LiamL Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 I was thinking about adding some black shoe polish to my trilobites so they show better and stand out from the matrix. Is this a good idea? Yorkshire Coast Fossil Hunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 It should be easily reversible if you don't like the look. There are those who don't care for any restoration or embellishment and those who enjoy restoring fossils. It's only a good idea if you think you'd like the result. Try it on one of your smaller less-special bugs and see what you think. Show us pictures before (during) and after and maybe others will learn from your experiment--one way or the other. Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 Some professional prep folks I know use shoe polish to highlight theropod teeth and give them a low sheen. It's reversible and the luster can be controlled by the amount of rubbing. Now we dealing with enamel covered surfaces. Try one and see if you like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiamL Posted December 30, 2017 Author Share Posted December 30, 2017 It looks better on those that have popped out of the matrix. Before and after pic below. Yorkshire Coast Fossil Hunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 Definitely an interesting result. 1 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBrewer Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 Looks great Liam, it’s commonly used on Whitby ammos. @Troodon do you know the solvent to reverse? John Map of UK fossil sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 Interesting, but for me the look is too uniform. I prefer using a clear wax polish to highlight the colors more. 2 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 @JohnBrewer John do not know but it probable rubs off at one point. I think they use a neutral color . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 I with @Ludwigia I use clear beeswax. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douvilleiceras Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 Black shoe polish and other black coatings are commonly used by Moroccan dealers on their trilobites, often to highlight details but sometimes used to conceal repairs. It is easily removable with acetone, just dab a paper towel and scrub the fossil (provided that it isn't fragile), or give it a diluted acetone bath. Personally, I prefer natural fossils, so I remove any coatings on mine, but it's up to personal preference what you do with your fossils. That said, it looks like you are coating Wheeler Shale Elrathia kingii trilobites, which can be given a natural black shine with a few minutes of prep to remove the gray shale left on the trilobites. 7 Regards, Jason "Trilobites survived for a total of three hundred million years, almost the whole duration of the Palaeozoic era: who are we johnny-come-latelies to label them as either ‘primitive’ or ‘unsuccessful’? Men have so far survived half a per cent as long." - Richard Fortey, Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiamL Posted December 31, 2017 Author Share Posted December 31, 2017 Here are afew more i did. Has the larger one on the bottom right hand side got a bite mark? Or just broken slightly? 2 Yorkshire Coast Fossil Hunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 Probably just broken off, but I guess we'll never know for sure, although spines don't taste too good 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 If the pleura seem to terminate, it could be damage sustained from predation. We'd have to see it up close to be sure. ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpg.76796f25a72f97c9c2a87f953ebe4dca.jpg)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now