Fossil Prepping Hacks?

[FossilLife]

Hey guys

Im writing an article on my fossil blog about hacks for preparing your fossils.

 

What are your best fossil preppin' hacks?

 

Looking forward for reading your answers!

 

[Ludwigia]

On 10/28/2017 at 2:21 AM, FossilLife said:

Hey guys

Im writing an article on my fossil blog about hacks for preparing your fossils.

Whats your best fossil Preppin' hacks?

Looking forward for reading your answers!

 

Exactly what do you mean by "hacks" ?

[FossilLife]

2 hours ago, Ludwigia said:

Exactly what do you mean by "hacks" ?

Hello Ludwigia,

 

When i say "hacks".  i mean handy tricks for making preparing fossils easier, that you know or have picked up through your experiences.

[Fossildude19]

Hello, and welcome to the Forum.   

 

Unfortunately, fossil preparation is not something that is easily adaptable to "hacks". 

 

There really are, as far as I know, not many 'tricks' or 'shortcuts' that can be applied.  

 

Patience, a steady hand, sharp tools, and knowledge of how the rock or matrix reacts to your tools, are the main tenets to Fossil Prep.

This requires lots of practice, and some heartbreak by learning the hard way. 

 

Tips I would give :

 

1. Be aware that you will break fossils.  Despite our best efforts, the rock doesn't always cooperate with our wishes. This seems to be a pretty common occurrence. 

It can happen less with more experience, but sometimes, stuff just happens. Occasionally  this is repairable.  Sometimes, not so much. 

 

2. Never trim in the field. This is the best way to ruin a great fossil. Unless you have a saw, breaking a piece of matrix down to a small size can have unexpected and potentially heartbreaking consequences.

 

3. When removing a fossil from a larger piece of matrix in the field, put some glue (superglue)  or tape over the fossils on the matrix you are trying to remove it from. This will keep the fossil from going flying off of the matrix, and keep any pieces together should the fossil break during removal. 

 

4. Sometimes Mother Nature does the best prep. Leave fossiliferous blocks out in the elements, and let them weather.  This can create natural cracks to exploit when beginning prep. This also can lessen the prep process immensely.

 

5. Go slow, and have patience.  This is a hard one for some. Going slow will bring out the best results in fossil prep. Rushing, or hurrying, tends to lead to mistakes, mishandling of tools, and ruined fossils. "Slow and steady wins the race." 

 

6. Do not start to learn to prep on a potentially great fossil.  When you are collecting. grab some similar material so you can practice. Practice increases your skill, with handling your tools, and your knowledge of the matrix tendencies.

 

7. Keep bladed and pointed tools sharp. When they start to not work as well, ... re-sharpen. 

 

8. Consider using a sandbag as a base for your fossil to rest on, while prepping. It will conform to the shape of the matrix, and still give a firm, yet softer, yielding base, that can help to absorb some shock from vibration or impacts.

 

9. Listen and learn from others with more prep experience. Their techniques have been honed, skills sharpened, and their mistakes have been already been made. Learn from theirs, to minimize yours. 

 

10. When in doubt, ask The Fossil Forum.  Reading and doing are 2 very different things. If you get stuck, or are unsure how to proceed, ask for advice from others.  Reading every thread in the Preparation Forum, while commendable, is no substitute for the wisdom of experience. 

 

Hope this helps. 
Regards,

[FossilLife]

1 hour ago, Fossildude19 said:

Hello, and welcome to the Forum.   

 

Unfortunately, fossil preparation is not something that is easily adaptable to "hacks". 

 

There really are, as far as I know, not many 'tricks' or 'shortcuts' that can be applied.  

 

Patience, a steady hand, sharp tools, and knowledge of how the rock or matrix reacts to your tools, are the main tenets to Fossil Prep.

This requires lots of practice, and some heartbreak by learning the hard way. 

 

Tips I would give :

 

1. Be aware that you will break fossils.  Despite our best efforts, the rock doesn't always cooperate with our wishes. This seems to be a pretty common occurrence. 

It can happen less with more experience, but sometimes, stuff just happens. Occasionally  this is repairable.  Sometimes, not so much. 

 

2. Never trim in the field. This is the best way to ruin a great fossil. Unless you have a saw, breaking a piece of matrix down to a small size can have unexpected and potentially heartbreaking consequences.

 

3. When removing a fossil from a larger piece of matrix in the field, put some glue (superglue)  or tape over the fossils on the matrix you are trying to remove it from. This will keep the fossil from going flying off of the matrix, and keep any pieces together should the fossil break during removal. 

 

4. Sometimes Mother Nature does the best prep. Leave fossiliferous blocks out in the elements, and let them weather.  This can create natural cracks to exploit when beginning prep. This also can lessen the prep process immensely.

