Question for experienced preppers

[Bone guy]

Hello. I thought this little Macrocephalosaurus gilmorei would look awesome all prepped out. But the thing is, I have absolutely no prepping experience. My question is could this be prepped further to expose more of the bone? The whole block is only about 7 inches long, so it would be very meticulous work.

[caldigger]

As I've said before, " Chisel and Sledge, the only way to go".

 

Actually the matrix might be your best support to hold this thing together.

On most if these the bones are so frail, (consistency like chalk) trying to "release" them might do more damage than it's worth.

I certainly wouldn't touch it if you aren't practiced in prepping.

[Bone guy]

@caldigger I probably wouldn't try to pull his bones out of the rock. Really, if anything, I would just expose the bones a bit more because there seems to be more in the matrix. Like the orbit of the skull seems to be still buried. Idk, I'm new.

[Bobby Rico]

That is a very nice fossil. If you have not got the experience yourself then you really need to find someone to prep it further for you  . I think it may prep a little more. 

[Ludwigia]

I agree with the others. Careful! Maybe this guy can give you some advice @Ptychodus04  Or this fellow @jpc

[steelhead9]

Would look great finish prepped. It wouldn't be my choice as a first time prep specimen. It would require advanced equipment and technique.

[Miocene_Mason]

Not gonna be easy but with patient and the advice of the experts I think you could pull it off. Good luck!

[Kane]

As @caldigger says, it looks like the matrix is holding this one together, and it may be a bit too advanced for a first prep. It might be worth sending this one out to a professional, and possibly trying to get your hands on a junky expendable piece of the same stuff to practice on.

 

Something 17-18 cm with such delicate details would also best be prepared under a microscope. There also appears to be a crack on the lower left side, which might suggest that it has been glued back together to stabilize it, and that can add another challenging wrinkle for a first time prep if one is not extremely careful. 

[Ptychodus04]

Thanks for the ping @Ludwigia.

 

This is a great specimen and would look greater with some further prep. I wouldn’t tackle it as a first prep by any means. The bones definitely will need to be stabilized and the matrix removal would need to be done under a microscope.

 

If you have a microscope and some needles, you could have a go at it. Go slowly and scrape away individual grains of the sandy matrix. Don’t be tempted to overdo the removal and don’t go fast or you’ll wreck this thing before you can blink.

 

In the event you decide to go wit some professional help, send me a PM and we can chat.

[Bone guy]

Thank you all for the advice. Ill have to start saving my money so I can get this little guy. @Ptychodus04 if I do manage to get this critter I will send you a pm to discuss prepping!  

[Taogan]

You won't need complicated equipment with this one. Like the kilted one says a microscope and a mounted pin, some Paraloid or whatever your local version is and patience. If just one of these is missing you'll spoil a good fossil, so make sure you have plenty of patience, that is the thing that tends to run out first.

[Ptychodus04]

1 hour ago, Taogan said:

You won't need complicated equipment with this one. Like the kilted one says a microscope and a mounted pin, some Paraloid or whatever your local version is and patience. If just one of these is missing you'll spoil a good fossil, so make sure you have plenty of patience, that is the thing that tends to run out first.

Agreed. Preparation does not require complicated equipment. The equipment just makes the process easier and faster at times. Some of my best prepping is done with a sewing needle. 

 

Experience is far more useful than equipment.

[holdinghistory]

Agree here too, could use some more prep, but not a good idea if you haven't done it before. This type of material is usually very soft, but so are the bones, and damage is easy to cause. Straight pin and patience is the way to go on these.

[Ptychodus04]

54 minutes ago, holdinghistory said:

Agree here too, could use some more prep, but not a good idea if you haven't done it before. This type of material is usually very soft, but so are the bones, and damage is easy to cause. Straight pin and patience is the way to go on these.

I worked on some bird fossils that were poorly preserved, very soft, and covered in gypsum crystals! That was hours and hours of fun with a needle, microscope, and plenty of Butvar. The end result was some uncovered diagnostic information on the bones that are going to be part of a new paper describing a paratype of the species. 

 

Patience is is the most important aspect of any preparation.

[jpc]

I just saw this post.  Looks like you ae thinking of buying this.  I agree with ptychodus... This is NOT a first prep job specimen.  He and I are both professionals, so if you do buy it, have him prep it (I would offer to do so as well, but I am swamped).  And it would look much better still in the matrix.   

[RJB]

Just saw this post too.  Like everyone is telliing you, patience and some stabilization.  To me, I would think this would be an easy prep to clean it up.  Good luck. looking forward to seeing it finished.

 

RB