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Trilobite Prep Help


Philosoraptor

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I found this trilobite in Little Falls, NY. It's about an inch long. I love the color and the fairly good preservation caused by the pyrite. It looks like there is some very thin shale covering parts of it and I want to remove these pieces. The problem is that I don't know how to do this without scratching or ruining the fossil. I only have a small set of dental picks available to use. Any help or recommendations on what tools to get if I need anything would be appreciated. 

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Unfortunately, I don't think there is much to do to prep this further. :( 

The left side of the cephalon is missing, and the integument is missing from the right side. 

You may be able to carve a furrow around the left side of the trilobite, to expose some more of the pleural lobe. 

I would start a bit away from the fossil, and dig down to create the furrow, and work slowly closer to the trilobite - in a straight alongside up motion. 

Good Luck. :) 

 

IMG_1388.JPG.a52a39a2cfad7bdee98c18cc54cf31f5.JPG

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

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"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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You can also attack it as outlined below:

Trilo.thumb.JPG.420ae477ebd9f5fd6f7296c23a91f5ce.JPG

 

Moisten the matrix and using light, direct pressure push your pick into the matrix towards the specimen in the direction of the arrows. If you do this right, you will cause the matrix to flake away before you get to the trilobite. Make sure your tool doesn't touch it or you will damage it for sure. Don't try to go deep. slow and steady is the preparator's mantra.

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In this case an Exacto knife (or something similar) might be useful.  The idea is to use the blade to exert gentle downward pressure along a few millimeters length, parallel to the fossil, so as to cause the shale to flake off in narrow strips.  A problem with any kind of a pick it that you have to be very careful not to poke it in too deeply and make holes in the fossil.  Whatever you do you should practice on a more "disposable" specimen first to get the technique in hand.

 

Nice Triarthus eatoni btw.  Did you also find the impression (counterpart?) If so, the rest of the glabella may be there.

 

Don

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22 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said:

You can also attack it as outlined below:

 

 

Moisten the matrix and using light, direct pressure push your pick into the matrix towards the specimen in the direction of the arrows. If you do this right, you will cause the matrix to flake away before you get to the trilobite. Make sure your tool doesn't touch it or you will damage it for sure. Don't try to go deep. slow and steady is the preparator's mantra.

 

 

The hardness of this shale, combined with the cross-bedded nature of it, makes these trilobites difficult to prep with hand tools. :( 

I have almost always had no luck, when trying to use hand tools to uncover more of one of these trilobites.

They really require air scribes and abrasion to prep with any great success. :unsure: 

 

@Philosoraptor - make sure your picks are kept extra sharp. 

 

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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3 hours ago, Fossildude19 said:

 

The hardness of this shale, combined with the cross-bedded nature of it, makes these trilobites difficult to prep with hand tools. :( 

I have almost always had no luck, when trying to use hand tools to uncover more of one of these trilobites.

They really require air scribes and abrasion to prep with any great success. :unsure:

 

 

Good to know. I'm beginning to make a case (in my own mind at least) for a Mason-Dixon Line of sorts for the hardness of shale matrix! Everything I am encountering from the north is HARD. Most shale from Dixie is much softer. :P

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1 hour ago, Ptychodus04 said:

 

Good to know. I'm beginning to make a case (in my own mind at least) for a Mason-Dixon Line of sorts for the hardness of shale matrix! Everything I am encountering from the north is HARD. Most shale from Dixie is much softer. :P

 

Don't get me wrong,  Kris.

We do have some soft shales here.  Some of the fish layers I hunt have paper shales, and can turn into mud or dust, if exposed to too much water.

But we do seem to have more than our share of harder shales, mudstones, and sandstones. Many of the limestones are also dolostones.  

We just like variety up here, in the North East. ;)  :P 

Have to keep the preppers on their toes. ;) 


 

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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12 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

 

Don't get me wrong,  Kris.

We do have some soft shales here.  Some of the fish layers I hunt have paper shales, and can turn into mud or dust, if exposed to too much water.

But we do seem to have more than our share of harder shales, mudstones, and sandstones. Many of the limestones are also dolostones.  

We just like variety up here, in the North East. ;)  :P 

Have to keep the preppers on their toes. ;) 


 

 

Of course, we don't like being bored by an easy prep job every now and then!

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