matt cable Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 I have a question for those who use a Swamblaster. I'm having issues where the powder is clumping above and below the orifice plate. I'm using a Dolomite with 10-20% alumina oxide. I realize the Dolomite picks up water. I'm planning to look at limestone powder soon. I use a water trap and just recently added a desicant tube. I've also tried drying the powder in the oven for 30-60 minutes. That has helped, but it's still clumping. I also sieve all my material, so I don't think I'm plugging the holes. I end up having to shut down about every hour to two hours, empty the cannister and blow out the holes. It's been frustrating. My question is what size orifice plate do other people use? I bought mine new and they gave me #3462-1 which has 8 holes that are 0.016" (406um) in diameter or the smallest they produce. The powder I use averages ~45 um and I sieve to a 140 mesh or 104um, so the powder in the cannister should fit through the holes. I'm wondering if my nozzle size at the end is too small and I'm constricting the flow, backing up below the plate and then clumping above. I can unscrew the nozzle and clean out the backed up powder below the plate. By then the powder has clumped above and doesn't flow again without disassembly. I'm usually using pressures of 40-100 psi and 3-4 setting on the powder flow. If anyone who uses these can tell me if a larger orifice plate might help, I'd appreciate it. Or if you have any idea what I might be dealing with... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted February 12, 2010 Author Share Posted February 12, 2010 matt..... sorry I cant help, I dont have the kit myself... maybe someone who has can be of assistance.... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt cable Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 I think I've figured out my problem. Crystal Mark sent me an oriface plate with the smallest holes. I purchases a new plate with bigger holes and the powder is no longer clumping above and below it. *crosses fingers* 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted March 18, 2010 Author Share Posted March 18, 2010 The edge of an ammonite Im working on was missing.... The piece of the ammonite is on the beach somewhere or even up the cliff for that matter so to bring it back to life it needed a little section reconstructing.... I used a material called milliput, which is like two different coloured putty's you mix together and then mould it onto the object and shape it whilst it is in a plastecine state... after a few hours it sets hard and I usually wait at least 12 hours before I work it and shape it how I would like....you can grind it using dremmel type bits etc... once its gone off..... Instructions come with the material... 2 Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rover Posted May 15, 2010 Share Posted May 15, 2010 While I understand the aesthetic need for restoration on display pieces, I've never really liked doing it, myself. I prefer to display the pieces as naturally as possible - after I've taken most of the rock off, of course. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozen_turkey Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 When you put the sealent or polish on it how do you put it on? How much doyou you put on? And what type of fossil can you put it on (can it be put on a bracheopod, gastropod, streight c-pod, ect.)? Thanks -Frozen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted July 21, 2010 Author Share Posted July 21, 2010 (edited) Frozen-Turkey...... I generally use a clear marble floor polish so not to mask the colours of the calcite preservation in anyway..... I would usually apply it to anything calcitically preserved although I have seen stone polished and treated the in same way and you get a very similar kind of sheen but obviously not as 'deep'.... I apply it with an old toothbrush or paintbrush straight from the tin after warming the fossil so the floor polish runs on better but being very careful only to apply a very thin layer.... I stay just shy of the edges then I use a small paintbrush minimising what polish gets on the rock itself.... if I can I like to leave the rock natural looking as a contrast to the colour of the fossil... once the polish is applied leave everything to go cold and harden and then just buff up with an old rag..... The polsih comes off back to the natural fossil with just white spirits on a rag..... so its much better than varnish as its non perminant...... hope this helps.... Edited July 21, 2010 by Terry Dactyll 1 Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozen_turkey Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 Thanks of the Help. So would it work on a devonian braceopod shell? What glue sould i use to conect two good pieces of shale? (i use super glue but is ther something better?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted August 11, 2010 Author Share Posted August 11, 2010 frozen_turkey...... Your shell.... I would try on one thats not complete as a tester.... Superglue is the best glue for getting inside small fissures in shale fractures..... 1 Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjb6774 Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 Hi Terry - Brand new here and to fossiling iteself so an extremely basic question. In a rock like the one in the very first image, how on earth do you determine that there is something in there? I've looked very closely and to my highly untrained eye...nothing. Thanks, Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 (edited) Hi Gary.... Sorry for the late reply I have only just noticed your post... The very first image/photo on page 1 Im trying some tools on has nothing in it.. Its a chunk from a much bigger rock that I just used to show the tools on... So you know more than you think ... Edited February 9, 2011 by Terry Dactyll Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosmoceras Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Wow! Thanks for the tips! