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Field Collecting Equipment?


PaleoPutz

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Hello, I tried searching for this info, but I don't think I entered the correct phrase. I apologize if this as been asked and answered.

I am possibly goint to attempt some trilobite collecting in a few days. I will be going to south-central Oklahoma to dig in the Haragan Formation and Bois d' Arc Formations.

I am wondering what kind of equipment I will need to make sure I am prepared? It is a long drive for me so if I forget something I will probably be stuck without it. I have a 22 ounce rock hammer and a couple rock/concrete chisels. One is narrow (3/4") and one is wider (1 and 1/2"). I am also planning on taking a pry bar, and some bubble wrap if I find anything.

Of course, I will have gloves and safety glasses for chipping rock, a backpack, water and all of that. Is there anything else I need?

Thanks, Jeremy

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Paleoputz....As Bowkill pointed out in his list in the link.... Dont forget your superglue.... its good to glue bits back on in the field, before they can get knocked about in transit... and bring a whole specimen back with you...

Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... :)

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I like to carry an assortment of prescription plastic containers to store my best finds in to keep them from banging around and getting broken in transit. Also take some paper towels, tissues, and news papers to wrap the fossils in for their protection.

JKFoam

The Eocene is my favorite

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'Chinese takeaway' containers. Wrap the fossil/matrix in paper, or whatever and place inside. They take hardly any space while empty, (stacked inside each other), but of course, more when full.

KOF, Bill.

Welcome to the forum, all new members

www.ukfossils check it out.

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Where I hunt, it's almost exclusevly splitting shale and mudstone. I used to use a standard rock hammer and chisels, several. I use a system where I wear a wide (very wide) nylon belt with two construction type hammer rings. Get em at Home Depot. I keep a standard geology hammer in the right one and a two pound mini sledge in the left. I walk and crack with the geo hammer in rt hand. If I find something bigger I want to dissasemble, I place my geo hammer on the plane I want to split take out the mini and wack, she pops open. It makes covering distance a breeze and I'm not fumbling around in my back pack for a chisel. I also painted my stuff with blaze orange, keeps me from leaving a tool behind.

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Thanks for the tips everyone... great advice. I would have forgot my hand magnifier if it was mentioned here. I'm not quite sure what kind of rock harvesting it will be because I haven't been down there yet. I'm looking forward to it though.

Thanks again for all of the great help.

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I wear shatter proof glasses but if you have perfect vision then get some goggles or shop glasses and keep them eyeballs intact. Especially when whaling away at some of that hard limestone. And as said before, lots of small containers for the delicate stuff.

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Make sure your finds are wrapped very well--toilet paper, paper towel, newspaper, and especially cotton work well. It's best to wrap them and then put them in a hard case/container. Nothing worse than finding a great specimen and it gets broken in transit :(

Besides that, it sounds like you have everything you need :D

I basically have the same tools as ashcraft--flags for marking spots are handy sometimes--that particular chisel is the best as well.

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Another item I like having with me is a small tray to place fossils in as I go but before I pack them away. I use a frisbee. It's not practical when on a steep slope or talus but when doing a crawl it is mighty handy. I also have chicken legs and knee pads are never comfortable so I use one of those garden kneeling pads which also makes for a comfy seat at lunch time.

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No one has mentioned it, but I use aluminum foil to protect my finds in the field. It is cheap, effective, and light weight.

Second that, I carry a roll of paper towels and several yards of the heavy duty aluminum foil. All folded up, it takes no room in the pack. A layer of paper towel then wrap in the foil. It really does a nice job. Protects your treasures far better than you might think.

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  • 4 weeks later...

From state to state as province to province

The rule may change, check things out first.

Here up Alberta Canada without a permit

ALL YOU CAN USE IS YOUR FINGERS

I do have a hammer for digging potty holes

And I do have or did have strong fingers

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  • 2 years later...

I'll second that flyguy, I have used paper towel, aluminum foil combo lots. It works really well. Also, if you can get the fossil fairly clean, green painters tape works well to hold stuff together as you put it in the paper towel.

