Kane's Bug Preps

[Malcolmt]

43 minutes ago, FossilDAWG said:

That Cerarus slab reminds me of a project I would love to get into the hands of someone with prep experience in Verulam shale material.  Its a (unfortunately rather massive) limestone slab with a shale-filled depression on top, and in that depression are at least 12 complete Flexicalymene with possibly more still buried.  I collected it back around 1980 from the Lakefield quarry and after an initial ham-handed attempt at prepping with a hammer and small chisel I realized it needed to be left for someone with proper skills and tools.  Unfortunately the slab is 4-5 inches thick and very heavy so I need to figure out how to slice about three inches off the bottom.

 

Don

You were very fortunate to get in there. I went once by myself exploring the old blue book location of Ann Sabina,  probably around 1981, only stayed a few hours but did find a couple of decent flexis if I recall. I know Northern Sharks got a group in there or the General area maybe 6 to 7 years ago and it was nothing spectacular any more. The Sabina book was a great reference back then... totally dated now. At one point I figured I visited 90% of the locations mention in that book. She had a Whole series covering Ontario and Quebec mostly. Some are available online if you search....

[Top Trilo]

5 hours ago, Kane said:

At 10 hours. I still need to smooth out the tool marks around the edges of the trilobite (waiting on a stylus in the mail), and the restoration areas are temporary until the health order is lifted to allow the purchase of non-essential items so I can go to the hobby shop to get the paint needed to match the rest of the trilobite. 

That's a cool trilo. You did a wonderful prep job on a trilobite that looks extremely tough to prep. It looks like he is burrowing in the matrix.

That ceraurus plate will look great. How can you tell if it is ceraurus and not another genus when very little is showing out of the rock?

[FossilDAWG]

2 hours ago, Malcolmt said:

You were very fortunate to get in there. I went once by myself exploring the old blue book location of Ann Sabina,  probably around 1981, only stayed a few hours but did find a couple of decent flexis if I recall. I know Northern Sharks got a group in there or the General area maybe 6 to 7 years ago and it was nothing spectacular any more. The Sabina book was a great reference back then... totally dated now. At one point I figured I visited 90% of the locations mention in that book. She had a Whole series covering Ontario and Quebec mostly. Some are available online if you search....

At that time (~1980) there was still a few places along the cliff face that were still eroding and quite productive.  However about 80% of the old quarry face was not eroding, it was wet and covered in algae and moss and not productive.  The roadcut was also still a bit productive, I got some nice edrioasteroids there.  However the last time I looked at the roadcut, maybe 5-6 years ago, I found nothing, it has been picked clean.

 

Don

[Kane]

6 hours ago, Top Trilo said:

That's a cool trilo. You did a wonderful prep job on a trilobite that looks extremely tough to prep. It looks like he is burrowing in the matrix.

That ceraurus plate will look great. How can you tell if it is ceraurus and not another genus when very little is showing out of the rock?

Thanks!  The rock was a bit softer, but sometimes that isn't a good thing if it doesn't have good separation.

 

As for the plate, I'll claim a poor quality photo on my part! The very tiny ones circled already show a glabella (and in one case everything but the pleural tips, genals, and tail spines!). The middle, large one would likely be in the same grouping, and a very quick inspection with the abrader confirmed it was the ringleader of this Ceraurus circus.  

[Kane]

A trip plan fell through today, so I decided to get back to work in the lab continuing on an encrinurid. 

 

This was the initial state. A bit of the genal and some of axial rings were not great due to exposure. I was expecting it to be a roller, with its cephalon tucked into the rock. The rock itself is variable -- some parts melt like butter, and others are hard and calcitic. In this case, there were also other trilobite bits stuck to it as I went along, and those had to be very carefully removed. Not seen in this picture is that there is a complete eye on the left, which is rare to find in this species.

 

Work continued, and I was hopeful but not optimistic it would have both its cheeks (very rare!). It turned out to be semi-enrolled with the bubbling thorax. Not my favourite orientation. In addition, there is crush damage, and its listing to one side, almost as if half its cephalon got into a high speed collision with whatever fossil bit was in front of it.  

 

 

[Kane]

As I was coming close to near completion (I'll need something smaller than a 20 gauge needle to get the tiniest bits of matrix off, following Malcolm's rule!), I needed to remove a flake of hard calcitic fossil bit from near the glabella. With my Pferd, it is the gentlest of touches, if barely touching the area at all (I did the same to remove a sticky segment from the other side).

 

Just then, I gasped in the moment the whole thing popped off! My first thought was I would have to glue it back together. But, no, it came out complete! 

 

I may try to reattach it to the matrix for aesthetic purposes, or just leave as is and put it in a membrane case. And, huzzah, both cheeks and both eyes (although the other eye is a bit battered). Some finer touches later, but for now a rare encrinurid made more so by the fact that it is 99% complete:

 

 

[Top Trilo]

Great job Kane, looks very cool. I always enjoy watching preps

[Tidgy's Dad]

Brilliant work. 

Great that the encrinurid popped out like that and I adore that Paralejurus.  

[Kane]

Thanks!  

For a moment, I really thought the encrinurid would shatter into itty bitty bits as it seemed fairly fragile! 

[Tidgy's Dad]

7 minutes ago, Kane said:

Thanks!  

