MrBones Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 Hello, I would like to know if I can use regular drill bits on my dremel. I have a fossil that is currently soaking in soapy water to loosen up the sediment (likely made up of hardened clay with shell peices embedded into it). There is quite a bit of rock and I was wondering if I can use a drill bit on a dremel to shave off most of the rock. I do not want to chisel the fossil as I have tried this with similar fossils and have ended up cracking them. Feel free to critisize my methods as I am new to this and would like to learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daves64 Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 With a dremel, you might have better luck using a grinding wheel, maybe with occasional use of a cutting wheel. A drill bit is going to slide & jump around too much. 2 Accomplishing the impossible means only that the boss will add it to your regular duties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 It might help us if you could show us a few photos of the piece. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 An air scribe would be perfect for this and a lot less impact than a chisle but that can get expensive so i belive daves64 idea would be your cup of tea. A lot less exspensive and with patience should work fine. RB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facehugger Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 Dremel seems to be the budget route of prep tools, and is usually readily available due to the usefulness of the tool in other areas of life. A carving bit seems to work well, though I was very cautious with my strokes at first. I had a few slightly worn carving bits, and they did the prep work on the ammonite I recently posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBones Posted December 31, 2018 Author Share Posted December 31, 2018 Thanks for all the advise, I will try out all the methods that I can, since the fossil is actually a nice test piece. I will send a photo of the piece later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBones Posted December 31, 2018 Author Share Posted December 31, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 I would suggest no further prep on the echinoid. You risk completely destroying it. I started prepping with a small hammer and a long drywall screw. It takes a very long time to prep this way but you really begin to understand the mechanics of preparation. i greatly prefer impact over grinding. Impact allows you to capitalize on the common "separation layer" that typically exists where the matrix and fossil meet. 2 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...
Ludwigia Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 I agree with Kris. It looks like everything on that piece is firmly attached. You'd probably just end up breaking the echinoid. At least it's well visible on top. 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBones Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 I will see if i can chisel some of the rock at the very bottom sothat it is less chunky and more presentable. Any idea on how to get the worm tube off of the face, so far i have heard of the vinigar trick, just wondering if there is another method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 9 hours ago, MrBones said: I will see if i can chisel some of the rock at the very bottom sothat it is less chunky and more presentable. Any idea on how to get the worm tube off of the face, so far i have heard of the vinigar trick, just wondering if there is another method. You can try to get it to pop off with a dental pick but you have to be very careful not to scratch the echinoid. Vinegar will dissolve the echinoid test as well. 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...
MrBones Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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