Preparation of an ammonite multiblock

[Ludwigia]

I found the following multiblock during a recent trip to the Wutach valley which I described here a few days ago. There appear to be at least 3 ammonites on the one side, although there could be more buried under the matrix. I didn't notice until after I had extricated the block that there is also one large one on the reverse side...not quite complete, but certainly worth exposing as well. Let's see what happens. Here are both sides of the block in the raw.

 

      

  

 

The first thing to do then, was to have a go at removing as much matrix as possible with the air pen without getting quite down to the shells, in order to try to ascertain the position and size of the ammonites and also to see if there were any more in there. The next photos show how far I had gone before I decided that it was time to put the air abrader into action. There was a lot of broken shell material in there, but no more ammonites. There were also a few sticky spots and I didn't want to take the chance of breaking into a shell with the stylus.

 

It turned out that the matrix on the side with the large ammonite was soft enough to be removed quickly, but there were a lot of spots where it was pretty tough on the other side. I did however manage to remove enough soft matrix to get a good idea of where the ammonites lay. With the exception of the one at the bottom left, since it fell into the matrix at a relatively acute angle, although I was getting the feeling more and more that this was just a partial. There was also a larger partial just above it which could be causing problems.

 

[Ludwigia]

I then had to get back to working with the stylus in order to remove the tough spots down as close to the shell as possible. I thereby became practically certain that the questionable ammonite was not at all complete.

 

Just to make sure, I did a bit more abrading.

 

Thereby it became obvious. Now was time to take a new tack. I decided to risk removing it and also the larger partial above it with the air pen, thereby exposing the other side of the ammonite on the reverse side.

 

It worked! The next thing I did was some more abrading to make sure that everything underneath was ok.

 

That's as far as I got today, spending 5 hours on and off at it. Hopefully I can find some time tomorrow afternoon to finish it off. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Darktooth]

Roger, Thank-you for explaining and showing the process you go through. I myself have VERY little prep experience.  I appreciate the insight you have given and look forward to see the rest of the process. I love your work!

[ynot]

Looking good! (again)

 

[Ludwigia]

1 hour ago, Darktooth said:

Roger, Thank-you for explaining and showing the process you go through. I myself have VERY little prep experience.  I appreciate the insight you have given and look forward to see the rest of the process. I love your work!

I appreciate that. Glad to be of help.

 

5 minutes ago, ynot said:

Looking good! (again)

 

I think it should look even better once it's done

 

[jpc]

I love these tales.  Thanks, Roger.  

[MeargleSchmeargl]

Lookin' good! 

[xDiamondX]

Shame the big one isn't intact - Imagine if this was all on one piece of matrix instead of them resting on each other alone

[Ludwigia]

9 hours ago, jpc said:

I love these tales.  Thanks, Roger.  

 

6 hours ago, MeargleSchmeargl said:

Lookin' good! 

Thanks guys.

 

5 hours ago, xDiamondX said:

Shame the big one isn't intact - Imagine if this was all on one piece of matrix instead of them resting on each other alone

I think it should nevertheless turn into an interesting piece when it's done. It's not all that often that some ammos have another one as a "matrix" background.

[RJB]

Thanks for the therepy Roger. 

 

RB

[Ludwigia]

6 hours ago, RJB said:

Thanks for the therepy Roger. 

 

RB

You're welcome. Hopefully it's helping you on the path back to healthiness.

[Ludwigia]

I spent another 3 1/2 hours with this one this afternoon and am happy to say that I've completed it. I took to the stylus again, but with more care this time and mainly with the fine one, and removed as much matrix from both sides as I could without scratching anything. I also trimmed up the edges of the large ammonite to make it a bit more harmonious to the eye.

 

 

Then I spent the next 2 hours mainly with the abrader removing the rest of the matrix from the shells, although every once in a while I had to revert to the scribe to remove some sticky matrix. The matrix was pretty hard at some points, which is why it took some time. Here's the end result, well practically.

 

I like to put a coat of beeswax finish on most of my fossils when they're done, so here it is from various angles ready for display. The large one is a Costileioceras sinon with a diameter of 16cm. This is the index ammonite for the bank in which it was found. Not an everyday find  The smaller ones are both Ancolioceras opalinoides, the larger of the two having a diameter of 8cm.

 

Thanks for coming along for the ride

 

[xDiamondX]

I had no idea it was so complete! Good job!

 

[thelivingdead531]

That looks amazing! Very well done, you did a phenomenal job on it! 

[ynot]

Came out really good Roger!

Nice job.

[Ptychodus04]

Stunning as usual Roger! Well done

[DPS Ammonite]

Very nice Roger. They are worthy to enter into the Fossil of the month section. Please do so.

[Ludwigia]

8 hours ago, xDiamondX said:

I had no idea it was so complete! Good job!

 

 

8 hours ago, thelivingdead531 said:

That looks amazing! Very well done, you did a phenomenal job on it! 

 

7 hours ago, ynot said:

Came out really good Roger!

Nice job.

 

5 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said:

Stunning as usual Roger! Well done

 

Thanks for the laurels, everyone. It turned out just as I was imagining it could be.

 

[Monica]

Wow.

I am truly amazed at your prepping abilities, Roger!  Congratulations on the amazing piece that you've uncovered! 

[Ludwigia]

14 minutes ago, Monica said:

Wow.

I am truly amazed at your prepping abilities, Roger!  Congratulations on the amazing piece that you've uncovered! 

Thanks Monica

[RJB]

Nicely done Roger.  You do some mighty fine work.

 

RB

[Ludwigia]

2 hours ago, RJB said:

Nicely done Roger.  You do some mighty fine work.

 

RB

Thanks Ron. Nice to see you keeping active.

[Peat Burns]

Wow. That's a remarkable transformation!  Well done

[Sagebrush Steve]

That’s outstanding!  I’m not sure I would have even picked up the original rock.  You’ve got quite the eye for visualizing the end result.

[Ludwigia]

20 minutes ago, Peat Burns said:

Wow. That's a remarkable transformation!  Well done

Thanks

 

13 minutes ago, Sagebrush Steve said:

That’s outstanding!  I’m not sure I would have even picked up the original rock.  You’ve got quite the eye for visualizing the end result.

Practice makes perfect ...well, not quite, but close enough for my taste. I have gathered a lot of experience over the years in these banks, so I've learned to pretty well know what to expect from these rocks. This one came straight out of the fossiliferous sinon bank, so I studied it closely after I had pried it out. You should see the pile of throwaways at the bottom of the slope.