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted May 26, 2011 Author Share Posted May 26, 2011 Thomas... Your welcome, I hope it helps get you prepping your own fossils, it means so much more Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vordigern Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 wow, amazingly helpful post, thanks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lmshoemaker Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Nice, I'm just curious, is there any finish you could apply to say, "bring out" the natural color of the fossil? Water makes my fossils shine nicely, but obviously that isn't premanent and I need an alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Nice, I'm just curious, is there any finish you could apply to say, "bring out" the natural color of the fossil? Water makes my fossils shine nicely, but obviously that isn't premanent and I need an alternative. Our member docdutronc uses hair spray on his Carboniferous plant fossils. I have a nice selection of them, and can vouch for the effect. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 (edited) Auspex... I havent tried that one lol (makes note)... Cryptidsaurian... I usually use clear marble floor wax applied as described earlier but some fossils may need say a light coat of matt/silk artists varnish instead if they are not calcitic... gloss varnish may make them look a bit plastic'y... Theres no rules really its your fossil and you can do what you want to it... I would always advocate trying the finish out on a broken specimen from the same strata first though...as a tester kinda thing... Edited November 2, 2011 by Terry Dactyll 1 Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kehbe Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Thanks Terry for some great info on prepping! Now if I just had all of those tools you mentioned. I have been picking up fossils for years but I am new to the prepping of fossils and have broken a few specimens trying to 'chisel' them out of the matrix. Sometimes I get lucky and it breaks right where I want it to but 'hit and miss' is the best way to describe my prepatory skills! I have acquired an air chisel and compressor but still lack the air pens you speak of and am nowhere near ready to purchase the blasting equipment but have had some luck with an electric engraving tool for small stuff. I am getting ready to start on this piece of Horn Coral but the rock is super hard. The reason I want to try these are there are many of them at the site I found this one so if I break it, no big deal. Thanks again for the info, I may have more questions as I progress! It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. Charles Darwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 Kehbe...It looks like there is some natural seperation between the coral and matrix so you might just get lucky with this one... Try and dig down with the engraver at a steep angle but just to vibrate the rock away and make sure you dont push to hard and touch the fossil... Keep us posted with your progress...Looks like a nice specimen... 1 Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triagenut Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 ty for the post, the info was outstanding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 (edited) Great information - and glad I found this! I too, lack the tools mentioned and would have to learn to use them. I also found this paper (link below) on extracting fossils using hot water with vinegar and sometimes stronger chemicals and water blasting. I hope it will be of help to some of us; http://palaeo-electr...chalk/chalk.pdf I'm looking at extracting two fossils right now; Thumbnails; I think this might be an ammonite - but I'm no expert. It doesn't look heavy, but the entire matrix is 10 1/2 pounds. And this much larger one (entire matrix is about 90 pounds) - though someone told me it also looks like a "fiddlestick" plant; (sorry about the shadow below it - it was getting late). Any hints? Edited July 25, 2012 by Roadrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted July 27, 2012 Author Share Posted July 27, 2012 Could they both be worn Gastropods?... These guys will be more familiar with your local Geology... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 (edited) I don't know - I've got one mystery identification going on right now....so, I'll also put these in the ID section in a bit. I don't want to "hog" the area, as I really do have quite a number of unidentified fossils. And I have no clue on how to start extracting them - if I can at all. Edited July 27, 2012 by Roadrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted August 31, 2012 Author Share Posted August 31, 2012 Here's a new airtool I aquired from Ken Mannion fossil prep equipment here in the UK and I thought I would add it to this thread along with the other kit.... For bulk material removal for roughing out prior to penning you would really struggle to beat this... I should of invested in one ages ago considering the type of prepjobs I like...Very controllable and runs at 60psi and slices through the limestone like butter and the angle of the chisel head can be rotated easily to accomodate a comfortable grip to work angle...Its going to make 'sculptural changes' to the matrix very easy to undertake.... 4 Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astron Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Here's a new airtool I aquired from Ken Mannion fossil prep equipment here in the UK and I thought I would add it to this thread along with the other kit.... For bulk material removal for roughing out prior to penning you would really struggle to beat this... I should of invested in one ages ago considering the type of prepjobs I like...Very controllable and runs at 60psi and slices through the limestone like butter and the angle of the chisel head can be rotated easily to accomodate a comfortable grip to work angle...Its going to make 'sculptural changes' to the matrix very easy to undertake.... Congrats on this superb acquisition, Steve!!! It quite explains your speed up... Supposingly, it's not too expensive... Astrinos P. Damianakis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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