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Sjfriend

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Finally gonna start acquiring some air prep tools (scribe and abrasive) to better my prepping. My question at this point is this, on the CP brand air scribes, can you use other tips? Have seen here where sometimes a longer or different shaped tip is useful but didn't see in the Amazon description that the tips are changeable. Looking at the CP9160 scribe. 

 

So glad I found this group. Already learned much :)

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Paleotools sells different tips. 

 

    Tim    VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
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7 hours ago, Fossildude19 said:

Paleotools sells different tips. 

 

I don’t think the ME9100 styli fit the CP936. I believe the only actual CP parts they sell are direct replacement.

 

In order to use the various styli available for the 9100, you have to swap out the CP front end for a ME front end as the diameter s are different. At least, that’s what they told me when I was looking to change the stylus on my old CP before it suffered from acute entropy increase.

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29 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said:

I don’t think the ME9100 styli fit the CP936. I believe the only actual CP parts they sell are direct replacement.

 

In order to use the various styli available for the 9100, you have to swap out the CP front end for a ME front end as the diameter s are different. At least, that’s what they told me when I was looking to change the stylus on my old CP before it suffered from acute entropy increase.

Problem is those tips are twice the price of the scribe. I've found a UK place that makes tips. Don't know if I'd want to see the shipping fees. Why does no one in the US carry? Guess will keep digging ;)

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No one has asked this yet, but I’m curious why you are opting for a CP rather than an Aro. What kind of matrix are you working with? 

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...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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31 minutes ago, Kane said:

No one has asked this yet, but I’m curious why you are opting for a CP rather than an Aro. What kind of matrix are you working with? 

I googled the model originally posted and that scribe is comparable to an Aro.

 

I got it in my head that the OP was talking about the CP9361 since it is the most common CP scribe used for fossil prep. :DOH:

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58 minutes ago, Sjfriend said:

Problem is those tips are twice the price of the scribe. I've found a UK place that makes tips. Don't know if I'd want to see the shipping fees. Why does no one in the US carry? Guess will keep digging ;)

Beware. Fossil prepping is not a financially sound investment. :P It will drain the royals coffers rather quickly.

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36 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said:

I googled the model originally posted and that scribe is comparable to an Aro.

 

I got it in my head that the OP was talking about the CP9361 since it is the most common CP scribe used for fossil prep. :DOH:

I assumed the same! :DOH:

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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For me, I do not like either the 9160 or 9361.   for what I do, I really like the extended stylus on the ME9100 and also love the tapered front end too!   When you have rock to remove and not alot of room to do it, that tapered front end comes in real handy!!!    In the picture, the ME9100 in on the right, ARO on the left. 

 

RB

Airscribes 1A.JPG

Airscribes 1B.JPG

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+1 on the longer stylus. Having gone through the frustration of the short, blunted factory tip, there are so many instances when you can't be working at a straight down 90 degree angle, or when you need to get into spaces that a short tip will never reach. More expensive, yes, but buying right the first time can spare a lot of aggravation and time. With the tools Ron showed above, I've cut down on prep time to a tenth of what it was on my previous setup, with far less dings. 

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...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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PREPPING IS A MONEY PIT........ it goes on for ever. It is not for the faint of heart and keeping your equipment running costs money...

 

I have never kept track but I easily have over $10,000 in my prep lab.

 

Any scribe is better than no scribe. No single scribe can do it all. I own 9 scribes and I still have two more on my I need to buy list.... The CP 9361 is a reasonable first scribe. If I was to choose between the original US made (not the knock off) ARO and a CP 9361 I would take the ARO every time. For me prepping mostly trilos and crinoids it is the more appropriate of the two. Now for the BUT......... I do own two CP 9361's that run very different from each other because I have set them up different. Different spring , different o-rings and different stylus. THE CP 9361 is not for your very fine detailed work. There are much better choices out there. My next purchase is likely a Paleotools Microjack 2 but they are very expensive.....especially when you are buying from Canada.