A fossil hunter needs sharp eyes and a keen search image, a mental template that subconsciously evaluates everything he sees in his search for telltale clues. -Richard E. Leakey

http://prehistoricalberta.lefora.com

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  • 2 weeks later...

If you check carefully,a small pistol can be helpful.I found a nice hunting spot with Water Mocs.A 22 has saved my bacon more than once.

Bear-dog.

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Flyguy was right to address the hammer situation. if you are going to end up hammering for a long time, it is important that you have the right tools ( and of the right weight). Since you don't know what might be right for the site (or for you) i suggest bringing a couple of hammers ( of different weight). if the hammer is too heavy for you, then you will get tired too fast, if the weight of the hammer is too light, you may not be getting a strong enough blow. Also, about the chisels. I almost never use those. I use my masonry hammer ( with the chisel end) as the chisel. This make it easier for me to hold it with my left hand as i bang on it with a small sledge in my right hand. This technique will work for many if not most fossil collecting applications. In any case, it's good to have a sledge with you just in case. (normally 2-5 lbs is enough). It's good that you have a couple of chisel sizes, this will probably be sufficient. Also rather than go crazy tryng to bring everything ( even though its important to have the stuff you think you will need), look up a home depot store in the area. In case you find you need something else when you are on site, you wil have a chance to go and buy it. Most of the tools you will need, superglue, padding material, paper towels, container, etc can be found there.

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...Also, about the chisels. I almost never use those. I use my masonry hammer ( with the chisel end) as the chisel. This make it easier for me to hold it with my left hand as i bang on it with a small sledge in my right hand...

As long as your hand sledge does not have a hardened face. It is very dangerous (not to mention destructive) to strike hardened hammer peens against one another; sharp shards of steel can be launched at high velocity, ruining your tools, and possibly your day...

"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!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Have a roll of masking or duck tape along to "hold" the fossil while you chisel it out. I feel safer having a survival whistle along in case I fall and hurt myself :). A bottle of water, for drinking, yes, but also to squirt on a rock to "see" it better and decide if it is a fossil. I use a cut off paint brush in the field to brush off sand and mud. And I keep a notebook and camera to record where I found the fossil.

The more I learn, I realize the less I know.

:wacko:
 
 

Go to my

Gallery for images of Fossil Jewelry, Sculpture & Crafts
 

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One thing ive started using when i hunt is a pair of soccer shin guards under my jeans. I tend to have rocks hit my shins when i hunt. I havn't learned to get out of the way.

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Carry a small adjustable rake with you. It helps remove leaf litter and rough up soil as well.

The one I got has small wire fingers so that it will only rake up larger fossils.

The one I got looks just like this.

Adjustable-Rake-top-110-.jpg

It is nice because you can rake a small area or a larger area and even use it while sitting or kneeling on the ground.

Being adjustable also makes it smaller for transport as well.

Robert
Southeast, MO

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As long as your hand sledge does not have a hardened face. It is very dangerous (not to mention destructive) to strike hardened hammer peens against one another; sharp shards of steel can be launched at high velocity, ruining your tools, and possibly your day...

I'm glad you brought this up, Auspex. Striking hammer heads together is a dangerous proposition, and should be discouraged. Like Auspex mentioned, the hammer you're swinging can explode back in your face.

I was also going to suggest a small spade shovel with a closed handle. I picked one up at Home Depot for 7 bucks. It's only about 30" in length, and quite versatile.

Finding my way through life; one fossil at a time.

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  • 3 years later...

With all the talk of small containers let me counter with a dozen egg cartons; Styrofoam and cardboard, both work equally well.

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I like to use those small paper lunch bags that kids use for school. You can write notes on them for each specimen, instead of carrying a notebook. This is really valuable if your hunting involves driving and searching over a wide area, so you can note down the location and then keep track of your associated fossils. The paper bags also act as a buffer to prevent the fossils from banging around against each other.

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