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How should I prepare this piece


Notidanodon

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How should I fix the broken tooth and stop the rock from crumbling also any help on identifying the fossils would be appreciated (apart from the mosasaur tooth

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That is really a great piece. Looks like you have a Mosasaur vert, shark vert, Squalicorax pristodontis tooth, along with the mosasaur tooth. As for the broken tooth could it be another mosasaur? Is this completely broke or do both pieces still stick to the matrix? I don't know about how to stop the matrix from crumbling but it looks really nice. It will be a nice and interesting display.

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I'd have a careful go at it with a pin vise and have a tube of fluid super glue handy in order to harden the parts you don't want to crumble. As to the broken tooth, you would need to separate the 2 parts, clean off the ends and realign them before you glue them back together. Nice acquisition!

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Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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3 hours ago, Darktooth said:

That is really a great piece. Looks like you have a Mosasaur vert, shark vert, Squalicorax pristodontis tooth, along with the mosasaur tooth. As for the broken tooth could it be another mosasaur? Is this completely broke or do both pieces still stick to the matrix? I don't know about how to stop the matrix from crumbling but it looks really nice. It will be a nice and interesting display.

Thanks, the very bottom fragment of the tooth is detatched from the matrix but the top is still connected the crumbly matrix is a problem though as it is very hard to glue to shall I apply varnish or sonething like that

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3 hours ago, Ludwigia said:

I'd have a careful go at it with a pin vise and have a tube of fluid super glue handy in order to harden the parts you don't want to crumble. As to the broken tooth, you would need to separate the 2 parts, clean off the ends and realign them before you glue them back together. Nice acquisition!

Would it be easier to leave the large piece attached but thank you it is very helpful (:

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2 minutes ago, will stevenson said:

Thanks, the very bottom fragment of the tooth is detatched from the matrix but the top is still connected the crumbly matrix is a problem though as it is very hard to glue to shall I apply varnish or sonething like that

I don't know about applying varnish lets see what others have to say about that.

Dipleurawhisperer5.jpg          MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png

I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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57 minutes ago, will stevenson said:

Would it be easier to leave the large piece attached but thank you it is very helpful (:

I think you'll have to decide that for yourself. Your point of view is much better than mine.

 

Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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Ok thank you I was just wondering as moisture caused it to crumble much faster so I thought that I could seal it off with non shiny varnish to stop the transfer of moisture

55 minutes ago, Darktooth said:

I don't know about applying varnish lets see what others have to say about that.

 

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15 minutes ago, will stevenson said:

Ok thank you I was just wondering as moisture caused it to crumble much faster so I thought that I could seal it off with non shiny varnish to stop the transfer of moisture

 

There are things you can use to consolidate and stabilize but I have little knowledge of actually using this stuff and I also have little knowledge of the Moroccan matrix. Things like Paleobond and Butvar are discussed often on the forum. @Haravex probably can give insight as he has hunted in Morocco and am sure has dealt with this issue in the past. Hopefully he will reply soon.

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I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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Varnish is evil for fossils. It’s bad in every possible way. Go for a bit of Paraloid as it will stabilize the matrix well. It can be had rather inexpensively and dissolved in acetone. Brush a couple coats on the matrix (after you do any cleanup) and you’ll be in good shape. 

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6 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said:

Varnish is evil for fossils. It’s bad in every possible way. Go for a bit of Paraloid as it will stabilize the matrix well. It can be had rather inexpensively and dissolved in acetone. Brush a couple coats on the matrix (after you do any cleanup) and you’ll be in good shape. 

Thanks a lot I will try this

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7 hours ago, DLB said:

Nice fossil by the way it should turn out really well

Thanks I will try yes yes is this a brand or product?

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10 hours ago, Darktooth said:

There are things you can use to consolidate and stabilize but I have little knowledge of actually using this stuff and I also have little knowledge of the Moroccan matrix. Things like Paleobond and Butvar are discussed often on the forum. @Haravex probably can give insight as he has hunted in Morocco and am sure has dealt with this issue in the past. Hopefully he will reply soon.

Thanks

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I've never actually prepped any phosphate material however it looks to be relatively soft matrix try dental picks and brushes the cheap make up ones you can get work really well. I would start by removing the matrix from the obvious need cleaning areas such as what is obscuring you viewing the fossil.

Next would be stabilise the bulk of the matrix what is holding all the fossils together I would recommend using paraloid b72. Now for the tooth you can leave it as is however once you have done all these steps carefully extract the broken tip by removing excess matrix and reattaching using a good strong super glue.

Again I'm not a professional but am an enthusiast and learning as I go there is to my knowledge no hard or fast rules when it comes to prep work, with that said I hope this is some use and help to you.

 

Thanks Matt

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18 hours ago, Haravex said:

I've never actually prepped any phosphate material however it looks to be relatively soft matrix try dental picks and brushes the cheap make up ones you can get work really well. I would start by removing the matrix from the obvious need cleaning areas such as what is obscuring you viewing the fossil.

Next would be stabilise the bulk of the matrix what is holding all the fossils together I would recommend using paraloid b72. Now for the tooth you can leave it as is however once you have done all these steps carefully extract the broken tip by removing excess matrix and reattaching using a good strong super glue.

Again I'm not a professional but am an enthusiast and learning as I go there is to my knowledge no hard or fast rules when it comes to prep work, with that said I hope this is some use and help to you.

 

Thanks Matt

Thanks so much Matt that is very useful I will try paraloid b72 and super glue 

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I thought I had already commented on your very nice specimen, but I see I did not follow through. It is a nice display piece in that it shows a variety of fossil types. If it were mine I would not dislodge the large crown from its resting place. I think the piece displays well with components in situ. I would only do minor prep. Just a little clean-up/uncovering. A needle and pin vise will do very nicely with the granular matrix. For consolidation with an acetone based material, be aware that breathing acetone is not a good idea. So be mindful of proper ventilation.

Below is my old post you may find interesting. It is obviously the cousin of your piece and the matrix shown there should work very much like yours. 

  

 

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Personally I’d clean up around the vert so it stands out a bit more and clean the debris looking matrix and keep it as a whole display piece.

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