For a moment, I really thought the encrinurid would shatter into itty bitty bits as it seemed fairly fragile! 

I've had kittens when something's suddenly popped before now.

Usually it's been okay.  

[FossilNerd]

Nice work Kane, and congrats on the rare and (mostly) complete addition to them collection! 

[FossilDAWG]

I'd keep it as is and not try to reattach it to the matrix.  It came out really nice and you can see all the parts.  If you reattach it something will.have to be covered up.

 

Don

[Kane]

Just some quickies that need one more pass for cleanup. 

 

Can't locate the "before" image, but a plump Eldredgeops crassituberculata that was pretty gunked up: 

And a very thin-skinned Dysplanus acutigenia showing muscle attachment scars. One more quick pass to clean the remaining matrix. This one popped off, but rests comfortably in its matrix: 

[FossilNerd]

Nice job on those cute little rollers. 

[Kane]

After teaching this morning, spent 10 minutes doing prep. I've had this one for years but never got around to cleaning it until now. These are commonly wire-brushed, but detail gets lost that way. These are great starter bugs for those just getting into prep. A simple quickie using baking soda. At least now I can say I prepped an Elrathia. 

[fossilhunter21]

 

Nice job on that Elrathia Kane!  Actually nice job on all of them.     

[Kane]

Another encrinurid, this one prone. Sadly, no cheeks. Most specimens don't have them, but there is no way of knowing until one gets them under the scope and starts the prep. 

 

This is rubbly dolomite, sometimes stubborn and pebbly material in spots. After 20 minutes of spot abrasion, I knew there would be no cheeks: 

 

 

After a few hours of mostly using abrasion of a dolomite and baking soda mixture, and some scribe work to level it as well:

 

 

And pretty much 95% done. The remaining 5% would require much finer abrasion equipment. The right side of the pygidium is crushed. Prep of this material looks easy, but compositional variability of the matrix means having to readjust medium and pressures on a more frequent basis. A few unfortunate mistakes here and there. 

Moistened:

 

[fossilhunter21]

Nice job Kane!  I think it looks nice even without the cheeks.  

[Fossildude19]

Great job, Kane!

[FossilDAWG]

Looks fine to me.  No-one likes cheeky trilobites anyway. 

 

Don

[Huntonia]

Great work! Despite the missing librigena this bug is a real looker! 

[Kane]

Ecce Isotelus!

 

Well, not quite anywhere close to complete yet, but I figured I would post updates here to motivate me in getting this one done. 

 

I had found this in a quarry in the Quebec City area, Neuville Formation. Isotelus gigas are known in this formation, but rarely complete, and generally on the smaller side than their cousins in Ontario strata. Instead of the caramel brown of the Verulam Fm (waving hello to Roger's Kermit!), they preserve black akin to the Isotelus "mafritzae" and I. latus of the Cobourg/Lindsay Fm. 

 

This one is a real chunk, and makes for the biggest specimen I've ever prepared. The initial state as found is pictured here. Sadly, a bit of the right side is gone. Found in a blast pile that was tumbled by a dozer, I couldn't find the missing piece.

[Kane]

It is hard to convey the depth/relief of this trilobite with the photos. There was about three inches or more of dense matrix atop this one. I was going to entrust this to the great Malcolm, but I really need to fight my own battles.  

 

Initially I scored some areas with the angle grinder to reduce the rock so it would fit in the blast box. I recently bought a diamond wheel for my rotary dremel to score hatches in the matrix that were then popped off with an ME-9100 -- the workhorse of my scribes. 

 

This is not an easy "matrix pop-off" job, though; the skin is very delicate, thin, and flaky. The trilobite wants to be a steinkern! On account of that, I have to be extremely careful about imparting too much vibration. Under the scope, I see sudden cracks in the shell form, which means I have to down tools and whisper a bit of cyanoacrylate on those before any further vibration sends the shell bit flying. 

 

Despite taking so much care, accidents do happen. Those can be resolved with a bit of minor restoration. 

 

When I *finally* reached the axis is pictured here. Again, depth is not shown, but it is still about an inch or more of a hole.

[Kane]

I've left some "ridges" at the posterior end of the trilobite, as those cannot just be popped off without risking shell-loss, so it will be careful grinding down and using a Pferd to delicately remove as close to the shell as possible, and then possibly some light PSI abrasion (if not stabilizing with a bit of cyano along the way).

 

My focus is now on the cephalon to see how deep it goes, and then work it back carefully to the eyes. The pygidium is sharply tucked down around where my thumb is in this photo. the left pleurae should be complete. 

 

According to the measurements so far, and referencing the Rudkin and Tripp article a great member sent my way, I estimate the complete dorsal shield will measure between 9-11 inches. This would make it among the largest found in Quebec. Pardon the appearance so far... A lot of dust and glue as I rough it all out. I'm about 25+ hours in, and likely have 25-50 more hours to go (made longer by waiting on glue to dry). I'll update when I hit more prep "milestones" with this one.

 

Oh, did I happen to mention the added challenge of the rock being riddled with cracks? 

[daves64]

25 minutes ago, Kane said:

Oh, did I happen to mention the added challenge of the rock being riddled with cracks? 

Yup.. you did indeed mention it. It's right there ^^^^^^ 

Like the tortoise & hare story, Slow and steady wins the race.  But.. I don't think any of us can wait to see it finished, so.....