 

5. Go slow, and have patience.  This is a hard one for some. Going slow will bring out the best results in fossil prep. Rushing, or hurrying, tends to lead to mistakes, mishandling of tools, and ruined fossils. "Slow and steady wins the race." 

 

6. Do not start to learn to prep on a potentially great fossil.  When you are collecting. grab some similar material so you can practice. Practice increases your skill, with handling your tools, and your knowledge of the matrix tendencies.

 

7. Keep bladed and pointed tools sharp. When they start to not work as well, ... re-sharpen. 

 

8. Consider using a sandbag as a base for your fossil to rest on, while prepping. It will conform to the shape of the matrix, and still give a firm, yet softer, yielding base, that can help to absorb some shock from vibration or impacts.

 

9. Listen and learn from others with more prep experience. Their techniques have been honed, skills sharpened, and their mistakes have been already been made. Learn from theirs, to minimize yours. 

 

10. When in doubt, ask The Fossil Forum.  Reading and doing are 2 very different things. If you get stuck, or are unsure how to proceed, ask for advice from others.  Reading every thread in the Preparation Forum, while commendable, is no substitute for the wisdom of experience. 

 

Hope this helps. 
Regards,

Hello, and thank you for the warm welcome. super helpful! I Hope i can quote you on some of that 

Charlie from FossilLife.com

[Ludwigia]

Tim has covered just about all of the bases. I could also add that a good knowledge of the anatomy and an educated guess on the position of the fossil which is hiding in the matrix is advantageous, but that only comes with experience. In certain cases, like the shales of the Hunsrück or the plattenkalk in the Bavarian Solnhofen area, some preparators get them x-rayed first.

[snolly50]

Great tips so far, not much I can add of value; but here is something that's helpful to me. In prepping a piece with a complex shape (e.g. an Oreodont skull) place illustrations (I prefer line drawings) of the type of fossil at your workbench. Even though you may have a mental picture of what the piece "looks like," an illustration will help with those small dips and outcrops that will be present. It will help you see "where you are," keeping you oriented as to what hidden feature is next to be revealed.

 

Good luck, have fun with your project. 

[FossilLife]

23 minutes ago, Ludwigia said:

Tim has covered just about all of the bases. I could also add that a good knowledge of the anatomy and an educated guess on the position of the fossil which is hiding in the matrix is advantageous, but that only comes with experience. In certain cases, like the shales of the Hunsrück or the plattenkalk in the Bavarian Solnhofen area, some preparators get them x-rayed first.

Thank you very much for your wisdom, I would love to hit you up when i one day, perhaps make an more in depth article about that subject.

 

[FossilLife]

9 minutes ago, snolly50 said:

Great tips so far, not much I can add of value; but here is something that's helpful to me. In prepping a piece with a complex shape (e.g. an Oreodont skull) place illustrations (I prefer line drawings) of the type of fossil at your workbench. Even though you may have a mental picture of what the piece "looks like," an illustration will help with those small dips and outcrops that will be present. It will help you see "where you are," keeping you oriented as to what hidden feature is next to be revealed.

 

Good luck, have fun with your project. 

That was one super handy, piece of insider information. Ill definitely mention this one in future posts 
thanks Snolly! 

[Harry Pristis]

 

This is the best 'hack' I ever hit upon -- it has saved me many hours and endless aggravation:

 

I regularly heat [vertebrate] specimens with an infra-red lamp to drive off moisture just before dipping the fossil. I do this with all sorts of fossils, and have never had one damaged by the heating. The untreated specimen is always at least as wet at the relative humidity of the air around it, I surmise. (A microwave oven may be as effective, but I've only dried glass beads for my air-abrasive unit.) Residual moisture may cause a white film to develop on the surface of a fossil after dipping in the consolidant.

 

Here's how the white film forms: As the acetone in the consolidant evaporates, the temperature at the surface of the specimen chills abruptly, lowering the dew-point at which ambient water vapor condenses.

 

And, that's my theory -- that the white film has two potential sources: residual interstitial moisture and ambient humidity condensing at the surface chilled by evaporation. Think about a plastic bag of food placed into a freezer, where frost is moisture and bag is the film of consolidant. Frost can form on either or both sizes of the plastic bag, inside frost from moisture in the food and outside frost from atmospheric moisture.

 

My solution is heating the specimen to drive off residual moisture, and consolidating while it is warm to increase the dew-point at the specimen's surface, inhibiting condensation as the acetone boils off.

Do NOT heat the acetone solution directly. The acetone solution will get warm after dipping a number of heated fossils. You must have good ventilation to deal with the fumes.

------------------------------------------------------

 

Other 'hacks' for consolidation at http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/profile/42-harry-pristis/&tab=field_core_pfield_11

 

 

 

[jpc]

I would add... for small or detailed fossils, always (ALWAYS) use a binocular microscope.  

