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Diplomystus prep


RJB

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  Been a long time since ive prepped out any fossil fishy's.  Here is one I started today.  This one is from the 'bottom cap'.  Just below the 18 inch layer.  gots a long ways to go but got a good dent in it.  So far the lower jaws are where they are supposed to be, the tail seems to be there, but the really tuff one is the anal fin?  We'll see.  I have to get my son to cut lots of rock off so it will fit in my air abrasive cabinet?  Then i just have to hope that its not to cold to work?  But so far, lots of fun!!!

 

RB

Diplo001A.JPG

Diplo001B.JPG

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Good luck! I’ll sit in the back here still struggling with my tiny knightia and some popcorn:popcorn:

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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  thanks guys.  Ive put in another 6 hours into this thing and have a ways to go still.  A fun project but too many hours so far for a fish with problems.  My tuffest part will be trying to figure out what son I give this to?  Oh the problems I have!!!  :)  Oh, my youngest son came over and cut off all the excess rock for me.  Maybe he can have it? 

Diplo001C.JPG

Diplo001D.JPG

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Awesome.  I am going to venture a guess that that cap rock is much harder than the 18-inch and split-fish material.  You seem to have an affinity for hard rock:)

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9 minutes ago, Peat Burns said:

Awesome.  I am going to venture a guess that that cap rock is much harder than the 18-inch and split-fish material.  You seem to have an affinity for hard rock

 

  Hi Pete.  Yes, I did about 20 years of that soft split fish rock and got tired of it.  Not to say that you cant get some really good fossil fish from those layers, and yes, this bottom cap stuff is a bit denser and quite difficult even compaired to the 18 inch material, but also, lots of these fish from the bottom cap can be quite nice indeed, but this fish is not one of those. 

 

RB

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2 minutes ago, RJB said:

 

  Hi Pete.  Yes, I did about 20 years of that soft split fish rock and got tired of it.  Not to say that you cant get some really good fossil fish from those layers, and yes, this bottom cap stuff is a bit denser and quite difficult even compaired to the 18 inch material, but also, lots of these fish from the bottom cap can be quite nice indeed, but this fish is not one of those. 

 

RB

Maybe in some ways it's less annoying?  Maybe the bones and scales aren't popping off and needing stabilized during prep!

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You poor man. :(
So many problems you have. :P

 

So far, so good, Ron. ;) 

:popcorn:

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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22 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

You poor man. :(
So many problems you have

 

  Yes Tim, I have many many problems,  I have a good cry every night!  Ha!!!  :)

 

RB

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  I do have a bad habit of starting one project and then putting that aside and starting another.  So, here is another Diplo ive started today.  Got in almost 7 hours with about 4 more or so to finish ruffing it out, plus about 3 more to finish ruffing out the other.  Im going to wait for some warmer weather before I try and work these out with my air abrasive system.  Ive only got a water trap with a condesent canister and if its too cold, the media just cakes up.  This fish is a better fish but it still has some problems.  In the end, they both should be purty good fishy's?  Plus I still have 4 or 5 more also ready for the air abrasive system.  If I can get it to work I should have quite  a few fishes completed purty soon?

 

RB

Diplo002A.JPG

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I look at this screen and see the nice fish and smile, then I turn my head ninety degrees to the knightia I’m supposed to be prepping and frown. I tip my hat to you master preppers, I don’t know how you do it!

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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12 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said:

Maybe I should send you some fish to prep!

 

looking good.

I dont know about 'lookin good', but you being a prepper knows exactly what your lookin at. 

 

12 hours ago, WhodamanHD said:

look at this screen and see the nice fish and smile, then I turn my head ninety degrees to the knightia I’m supposed to be prepping and frown. I tip my hat to you master preppers, I don’t know how you do it!

Hey Whodaman.   What you may not know is that the small fish can be a bit harder than the bigger fish.  It all depends on the rock really.  but the bigger fish have bigger bones and that can make things easier even though the bigger fish do take a lot more time, simply cause of more rock to remove. 

 

RB

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  Ok, I did some more work on this second diplo.  Fins are tuff!!!  and then I grabbed another bigger slab with another bigger diplo and split the rock.  That took off a bunch of wieght and then my son came over and cut off the excess around the edges.  That will make it a lot easier to work on.  This fish is about 16/17 inches.  this rock is very dense and very very hard.  Right now it looks like it has been punched in the face?  i just hope that the lower jaw is in place even though punched in?   You can see this slab sittin against my trash can for scale.  Its a purty big rock!!!    Only 100 more to go.  Ha!!!  :)  I also have much bigger slabs too.  Hope I have the time to get to them all?   and the thing is, my two younger sons and I are going fossil fishing again this June.  I dont need anymore unprepped fish, but I cant miss out spending time with my sons!!!   I guess after this next trip i will have 120 more to prep.  Oh the problems I have!!!  Dont you wish everyone had my problems?  :)

 

RB

Diplo002B.JPG

Diplo003A.JPG

Diplo003B.JPG

Diplo003C.JPG

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17 hours ago, RJB said:

Oh the problems I have!!!  Dont you wish everyone had my problems?  :)

I'd be happy to trade mine for yours :)

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On 2/18/2018 at 8:52 AM, RJB said:

I dont know about 'lookin good', but you being a prepper knows exactly what your lookin at.

 

Yep, and I'm looking at pure gold!!!!!

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  A gruling 9 hours of rock removal and it still looks like cow poop!!! This is the hardest rock and the stickyest fish Ive ever worked on!!!   After the next 9 hours it should look like a fish?  Then I have to have some warm weather in order to get my air abrasive system up and running. may be awhile before that happens?   But when it does, I will have lots of fish to show off.

 

RB

Diplo003D.JPG

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1 hour ago, RJB said:

cow poop

I must inform you, whatever cows you have been seeing should seek veterinary help immediately, they have started to defecate beautiful fossil fish.

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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   Ok,another 7 hours into this thing!  Starting to look like a fish, but ive got about 5 more hours or so to ruff out the fins and some other areas, then I have to wait for warmer weather before I can take my air abrasive to it.  Right now it still looks like cow poop, but with that air abrasive it will come alive!!!  But Im still having lots of fun with this one!!!

 

RB

Diplo003E.JPG

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Very nice looking fish fossils and they are coming along nicely.

What kind of tools and prep are you using?  I am interested in techniques.

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22 hours ago, oldtimer said:

Very nice looking fish fossils and they are coming along nicely.

What kind of tools and prep are you using?  I am interested in techniques.

  So far all ive used for this one is my ME9100 air scribe from Paleo Tools.  Oh, i did use an angle grinder with a diamond blade to cut the rock around the fish.  Today Im going to get some Dura Rock and some silicone and glue this fish slab onto the Dura Rock.  That will make it a bit more stable.  The fish slab is a bit thin and the fish is sitting just above halfway in the rock. 

 

RB

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Aaaaaaalrighty then.  I cut out a piece of dura rock to fit the slab, took my angle grinder with diamond blade and smoothed out the back of the rock so it would be flatter, washed it real good and then took some type 2 silicone and put the fish slab on top of that along with some weight.  Now its just a matter of letting it sit for 24 hours or so.  Takes time, but by golly its getting there!!!   This is the 3rd fish in this sequence of this thread.  It still has a ways to go. 

 

RB

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4 minutes ago, Sagebrush Steve said:

Looks great!  I see you are using your other fish as deadweights

 

    Yeah, the deadweights were sittin about 2 feet from me, so they were very convenient.  Plus it works purty good.

RB

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