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Recently, I have been out fossil hunting more often than usual, and many of them have since been damaged. Some were broken during transportation, and others were broken as I excavated them. The fossils are all from the black Billings Shale, which fractures easily. Is there any way that I can repair them without leaving any obvious markings?

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Depends on the nature of the fractures. Perhaps showing some images might better lead to some suggestions.

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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I’ve never worked with that rock and I don’t know what type of fractures your talking but Most fix breaks with some superglue, or wood glue (though this will yellow). In order to fix fractures that aren’t clean through or if you  just want it to look nicer, use a mortar and pestle to grind stone from the same site and mix that with the glue. That give the appearance of real matrix.

“...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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For this particular shale, I would not advise grinding it into powder as it regularly comes out brown and would not make a suitable match to the black of the shale. 

 

Again, we'd need to see some pictures of the pieces you want to fix. If it is a simple join, crazy glue will work. If it is a fracture that cuts more vertically or diagonally, the join may need a bit more finesse. Where some of the fossil may have material on both the positive and negative, you would need to glue these, clamp for 24 hours to cure it, and then use preparation tools from the top.

 

Unless the specimen is complete and worth saving, it is usually the case that we just split that stuff in volume. I would say, for example, repairing a broken Pseudogygites latimarginatus pygidium moult is probably not worth the time and effort when they are fairly plentiful. 

 

On the rare occasion of finding a complete trilobite that is missing a few small pieces of shell, assuming you do not have those pieces, that may require a much more advanced approach for restoration, matching other pieces that are the same size... But that is not an entry level task, as restoration can require a lot of practice and precision!

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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Also, try to transport your fossils more securely, so that they are less prone to breakage.

Wrap them in newspaper, or foil. Try to keep any really good fossils separate from the others.

Bring a box, bucket, or backpack to place your finds into.

They will be less apt to break if they are wrapped with some sort of protective covering.

 

 

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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On 2018-05-20 at 6:46 AM, Kane said:

For this particular shale, I would not advise grinding it into powder as it regularly comes out brown and would not make a suitable match to the black of the shale. 

 

Again, we'd need to see some pictures of the pieces you want to fix. If it is a simple join, crazy glue will work. If it is a fracture that cuts more vertically or diagonally, the join may need a bit more finesse. Where some of the fossil may have material on both the positive and negative, you would need to glue these, clamp for 24 hours to cure it, and then use preparation tools from the top.

 

Unless the specimen is complete and worth saving, it is usually the case that we just split that stuff in volume. I would say, for example, repairing a broken Pseudogygites latimarginatus pygidium moult is probably not worth the time and effort when they are fairly plentiful. 

 

On the rare occasion of finding a complete trilobite that is missing a few small pieces of shell, assuming you do not have those pieces, that may require a much more advanced approach for restoration, matching other pieces that are the same size... But that is not an entry level task, as restoration can require a lot of practice and precision!

Here is the actual fossil that I want to repair. It is a complete graptolites colony which has been broken at the end. This would probably need some strong and long lasting glue to work.

image.jpg

image.jpg

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It looks like some crazy glue and steadily setting it together should do the trick here.

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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1 minute ago, Kane said:

It looks like some crazy glue and steadily setting it together should do the trick here.

Great minds think alike and...

 

Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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Superglue. 

Really nice graptolite! :)

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

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Just now, Ludwigia said:

Great minds think alike and...

So does mine? 

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160-1.png.60b8b8c07f6fa194511f8b7cfb7cc190.png

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3 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

So does mine? 

Ya, we see how you tried to jump on the "great minds" bandwagon after the comment was already stated.

Those half Whelsh Moroccan dwellers are real sneaky individuals.:ninja:

 

 

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Just now, caldigger said:

Ya, we see how you tried to jump on the "great minds" bandwagon after the comment was already stated.

Those half Whelsh Moroccan dwellers are real sneaky individuals.:ninja:

I was suggesting that great minds think alike, and so does my, not great mind, on this occasion. :(

But I'm sneaky if you like. :(

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

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@Pseudogygites.   Like everyone has suggested, superglue.  But,,, you may want to use the thicker viscosity.  You will have more control with the thicker stuff.  Good luck

 

RB

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Yep, superglue. A couple of things, though: don't use very much, and don't spread it close to the upper surface of the fracture, or you'll have some splurging out. Not the ideal aesthetic, that. ;)

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9 minutes ago, Spongy Joe said:

Yep, superglue. A couple of things, though: don't use very much, and don't spread it close to the upper surface of the fracture, or you'll have some splurging out. Not the ideal aesthetic, that. ;)

And, we might add that if it does ooze out (mistakes happen!) nail polish remover and an exacto blade will help remove the excess. Still, an ounce of prevention... :D 

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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