aeon.rocks Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Hi all, it's my first green river fossil fish prep, i think head preped out ok, but before I start with the rest, since there are some very experience Green river preparators here, I would appreciate any tips how to preserve soft tissue parts (between ribs i.e.)!? Thank you in advance! Hope to save as much soft tissue as possible, like in example below (not sure if any colour enhancements though?). Downloaded this pic from fossilrealm web: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 1st, the prep looks great so far. What tools are you using for your prep? The material between the ribs is paper thin at best. Often, it is simply a carbon stain. It is VERY easy to go through it. High magnification and a steady hand does wonders. Go extremely slow on the prep. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Your effort thus far looks great. I note one upturned vert; but those that follow do not appear disarticulated. The fossil color and texture of the matrix suggest it is an 18" layer fish. Given that, you can expect good preservation of the scales/carbon stain as you proceed. Preserving this as you prep is simply a matter of being careful and methodical. I have one fish I did years ago; that on close inspection shows numerous "holes" punched through the carbon film by the stylus I was using - simply a result of me being ham-handed. It would seem that the fossil is not far below the matrix surface. This gives you a distinct advantage. One personal preference quibble; if it were mine, I would cut away a little more matrix at the margin of the fossil. Good luck, have fun. 1 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bone guy Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted August 20, 2018 Author Share Posted August 20, 2018 Hi, thanks for fast replies! It's a fun material, I'm sure I'll have some. 11 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said: 1st, the prep looks great so far. What tools are you using for your prep? The material between the ribs is paper thin at best. Often, it is simply a carbon stain. It is VERY easy to go through it. High magnification and a steady hand does wonders. Go extremely slow on the prep. That's why I'm asking. So far I worked with airscribe and a sandblaster, works good on bone structures, but for the soft tissue not so much (too easy to go through) and I'm thinking if by your experience "hand needles and pins" scratching the matrix would be a better option for the body? I'm just unsure if the fish from 18" layer we usually see are normally preped by hand needles (that's what I got the impression) only or acids... Slow work is definitely the most helpfull method and a little experimentation will help to make a choice, but any tips appreciated. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 fantastic so far!! I've worked on a couple of those fish, and Xacto knives work well....you can scrape easily and control your pressure....also, the matrix will soften with water, so when you are close, you can wet it and brush out the nooks and crannies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 22 minutes ago, aeon.rocks said: Hi, thanks for fast replies! It's a fun material, I'm sure I'll have some. That's why I'm asking. So far I worked with airscribe and a sandblaster, works good on bone structures, but for the soft tissue not so much (too easy to go through) and I'm thinking if by your experience "hand needles and pins" scratching the matrix would be a better option for the body? I'm just unsure if the fish from 18" layer we usually see are normally preped by hand needles (that's what I got the impression) only or acids... Slow work is definitely the most helpfull method and a little experimentation will help to make a choice, but any tips appreciated. Thanks! I prep my GRF material with my air scribes. For the in between bits, it is Micro Jack territory. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagurus Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 That head looks terrific! Your careful prep has revealed the wonderful preservation of your specimen. Nicely done. I haven't used air-abrasion yet myself, but my experience with needles is that it's very easy to poke holes through the thin, non-bony material. I'm looking forward to seeing how your project progresses. Start the day with a smile and get it over with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted August 21, 2018 Share Posted August 21, 2018 Excellent job so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 Great job so far. Looks like split fish rock? Sometimes your gunna lose material no matter what. Ive been known to 'stop and glue' to try and save as much as possible when matierial just wants to release. some folks dont like glue though. Its in the hard rock where one can still use the air blaster and get away with it. But yeah, I would not dare use it for this softer rock fish. Good luck. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 Thank you! It's 18" layer Diplo and a nice surprise: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 Here's another update. Experimenting with combination of diff. techniques. Matrix is very soft, especialy compared to matrix I'm used to prep (non-fish), but I think split layer is a different one as 18". Thank you for the tip about Xacto knives. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 Very cool! Nice surprise for sure. Soft 18” layer? That’s a new one for me. Most of the stuff I’ve prepped from that layer is decently hard. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted August 23, 2018 Author Share Posted August 23, 2018 25 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said: Soft 18” layer? That’s a new one for me. Most of the stuff I’ve prepped from that layer is decently hard. Very soft compared to some trilobites matrix that I'm used to. But yes, relatively speaking, one could say it's decently hard, but it's still a soft rock hehe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 34 minutes ago, aeon.rocks said: Very soft compared to some trilobites matrix that I'm used to. But yes, relatively speaking, one could say it's decently hard, but it's still a soft rock hehe. I understand. Yes, it is soft compared to many rocks but hard compared to other GRF matrix. Play with a Split Fish specimen if you really want to know soft! Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf89 Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 1 hour ago, aeon.rocks said: Here's another update. Experimenting with combination of diff. techniques. Matrix is very soft, especialy compared to matrix I'm used to prep (non-fish), but I think split layer is a different one as 18". Thank you for the tip about Xacto knives. that's one of the best looking fish I've ever seen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paciphacops Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 On 8/23/2018 at 11:51 AM, aeon.rocks said: This is looking really awesome! The fin is beautifully preserved. Can't wait to see the rest. "Don't force it, just use a bigger hammer" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haravex Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 Thats some great prep work would love to try prepping one of these fishes myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted August 24, 2018 Share Posted August 24, 2018 That's world class right there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon.rocks Posted August 25, 2018 Author Share Posted August 25, 2018 Thank you! It's a nicely articulated specimen with good detailed preservation. GRF from the 18. layer are usually better preserved as in split fish layer and in my guess better for preparation too as split fish layer material, not much one can do there after it splits... Here's a pic how it started, unfortunatelly the block was damaged in shipping and the pieces didn't fit back together perfectly, took some stabilisation, filling the gaps and trying to make the gap less visible without paint, so it will not look as good as if the plate was complete, but ok, could be worse, at least all the important pieces are all there. The fish is just under the surface, which is good for preparation (less matrix removal) and although matrix is hard compared to some marly matrix fossils or split fish layer as Ptychodus04 mentioned, I would say 18. layer is a fun stuff to prep. But it takes very slow work, although this is what I would call a quick and fun prep in my book (relative to the size of the specimen) - it can be a very slow process - could be even down to 1 or 2-3 cm2 per hour, because some structures are preserved in 3D and some areas are very easy to go through. Will see how the rest comes out, hope the tail is good preserved and the break doesn't spoil it too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macrophyseter Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 That looks absolutely wonderful! Can't wait to see the finish product! If you're a fossil nut from Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Redondo Beach, or Torrance, feel free to shoot me a PM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 Beauty so far. About how big will this fish be when finished? ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan 1000 Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 Amazing! Can't wait for the next update Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 Your fish is preserved very nicely and you are doing a really good prep job. You also take some really good pictures! RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 Damaged in shipping is a very common event with GRF specimens. Long, thin specimens and traditionally careless/aggressive postal workers do not make good bedfellows. The large Diplomystus that I just finished was packed superbly (taped to a board, inside a box, packed inside another box with at least 6” of good packing material on all sides) and it still came through with a crack. Save a bit of your matrix from the prep. You can crush it up and make a paste with glue to fill in gaps. Your crack looks pretty clean so as long as you clamped it when you did the repair, you will likely barely be able to see the crack on the matrix and nothing on the fish itself when you finish. I would suggest mounting the slab to a piece of thick plywood or cement board right away so there’s no chance of the break coming back apart. The superb fish will draw all attention from the crack when you’re done. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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