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Oreodont skull prep


Perfect Castaway

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So I bought a partial oreodont skull (Merycoidodon culbertsoni) from an auction site and i'm using it to break in my new air compressor.

Here are some before and after pics. I had expected the skull to be fragile and the teeth to be pretty solid, considering how robust teeth are, but I found the opposite to be true. I've had to repair a few of the teeth as I went. They have a tendency to break apart. Luckily nothing too serious. The skull itself seems indestructible by comparison.

Overall i'm very happy with how she's turning out so far. 

 

 

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Awesome job, looking good!

“...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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That's a great project. You may want to dial back on the air-driven stylus and switch to hand prep, if the teeth are shattering.  Good luck, have fun. 

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See

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Thanks for all the encouragement. Spent a few more hours on the underside again today. And I'm in the clear as far as the teeth go. I've prepped them all out and no major disasters. 

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Congratulations! 

That looks really, really good! :)

Quite beautiful, actually. 

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

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On 5/28/2018 at 11:22 PM, Perfect Castaway said:

And I'm in the clear as far as the teeth go.

Looks great, glad the teeth are OK, so far! :). I'm teasing you because of a bad experience I had - indirect damage. Caution is now needed in the rest of the prep regarding the handling/manipulation of the piece. Here's an old post, about half way down is my near "disaster" of dislodging/loosing a canine. 

 

 

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See

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17 hours ago, snolly50 said:

Looks great, glad the teeth are OK, so far! :). I'm teasing you because of a bad experience I had - indirect damage. Caution is now needed in the rest of the prep regarding the handling/manipulation of the piece. Here's an old post, about half way down is my near "disaster" of dislodging/loosing a canine. 

 

 

Thanks for the link! Lucky for me the only problems I had were pretty minor. A couple of chunks of tooth broke off but I was able to find them... somehow... in amongst the bits of rock that collects in the dust pile at my feet. 

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Looking good. Fossil teeth are typically a nightmare to prep. They are very susceptible to damage due to vibrations introduced by pneumatic tools. I’ve found a thick coating of consolidant over the enamel as it becomes exposed tends to limit the damage. If you use a conservation grade product, you can remove it when prep is finished.

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