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Fern Prep


historianmichael

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My dad and I collected this large fern several months ago in PA and have since contemplated how best to prepare it in order for the fossil to be visible.  When the material is dampened, the fossil is visible; but, when the shale dries, the fern kinda disappears back into the material. We read somewhere that coating the material in Butvar may darken the material and may make the fossil more visible; however, we would love to hear the thoughts and suggestions on this group. Any help is greatly appreciated.

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Follow me on Instagram (@fossil_mike) to check out my personal collection of fossils collected and acquired over more than 15 years of fossil hunting!

 

 

 

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That is a beauty! You have the majority of the blade.

I know nothing about prep. I have played with prepping some of my Carboniferous plant material, but mostly it is removing matrix that is covering plant material to expose it.

The blade itself looks almost perfect. I wouldn’t do anything to prep it.

Now if you’re talking about the stuff on the left that is a different story. It could use some work. Or if you’re talking about preservation that’s is another story.

@Plantguy ,  @minnbuckeye and @nala may have something to say.

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I would suggest painting over the leaves with a beeswax finish or buvtar as already suggested using a fine brush. Don't do any mechanical prep on it though otherwise you'll ruin it.

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Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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I agree with Ludwigia and my choice always depends on the nature of the stone in hand. When I have had the opportunity to collect ferns, the matrix is usually quite unstable . If this is the case, definitely use something like buvtar, in that it will keep the matrix from crumbling with time. It is easy to put too concentrated of a solution on. Go dilute and reapply as needed to get the finish and stability that is needed.  If not, bees wax will bring out the fern. 

 

 Nice  Pecopteris fern I think.

 

 Psaronius Pecopteris Illustration

Pecopteris - Tree Fern
La terre avant le deluge, 1874, 7th edition. (Public Domain) 

 

Description

Seed Ferns, which are technically called (Peridospermatophyta), are some of the most common plants in the Carboniferous coal forests. They are often preserved as intricate carbon films and are prized by fossil plant collectors. The name comes from the fact that they had fern like foliage, but reproduced with seeds. Many seed ferns of the Carboniferous were tree like, while others were vine like. The tree forms did not have true trunks, but instead  had a large trunk that was made from hundreds of tiny roots.

Two common seed ferns from the Pittsburgh area are Psaronius (Pecopteris) and Medullosa (Macroneuropteris).

Psaronius (Pecopteris)
Psaronius was a tree fern that grew up to 30 feet in height. The fern like fronds of Psaronius are composed of many small leaflets. The leaf fossils are called Pecopteris. Fossilized leaf sections are very common in the shale layers around Pittsburgh.

 From  Fossilguy.com

 

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29 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said:

What @Tidgy's Dad said. Of course, I would add Paraloid to the list of possibles.

 

What Ptychodus04 said! Actually, I use paraloid myself.

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On 12/24/2018 at 10:28 PM, minnbuckeye said:

 

What Ptychodus04 said! Actually, I use paraloid myself.

What Mike said. 

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

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