 

I think Tim's Numbers 5 and 6 are the best advice.  Not so much hacks, but just good tips. 

 

Warning: Rant follows.  Hack is a stupid word.  Maybe I am old school, and old, but I hate that word when a 'trick' or 'shortcut' is just as good and doesn't have the negative implications of computer hackers.   

 

(FossilLife, I noticed that the illustration next to your Brachipod paragraph is not a barchiopod... it is a Pecten, or scallop. )

[Bobby Rico]

Hi fossiLife looking forward to viewing this subject on your website. Also your website looks great,

 

keep up the good work.

 

cheers Bobby 

 

 

[Haravex]

I could add for a cheap way to start on fossil prepping an electric engraver is cheep and with a steady hand can provide many hours of prep work at a entry budget level, also don't know if anyone has mentioned this but starting off removing matrix i find it best to work away from the fossil area first then come back to it in a way it will criss cross with the original prep lines this might not be explained right or something like this as i myself am only new to prepping and the fossil world however this from my experience so far has worked best for me. 

[ZiggieCie]

8 hours ago, Harry Pristis said:

 

This is the best 'hack' I ever hit upon -- it has saved me many hours and endless aggravation:

 

I regularly heat [vertebrate] specimens with an infra-red lamp to drive off moisture just before dipping the fossil. I do this with all sorts of fossils, and have never had one damaged by the heating. The untreated specimen is always at least as wet at the relative humidity of the air around it, I surmise. (A microwave oven may be as effective, but I've only dried glass beads for my air-abrasive unit.) Residual moisture may cause a white film to develop on the surface of a fossil after dipping in the consolidant.

 

Here's how the white film forms: As the acetone in the consolidant evaporates, the temperature at the surface of the specimen chills abruptly, lowering the dew-point at which ambient water vapor condenses.

 

And, that's my theory -- that the white film has two potential sources: residual interstitial moisture and ambient humidity condensing at the surface chilled by evaporation. Think about a plastic bag of food placed into a freezer, where frost is moisture and bag is the film of consolidant. Frost can form on either or both sizes of the plastic bag, inside frost from moisture in the food and outside frost from atmospheric moisture.

 

My solution is heating the specimen to drive off residual moisture, and consolidating while it is warm to increase the dew-point at the specimen's surface, inhibiting condensation as the acetone boils off.

Do NOT heat the acetone solution directly. The acetone solution will get warm after dipping a number of heated fossils. You must have good ventilation to deal with the fumes.

------------------------------------------------------

 

Other 'hacks' for consolidation at http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/profile/42-harry-pristis/&tab=field_core_pfield_11

 

 

 

Harry, have you tried B72 dissolved in alcohol for damp/moist specimens? I have both and have used the alcohol mix on moist brach's and other marine specimens and have had good success with no white film forming. Anyone else tried it? The B72 can be dissolved in many other solvents for different results.

[FossilLife]

17 hours ago, jpc said:

I would add... for small or detailed fossils, always (ALWAYS) use a binocular microscope.  

 

I think Tim's Numbers 5 and 6 are the best advice.  Not so much hacks, but just good tips. 

 

Warning: Rant follows.  Hack is a stupid word.  Maybe I am old school, and old, but I hate that word when a 'trick' or 'shortcut' is just as good and doesn't have the negative implications of computer hackers.   

 

(FossilLife, I noticed that the illustration next to your Brachipod paragraph is not a barchiopod... it is a Pecten, or scallop. )

Hello, Thank you so much for reading my article. I fully respect and emphasize with your opinion. I think words like "hacks" may appeal for people like myself, that are new in the whole "core" culture of the community.

[FossilLife]

19 hours ago, Bobby Rico said:

Hi fossiLife looking forward to viewing this subject on your website. Also your website looks great,

 

keep up the good work.

 

cheers Bobby 

 

 

Hey Bobby, thanks a lot for your support I wont let you down! 

 

[FossilLife]

17 hours ago, Haravex said:

I could add for a cheap way to start on fossil prepping an electric engraver is cheep and with a steady hand can provide many hours of prep work at a entry budget level, also don't know if anyone has mentioned this but starting off removing matrix i find it best to work away from the fossil area first then come back to it in a way it will criss cross with the original prep lines this might not be explained right or something like this as i myself am only new to prepping and the fossil world however this from my experience so far has worked best for me. 

Thanks alot haravex. Ill definitely bear that in mind! good luck on your journey! Go read my article when its finished, if you feel like it  

[FossilLife]

20 hours ago, Harry Pristis said:

 

This is the best 'hack' I ever hit upon -- it has saved me many hours and endless aggravation:

 

I regularly heat [vertebrate] specimens with an infra-red lamp to drive off moisture just before dipping the fossil. I do this with all sorts of fossils, and have never had one damaged by the heating. The untreated specimen is always at least as wet at the relative humidity of the air around it, I surmise. (A microwave oven may be as effective, but I've only dried glass beads for my air-abrasive unit.) Residual moisture may cause a white film to develop on the surface of a fossil after dipping in the consolidant.

