rock I find images of what it should look like. There's enough stuff That can go wrong I promise you. 

 

Do post failures as well well as successful preps, everyone learns. 

 

Best of luck and looking forward to seeing your work!

[Malcolmt]

Lots of good suggestions for you here. I would start with green river fish using a scalpel, and a couple of dental tools (cheapp on ebay) under a magnifying lens. Start cheap , you might not like it.... it is tedious but for some of us it is magic.....

 

For a beginner the fish kit is a great place to start. Trilos are much harder to prep mainly because typically  the matrix is so much harder than the green river matrix. 

 

Any unprepped trilo you buy on ebay tends to be junk that was not really worth prepping and thats why they are selling it unprepped. The good stuff sells for big bucks even when unprepped.

 

If you want to find some trilos to prep make the trip to Penn Dixie ....... you are not too far away to get there. If you go for a weekend you will come away with a bucket full of stuff to prep. Just make sure you find someone when you get there that knows what they are doing and you will do OK. Keep your eye out, often forum members will announce when they are going somewhere in case other members want to meet up with them. 

[holdinghistory]

Thanks for all the pointers! For a little background, I have done a lot of mechanical/scalpel restoration work on ancient coins in the past. So I am used to doing a similar type of work (removing rock-like encrustations from ancient coins). I have messed around a little bit with a scalpel and a few low quality trilobites. I also worked on a large knightia mortality plate that I bought and compared to coins I actually found it quite easy. But the quality of what you can do seems to go up a lot with some of the equipment, and as I really enjoy fossils I figured it would be worth the investment. 

 

Definitely agree on finding a photo of what you are working on helps a lot.

 

Going to Penn Dixie sounds fun, maybe one of these days.

[RJB]

  Hey holdinghistory, one of my best and first prepping tools which I use to this day, (about 20 some years now)  is a sharpened chainsaw file.  they to come in different sizes, but I got them for free at a chainsaw store.  Once they get used they throw them away.   Free if you ask.  Just got to sharpen them to a point, and then keep them sharp with a stone while your working with them. 

 

RB

[FossilDudeCO]

Hey there @holdinghistory 

I can probably wrangle a few unprepped practice fish this weekend.

I will be up there from Friday-Monday

 

They will be the infamous 18" layer fish, not the split fish layer. I will PM you some more info as far as prices and quantity.

 

@RJB thanks for tagging me ;) I was away from a computer all day today working in the field!

[RJB]

Hey @FossilDudeCO, If you sell some fish, thats great, and if i dont, thats ok too.

 

RB

[Ptychodus04]

I have to add my $0.02. I started prepping fossils 20 years ago. It took a long time to learn the best methods for prepping different fossils in different situations. There has been a load of great advise already.

 

I started with a small hammer, a 3" drywall screw, and a tooth brush. Simple mechanical prep is the best teacher. You can't learn what not to do without doing it a few times! Be prepared to ruin a lot of fossils in the process. It takes an extreme level of patience to prep fossils. If you rush, you ruin the specimen. My longest prep job took me 18 months to complete. Be prepared to put it down and go work on something else.

 

After you prep a bit and decide you enjoy it, check out "Vertebrate Paleontological Techniques, Volume 1" by Patrick Leiggi; Peter May. It has loads of great information on preparation techniques of multiple types.

 

Good luck.

[holdinghistory]

Thank you all so much for all the advice! I started working on a few Pterosaur teeth that I happened to have in a box on my desk. They are covered with rock/salt like encrustations all over. Looks like the enamel underneath is not the greatest, so probably good starter ones.