Which Keichousaurus To Prep?

[jdiaz55]

I'm looking at purchasing another Keichousaurus for preparation, and wondering what the experts' opinions are on which of these two would be easier to prep for a relative beginner like me. The first one looks entirely covered in shale, and the second seems to be a little more exposed. I have my Paasche air eraser that I was planning on using, although if someone recommends an acetic acid prep over the air abrasive for these specimens for one reason or another, I would love to hear suggestions.

 

If the second one is more likely to be incomplete/damaged than the one under rock, I would prefer to stay away from that. But that being said, if it would truly be easier to work with the one that is already partially exposed, I am all for that! 

[Ptychodus04]

@jdiaz55, I would be inclined to go with #1 just out of personal preference. The images aren't the best but #2 doesn't look to be damaged. If you're looking for something to practice on, #2 is probably better since it is easier to see what's going on.

 

I would withhold my decision on prep method until I had the piece in hand. If the matrix is rather soft, abrasion might be the best route. If it is one of the harder varieties, I would definitely opt for acid prep. That being said, I have done a bunch of acid preps so I am comfortable with the process. Acid prep can go horribly wrong if not performed properly but when done right, it's hard to beat the results.

[steelhead9]

Either would be good to practice on. The second one is missing vertebra in the neck and has a fair amount of putty on it. Hard to tell what's there on the first one, but it may be nice. Comco sent 100 micron aluminum oxide instead of 50. I could send you a bag of the 100, but it just doesn't work on the keichs. They should be sending me the 50 on Monday. I will let you know when it arrives. Meantime, if you want, you can't do too much damage with sodium bicarbonate, although it will be slow going.

[jdiaz55]

17 hours ago, steelhead9 said:

Either would be good to practice on. The second one is missing vertebra in the neck and has a fair amount of putty on it. Hard to tell what's there on the first one, but it may be nice. Comco sent 100 micron aluminum oxide instead of 50. I could send you a bag of the 100, but it just doesn't work on the keichs. They should be sending me the 50 on Monday. I will let you know when it arrives. Meantime, if you want, you can't do too much damage with sodium bicarbonate, although it will be slow going.

I wondered if that's what that was on the neck, glad to hear that suspicion might be right!

 

Dang, that's a shame! No sweat, I can be patient and wait for the 50. Is the 100 pretty reliable for trilobites and fish? I'll definitely check out using some sodium bicarbonate, thanks for the tip!