 

Here's how the white film forms: As the acetone in the consolidant evaporates, the temperature at the surface of the specimen chills abruptly, lowering the dew-point at which ambient water vapor condenses.

 

And, that's my theory -- that the white film has two potential sources: residual interstitial moisture and ambient humidity condensing at the surface chilled by evaporation. Think about a plastic bag of food placed into a freezer, where frost is moisture and bag is the film of consolidant. Frost can form on either or both sizes of the plastic bag, inside frost from moisture in the food and outside frost from atmospheric moisture.

 

My solution is heating the specimen to drive off residual moisture, and consolidating while it is warm to increase the dew-point at the specimen's surface, inhibiting condensation as the acetone boils off.

Do NOT heat the acetone solution directly. The acetone solution will get warm after dipping a number of heated fossils. You must have good ventilation to deal with the fumes.

------------------------------------------------------

 

Other 'hacks' for consolidation at http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/profile/42-harry-pristis/&tab=field_core_pfield_11

 

 

 

Hello Harry! 

Wow, that was super useful! Awesome to see that you're out there experimenting! looking forward to reading more from you!

 

Regards Charlie, From FossilLife.com

[RJB]

Best hack I can think of is a jack and coke!  Ha!!! 

 

RB

[Harry Pristis]

19 hours ago, ZiggieCie said:

Harry, have you tried B72 dissolved in alcohol for damp/moist specimens? I have both and have used the alcohol mix on moist brach's and other marine specimens and have had good success with no white film forming. Anyone else tried it? The B72 can be dissolved in many other solvents for different results.

 

 

I understand that Butvar B-76 is soluble in methanol, but not the other Butvar resins.  Perhaps you are referring to Paraloid B-72, a different sort of resin.  I have no experience with Paraloid B-72 or with methanol as a solvent for consolidation resins.

 

 

[FossilLife]

On 29/10/2017 at 3:39 PM, RJB said:

Best hack I can think of is a jack and coke!  Ha!!! 

 

RB

That will do juuust fine  
 

Thanks RB

[LordTrilobite]

On 10/28/2017 at 4:12 PM, FossilLife said:

2. Never trim in the field. This is the best way to ruin a great fossil. Unless you have a saw, breaking a piece of matrix down to a small size can have unexpected and potentially heartbreaking consequences.

I would disagree with the "never". Breaking down a large block to make it smaller can sometimes be worth the effort if you know what you're doing and provided it's clear how the fossil is orientated in the block. 

 

 

One tip I'd like to add, while using glue is very important to stabilise fossils. Especially when extracting a fossil from the field it's important to be generous with glue to consolidate the fossil. But when prepping, depending on the fossil of course, I find that minimal use of glue yields the best results. The matrix often detaches better from the bone surface when it hasn't been glued. Glueing can make the process harder because the bond between the matrix and fossil is strengthened. So prepping away a part and then after a part is clean stabilising it is sometimes better.

[Fossildude19]

38 minutes ago, LordTrilobite said:

I would disagree with the "never". Breaking down a large block to make it smaller can sometimes be worth the effort if you know what you're doing and provided it's clear how the fossil is orientated in the block. 

 

 

One tip I'd like to add, while using glue is very important to stabilise fossils. Especially when extracting a fossil from the field it's important to be generous with glue to consolidate the fossil. But when prepping, depending on the fossil of course, I find that minimal use of glue yields the best results. The matrix often detaches better from the bone surface when it hasn't been glued. Glueing can make the process harder because the bond between the matrix and fossil is strengthened. So prepping away a part and then after a part is clean stabilising it is sometimes better.

 

I agree, Never is probably too broad a word.   My bad. 

(This is something I berate myself with, ... every time I do end up breaking something in the field.  )

 

Maybe it should be stated "Use great care when trimming in the field."

 

For instance, ... trimming a specimen to make it easier to carry, or to get it off of a giant block, is fine, but trimming a specimen to a smaller, more readily/easier displayed fossil,  should probably wait for preparation at home.   

[jpc]

On 10/29/2017 at 1:49 PM, Harry Pristis said:

 

 

I understand that Butvar B-76 is soluble in methanol, but not the other Butvar resins.  Perhaps you are referring to Paraloid B-72, a different sort of resin.  I have no experience with Paraloid B-72 or with methanol as a solvent for consolidation resins.

 

 

I think any acetone or alcohol based consolidant used on moist fossils will tend to leave a whitish film.  I have ear folks use acrylics on wert fossils.  I have not tried it and do not know the details.