Air Erasers for Fossil Prep

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

I would like to up my prepping game as I have nearly maxed out my storage space. It's about time I started to prep a little more seriously than my poor dental picks. As a poor college student, I can't afford a big set up. I was thinking of getting a Paasche AEC-K Air Eraser Kit. Would this setup work?What should I know before going into this?

[Fossildude19]

What types of fossils are you planning on prepping?

 

The Paasche seems to do a decent job, from what I have seen on the Forum here.  LINK

Air erasers are good for removing matrix from between tight areas on trilobites and such. 

They are not great for removing bulk matrix. Air scribes are a better tool for that. 

 

Keep in mind, you'll need an air compressor to run it.  Blasting shoulod be done in a box, or ... at the very least, outside, with a respirator and eye protection being worn.

 

If you are trying to clear adhereing matrix from trilobites, brachiopods, corals, bryozoans, etc.  the air erasers can work well, depending on the media used to etch. 

Aluminum oxide is usually too harsh an abrasive for most fossils. Dolomite, calcium carbonate, aluminum trihydrate, and baking soda are good media to use for fossils. Check data sheets for hardness. 

Hope this helps a bit. 

 

Regards,

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

52 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

What types of fossils are you planning on prepping?

 

The Paasche seems to do a decent job, from what I have seen on the Forum here.  LINK

Air erasers are good for removing matrix from between tight areas on trilobites and such. 

They are not great for removing bulk matrix. Air scribes are a better tool for that. 

 

Keep in mind, you'll need an air compressor to run it.  Blasting shoulod be done in a box, or ... at the very least, outside, with a respirator and eye protection being worn.

 

If you are trying to clear adhereing matrix from trilobites, brachiopods, corals, bryozoans, etc.  the air erasers can work well, depending on the media used to etch. 

Aluminum oxide is usually too harsh an abrasive for most fossils. Dolomite, calcium carbonate, aluminum trihydrate, and baking soda are good media to use for fossils. Check data sheets for hardness. 

Hope this helps a bit. 

 

Regards,

I need something I can vary between several different fossils. Primarily, though, it'll be Green River fish, U-Dig trilobites, and hard jurassic limestone full of chert nodules. Can air scribes do fine work as well as bulk? I have a tired old craftsman 25 gallon (94 liter) air compressor already. I'll have to do this outside with my respirator. 

[Fossildude19]

19 minutes ago, UtahFossilHunter said:

I need something I can vary between several different fossils. Primarily, though, it'll be Green River fish, U-Dig trilobites, and hard jurassic limestone full of chert nodules. Can air scribes do fine work as well as bulk? I have a tired old craftsman 25 gallon (94 liter) air compressor already. I'll have to do this outside with my respirator. 

 

They can, but the ones for the fine work are expensive:  Paleotools Microjack.

A bit less expensive would be to buy an All Air Tools - ARO type,  (around 100.00)  and then buy  a stylus kit from Paleotools, to get in closer on the other, smaller fossils.

Hope this helps.  

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

1 hour ago, Fossildude19 said:

 

They can, but the ones for the fine work are expensive:  Paleotools Microjack.

A bit less expensive would be to buy an All Air Tools - ARO type,  (around 100.00)  and then buy  a stylus kit from Paleotools, to get in closer on the other, smaller fossils.

Hope this helps.  

Alright, I don't have $400 so All Air Tools it is. But I can't seem to find where to purchase one on the site.

[Fossil-Hound]

2 hours ago, UtahFossilHunter said:

I need something I can vary between several different fossils. Primarily, though, it'll be Green River fish, U-Dig trilobites, and hard jurassic limestone full of chert nodules. Can air scribes do fine work as well as bulk? I have a tired old craftsman 25 gallon (94 liter) air compressor already. I'll have to do this outside with my respirator. 

 

I moved from Maryland and now live in Utah and am very familiar with U-Dig trilobites and GRF Wyoming fish. As @Ptychodus04 can tell you do not use an air erasure on your GRF fish. The fish will flake right off. Don't use an airscribe either. Rather use a little tiny pick. I'll document the prep of a Mioplosus soon with just a tiny pick. It's going to take a lot of work but it will be worth it. @Ptychodus04 has a nice Micro hammer from Paleotools but those are expensive. If you get their smallest model that would most likely work but you'll also need to invest in some proper magnification system. U-Dig trilobites vary. Some are covered under shale and would benefit from an airscribe but most I have worked with have a very thing layer of shale on the surface and an air erasure could easily clean those up. I'm currently in the process of setting up a prep station and will document it. Paleo Tools is a great place but be prepared to shell out so Ebay or Amazon will be your best bet for saving money.

[Fossildude19]

1 hour ago, UtahFossilHunter said:

Alright, I don't have $400 so All Air Tools it is. But I can't seem to find where to purchase one on the site.

You need to call them at (800) 992-5524 . 

Tell them you are going to be using it for fossil prep. 

I think they are somewhere around 100-110 dollars. But that was a year or two ago that I heard that. 

Good luck. 

 

[Ptychodus04]

@Fossil-Hound and @Fossildude19 give good advice. I Wouldn't rush into buying a bunch of equipment unless you know you really want to prep fossils. You can easily dump $10K into a top notch prep lab. You can do a lot with a pin vise and different needles along with a small hammer and some chisels/nails.

 

The Aro style will be too powerful for most Green River fish unless they come from the 18" layer. Then it might not be strong enough!

 

Always have magnification and safety equipment, even with the smallest of preps, your eyes, ears, and lungs will thank you for the safety and the fossils will thank you for the magnification.