 

HOWEVER the scribe I use the most is a Pferd MST-31 with the fine stylus. Heck I have a British Seally scribe that I only use for heavy duty matrix removal on hard Moroccan material when the bug is buried deep

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1 hour ago, Kane said:

+1 on the longer stylus. Having gone through the frustration of the short, blunted factory tip, there are so many instances when you can't be working at a straight down 90 degree angle, or when you need to get into spaces that a short tip will never reach. More expensive, yes, but buying right the first time can spare a lot of aggravation and time. With the tools Ron showed above, I've cut down on prep time to a tenth of what it was on my previous setup, with far less dings. 

+1 on the +1 for the longer stylus! It is a must.

 

I use 4 different scribes depending on the amount of matrix that needs to be removed. My first scribe was an Aro and when I wore out the front bushing, I upgraded it to the longer Paleo Tools stylus. Then, I added the CP 9361 and used it for the more aggressive matrix removal until it suffered a catastrophic internal failure and shredded itself. At that point I upgraded to the ME9100. Next purchase was on the lighter side of things with a Micro Jack 4. It is a great detail scribe and under the microscope, I can bust individual grains of sand into powder. Fourth scribe is on the other end of the spectrum at a Paleo Tools Super Jack for all my rock pulverizing needs. That thing will rip through some matrix.

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And in terms of cost, I find I'm still adding tools to the mix to "start up" my lab while at the same time paying to keep it running. The more tools and parts you have, the more cash is needed for maintenance and replacements. The shopping list gets pretty long, and always seems to get longer as stuff wears out, or you run out of even the basic stuff like oil, tape, swabs, O-rings, bulbs, etc., etc. And the more prep you do, the more you realize it would be really handy to have that intermediate tool between the ones you have (for instance, I would love a Micro-Jack to function between my Aro and abrasion!). And all that doesn't even factor in the costs associated with collecting the material, either!

 

But after the thousands have been spent, you can end up with an object of pure beauty that you painstakingly prepared with your own hands. You can take pride in that kind of dedicated work, even if the bank account takes a hit. :P 

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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I was pretty happy with myself when I picked up my first scribe, a cp 9361 for $70 on an online auction site. Then I called the fine folks at paleotools and learned the longer stylus would run me $75 and it would require purchasing a new bushing for $85. Eventually I will have replaced all the parts with ones from paleotools and will have me a ME9100 that I built myself for a mere $1200.:D

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Living where I do my prep work will be minimal (flora most common and splits clean)  but I have stuff collected from years past and a recent surprise trip to New York. Mostly thinking about my trilobites from NY and UT but have some ammonites from NV. And now that I have this group to learn from, it's time to start prepping my finds. Was looking at the CP scribes due to availability, how many times mentioned, and base cost. But was interested in tip replacement since I didn't like the shorter one that comes installed.  Yes I would love the Paleotools stuff but the ME9100 is almost 1/3 of a full months pay (retired on disability so limits my toy funds). I did just find a different one online ( qtena.com/air-engraving-pen-br-pacific-pneumatic-8315c-air-scriber-p-2755.html ) that might work. Carbide tip, 36000 BPM and can get slightly longer tips. Guess for now though I'll just keep looking while I watch all your folks great finds :)

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56 minutes ago, Sjfriend said:

Living where I do my prep work will be minimal (flora most common and splits clean)  but I have stuff collected from years past and a recent surprise trip to New York. Mostly thinking about my trilobites from NY and UT but have some ammonites from NV. And now that I have this group to learn from, it's time to start prepping my finds. Was looking at the CP scribes due to availability, how many times mentioned, and base cost. But was interested in tip replacement since I didn't like the shorter one that comes installed.  Yes I would love the Paleotools stuff but the ME9100 is almost 1/3 of a full months pay (retired on disability so limits my toy funds). I did just find a different one online ( qtena.com/air-engraving-pen-br-pacific-pneumatic-8315c-air-scriber-p-2755.html ) that might work. Carbide tip, 36000 BPM and can get slightly longer tips. Guess for now though I'll just keep looking while I watch all your folks great finds :)

Your Utah trilobites might just need some abrasion. Your NY trilos can be prepared decently on the cheap side with whatever affordable scribe you land on, some picking work, plus some abrasion. If you have a Harbor Freight up in Alaska, you can acquire a cheap air eraser for probably well under $100. Going cheaper on tools for these specimens may take a little longer, but can achieve comparable results to more pricey equipment. Of course, practice on some expendable soldiers first to fine tune your technique -- the best tools in the world simply enable and facilitate a steady hand, patience, and experience. :dinothumb:

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...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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On 5/16/2019 at 7:50 AM, Malcolmt said:

PREPPING IS A MONEY PIT........ it goes on for ever. It is not for the faint of heart and keeping your equipment running costs money...

