Cleaning fossils?

[Zenmaster6]

I'm working on getting equipment to clean fossils, however I've ran into this problem. If the air scribe never seems to come with an air compressor, how do they expect you to use it?

So I have found two tools,   the air scribe with those hose and scribe but no compressor. 

The second thing I have found was the air abrasive tool with the compressor. 

Can I simply use the same compressor for both parts or will I need to buy a special air compressor for each. I hope I can just use the same one.

[caldigger]

Not sure what kind of PSI that little unit would put off or if an airbrush can be used for abrasives.

Hopefully one of our prep gurus will come along shortly to answer these questions.

@Ptychodus04 @Peat Burns

[Fossildude19]

That compressor will not work for moving media . It is designed to move paint, not media.   

That is also an airbrush, ... not an "air eraser".   

The larger the compressor the less it runs between cycles of  filling up the holding tank. 

You can use a 3 gallon "pancake" type compressor, but it is going to be running constantly. 

 

It is generally understood that you need to own or buy a compressor separate from the tools. 

That is why prepping is so expensive.   

 

You can use one compressor, but it will usually only run one tool at a time. 

Most people use one of these for multiple tools.

 

[Ptychodus04]

In order to run an air scribe well you need a compressor with a minimum of 4cfm at 90psi and a 10-15 gallon tank. You can go lower cfm and smaller rank but you’ll be working your compressor to death. My compressor pushes 6cfm and has a 21 gallon tank and works well.

 

An abrasive system doesn’t need as much air but it still needs a lot more than an airbrush. If you’re just getting started prepping fossils, I would suggest hand tools to begin as the cost is low. Once you decide you have the eye for prep, you can start dropping some serious money on gear.

[caldigger]

I hope our OP hasn't already purchased the airbrush system. 

You can probably pick up a compressor for the scribe at Harbor Frieght for not too much expenditure.

[Ptychodus04]

1 hour ago, caldigger said:

I hope our OP hasn't already purchased the airbrush system. 

You can probably pick up a compressor for the scribe at Harbor Frieght for not too much expenditure.

Definitely. I use one from there. For hobbyist use, it is more than adequate.

[jpc]

I agree with the others here... that little compressor is way too small to run an air scribe.  

 

Buying an air scribe is kinda like buying a a trailer...you don't get a free car with the trailer.  You have to have the power supply (car, or compressor) to run the tool (trailer or air scribe). 

 

There is a lot to learn about running a compressed air system than meets the eye.  I learned a lot of mine from the Grainger catalog.  The actual 3000 page catalog.  They have pretty good instructions on how to set up a compressed air system.  I could not find that particular info on their web site just now, but I bet there is good info out there, maybe even on this forum.

 

I agree with Ptych on starting with hand tools.  (I prepped my first fossils with a drywall screw.) 

[Mark Kmiecik]

You can ruin some good specimens by using power tools to prep them if you have no experience working with hand tools. All you have to do with a power tool is just touch the wrong spot and you've blown a chunk right off the specimen that fragmented into hundreds of tiny pieces that you'll never be able to find let alone reassemble. It is very easy to get under the edge, between the fossil and the matrix and start "erasing" the fossil.