Andy B Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 My second question tonight. I found a few shark tooth shapes that seemed interesting enough to not toss back in the Big Brook this weekend. I was hoping for some advice. One seems to me to be a fractured tooth with mostly the root remaining (the larger black one). It feels dense and hard like a stone. I couldn't tell at the site with my bad eyes but there are some groves in part of the "tooth" that help make it look like something of the tooth variety. It certainly appears to be something significant, if only a piece of it. The smallest black item is hard like a rock as well yet seems like it would have been a tooth. There are no clear signs though. Do some fossils lose their definition like this? And lastly, I found something that looks like the shape of a tooth but it may be embedded in some other substrate. Can I scratch away at it with a pick, or tap at it with a small rock hammer or the like to see if anything comes off? Thanks for your patience. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 Good call on keeping these. They look like fragments of the fish Enchodus petrosus. The second one is iffy, but the two on either side look like it to me. When in doubt, don't throw it out. Lets see what some of the others have to say. 4 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...
oldtimer Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 I agree on the outer two. The center one I am not so sure about. Yes you can scratch and use a pick tool, not a hammer to help reveal what may be under the matrix. You can also use an electric engraver if you have one to aid in matrix removal. Search fossil prep to get some ideas on how this is accomplished. Soaking in vinegar may help loosen and soften up the matrix too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy B Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 Thanks guys. I am going to soak the middle one. We'll see how it goes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 I wish you the best of luck Andy. Looks like you have something there. Not my kind of 'stuff', but you deffenetly have some fossils there. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goatinformationist Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 If the center item is limestone try vinegar. It won't hurt the fossils but will melt the matrix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 15 hours ago, goatinformationist said: If the center item is limestone try vinegar. It won't hurt the fossils but will melt the matrix. AAAAAAHHHHH! No, no, no! Pardon me being so adamant but that is a common misnomer. VERY often fossils in limestone are also preserved as calcium carbonate. Vinegar and other acids will attack them as well. You can certainly give it a try but dilute the vinegar in water 1:5, respectively, and soak for maybe 15-20 minutes keeping a close eye on it. Then scrub and rinse, rinse rinse... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted February 22, 2018 Share Posted February 22, 2018 14 minutes ago, erose said: AAAAAAHHHHH! No, no, no! Pardon me being so adamant but that is a common misnomer. VERY often fossils in limestone are also preserved as calcium carbonate. Vinegar and other acids will attack them as well. You can certainly give it a try but dilute the vinegar in water 1:5, respectively, and soak for maybe 15-20 minutes keeping a close eye on it. Then scrub and rinse, rinse rinse... I agree. To do acid prep the fossils need to be calcite free. The best way to find out is to just try it. If the fossil is calcitic, you will ruin it and not do it again... : ) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goatinformationist Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 More likely aragonite which is more resistant to a mild acetic acid. Living in Florida so long along the limestone/phosphate pits I used vinegar regularly with fabulous results. So use full vinegar on a very small sample of your stone before committing to a full bath. Moderate as useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goatinformationist Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 PS... Cleaning Fossils With Vinegar - Questions & Answers - The Fossil Forum www.thefossilforum.com › Fossil Discussion › Questions & Answers Cached Similar Jun 25, 2009 - I use acids fairly often to clean fossils, but I use them on material where the fossil is silicified, which won't react with the acid, leaving only the matrix limestone to dissolve. If I was going to clean a carbonate fossil in limestone (which are basically the same material), I would spot apply the acid, with a brush or ... Dissolving Limestone - Fossil Preparation Dec 19, 2014 How Do You Dissolve Limestone - Micro-paleontology May 20, 2013 Limestone & Vinegar Prep - Questions & Answers Oct 17, 2011 Dissolving Limestone - Questions & Answers Oct 9, 2008 More results from www.thefossilforum.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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