 

I have never kept track but I easily have over $10,000 in my prep lab.

 

Any scribe is better than no scribe. No single scribe can do it all. I own 9 scribes and I still have two more on my I need to buy list.... The CP 9361 is a reasonable first scribe. If I was to choose between the original US made (not the knock off) ARO and a CP 9361 I would take the ARO every time. For me prepping mostly trilos and crinoids it is the more appropriate of the two. Now for the BUT......... I do own two CP 9361's that run very different from each other because I have set them up different. Different spring , different o-rings and different stylus. THE CP 9361 is not for your very fine detailed work. There are much better choices out there. My next purchase is likely a Paleotools Microjack 2 but they are very expensive.....especially when you are buying from Canada.

 

HOWEVER the scribe I use the most is a Pferd MST-31 with the fine stylus. Heck I have a British Seally scribe that I only use for heavy duty matrix removal on hard Moroccan material when the bug is buried deep

@Malcolmt I heard you can buy the CP9361 bushing and longer tip from Paleotools but those kits are roughly $350 a pop. Any cheaper alternatives?

Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda

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On 5/16/2019 at 1:51 PM, Kane said:

Your Utah trilobites might just need some abrasion. Your NY trilos can be prepared decently on the cheap side with whatever affordable scribe you land on, some picking work, plus some abrasion. If you have a Harbor Freight up in Alaska, you can acquire a cheap air eraser for probably well under $100. Going cheaper on tools for these specimens may take a little longer, but can achieve comparable results to more pricey equipment. Of course, practice on some expendable soldiers first to fine tune your technique -- the best tools in the world simply enable and facilitate a steady hand, patience, and experience. :dinothumb:

Most of the time the Utah trilobites do just need some abrasion but lately I've been finding them covered in really hard shale. Kind of a pain which is why I just ordered the CP9361 for a solid $240 USD. The ME9100 is $650. That's out of my price range especially since I'll need to get a Dewalt 20 gallon electric compressor that runs up to 125 PSI.

Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda

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I think there is also a german conversion kit but I believe it is also quite expensive.

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Generally speaking, I recommend buying the best you can afford and then using it to the best of its capabilities. 

 

My first prep tools were rather rudimentary but I learned as I went along. I’ve upgraded tools many times over the course of 22 years of prepping.

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On 5/15/2019 at 7:37 PM, Ptychodus04 said:

I don’t think the ME9100 styli fit the CP936. I believe the only actual CP parts they sell are direct replacement.

 

In order to use the various styli available for the 9100, you have to swap out the CP front end for a ME front end as the diameter s are different. At least, that’s what they told me when I was looking to change the stylus on my old CP before it suffered from acute entropy increase.

Paleotools sells adaptors with bushings and tips to fit on either the ME9100 or CP9361 but at that point you're paying roughly $300 for just that bushing with tip which in my opinion isn't practical. I found some on online for $25: https://online.us/x9ZAaS

 

Just ordered a CP9361. Need to figure out what compressor to get that's actually affordable.

Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda

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1 hour ago, Fossil-Hound said:

Need to figure out what compressor to get that's actually affordable.

 

Do you have a Harbor Freight near you? They have a pretty decent 21 gallon compressor that will drive the CP for under $200.

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1 hour ago, Ptychodus04 said:

 

Do you have a Harbor Freight near you? They have a pretty decent 21 gallon compressor that will drive the CP for under $200.

Sounds good. Can you send me a link? What compressor do you use?

Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda

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  • 1 year later...

Hi, I have just brought a sealey air pen (it is the one listed on UKGEs site) and I am not sure on technique or anything like that so if anyone has any advice it would be great and we'll appreciated

 

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