 

I use a magnifying lens/lamp combo for larger specimens and a stereo microscope for smaller ones. Get a good respirator (a commercial grade one will cost $40 at Home Depot). Mine filters out particles down to .3 microns ans well as absorbing VOCs and acid fumes, all of which you will use at some point during preparation. If you're going the air tool route, get some good hearing protection.

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

2 hours ago, Fossil-Hound said:

 

I moved from Maryland and now live in Utah and am very familiar with U-Dig trilobites and GRF Wyoming fish. As @Ptychodus04 can tell you do not use an air erasure on your GRF fish. The fish will flake right off. Don't use an airscribe either. Rather use a little tiny pick. I'll document the prep of a Mioplosus soon with just a tiny pick. It's going to take a lot of work but it will be worth it. @Ptychodus04 has a nice Micro hammer from Paleotools but those are expensive. If you get their smallest model that would most likely work but you'll also need to invest in some proper magnification system. U-Dig trilobites vary. Some are covered under shale and would benefit from an airscribe but most I have worked with have a very thing layer of shale on the surface and an air erasure could easily clean those up. I'm currently in the process of setting up a prep station and will document it. Paleo Tools is a great place but be prepared to shell out so Ebay or Amazon will be your best bet for saving money.

I've been using my trusty dental picks on my GRF fish and just wanted to speed up the process as I'm already tight on time and will be for several years. I'll just keep chugging along then. I've been using a Dremel tool with a wire brush attachment for my U-dig trilos. I also have been using my picks to get in the tight places of the carapaces of the trilobites so a small air eraser would probably clean those up nicely. I'll look for a cheaper, used one on eBay then. One of my main concerns is the extremely tough Twin Creeks and Great Blue limestones. My picks and wire brush have zero effect on either matrix so I need something with a little more kick which is where the air scribe will be extremely handy. I primarily hunt these two areas so it's a little more prevalent than the GRF fish and trilos. 

2 hours ago, Fossildude19 said:

You need to call them at (800) 992-5524 . 

Tell them you are going to be using it for fossil prep. 

I think they are somewhere around 100-110 dollars. But that was a year or two ago that I heard that. 

Good luck. 

 

I will give them a ring then. Thanks for your splendid help!

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

2 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said:

@Fossil-Hound and @Fossildude19 give good advice. I Wouldn't rush into buying a bunch of equipment unless you know you really want to prep fossils. You can easily dump $10K into a top notch prep lab. You can do a lot with a pin vise and different needles along with a small hammer and some chisels/nails.

 

The Aro style will be too powerful for most Green River fish unless they come from the 18" layer. Then it might not be strong enough!

 

Always have magnification and safety equipment, even with the smallest of preps, your eyes, ears, and lungs will thank you for the safety and the fossils will thank you for the magnification.

 

I use a magnifying lens/lamp combo for larger specimens and a stereo microscope for smaller ones. Get a good respirator (a commercial grade one will cost $40 at Home Depot). Mine filters out particles down to .3 microns ans well as absorbing VOCs and acid fumes, all of which you will use at some point during preparation. If you're going the air tool route, get some good hearing protection.

I really would like to get at least a basic set up. I won't be spending 10 hours a day excavating dinosaur bones (even though I wish I was ) so I just need something I can mess around with in my spare time when I occasionally get it. They aren't from the 18" layer.

[RJB]

Lots of good advice from folks here.  I myself started with a steak knife many years ago but now have about $10,000 worth of equipment.  Its all a learning experience and of course, it also depends on what you plan on prepping. If you gots not a lot of moneys you can still have lots of fun with prepping using what i would call 'lessor' equipment, and that in itself is experience.  You will got older and get better equipment and also get better at prepping. I wish you the very best of luck in all your prepping adventures. 

 

RB

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

2 minutes ago, RJB said:

Lots of good advice from folks here.  I myself started with a steak knife many years ago but now have about $10,000 worth of equipment.  Its all a learning experience and of course, it also depends on what you plan on prepping. If you gots not a lot of moneys you can still have lots of fun with prepping using what i would call 'lessor' equipment, and that in itself is experience.  You will got older and get better equipment and also get better at prepping. I wish you the very best of luck in all your prepping adventures. 

 

RB

Thanks for your well wishes!

[Ptychodus04]

1 hour ago, UtahFossilHunter said:

I really would like to get at least a basic set up. I won't be spending 10 hours a day excavating dinosaur bones (even though I wish I was ) so I just need something I can mess around with in my spare time when I occasionally get it. They aren't from the 18" layer.

 

My first scribe was an Aro. It's a good scribe for more stable specimens and held me for a very long time. If you're prepping outside and already have your compressor, you're half way there. Make sure to get a water trap for your air line. Safety and magnification are all you need other than your Aro clone.

 

I would strongly suggest the 2.5" stylus from PaleoTools. It is a worthy upgrade.

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

52 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said:

 

My first scribe was an Aro. It's a good scribe for more stable specimens and held me for a very long time. If you're prepping outside and already have your compressor, you're half way there. Make sure to get a water trap for your air line. Safety and magnification are all you need other than your Aro clone.

 

I would strongly suggest the 2.5" stylus from PaleoTools. It is a worthy upgrade.

Thanks for the advice. Do you have any recommendations for water traps? 

Good to know! I will keep that in mind

[Ptychodus04]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-1-4-in-Air-Compressor-Filter-HDA70403AV/100027474

 

Something like this will work for air scribes. You will need something better with a desiccant for abrasive work but that can wait.