RJB Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 After a heck of alot of thought over quite a bit of time, I decided to cut a bunch of rock off this huge fish! Look familiar @Ptychodus04? It was just too big and too heavy!!! I sanded all the edges up purty good and then attached a french cleat with shim with a 2 part epoxy and after it cures it will also be screwed onto the backing so as to make the most strongest connection possible. This fish is easily wide enough to be able to screw the wall cleat onto 2 different wall studs. After a devistating earthquake that destroys our house,,,, this fish will still be attached to the wall!!! Ha! RB A bit dusty after all the sandiing. All it needs now is a day or two to cure and this monster will be ready to hang onto the wall!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 1 hour ago, RJB said: Look familiar @Ptychodus04? Yep. And I have to agree. It was too big and heavy! I almost threw out my back prepping it. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted February 7, 2020 Author Share Posted February 7, 2020 Been working on a lot of my smaller fishy's and hanging up more fish onto my office walls! Ive decided to put on the heaters in my garage one of these days soon so I can finish up all these little ones ive been ruffing out and getting ready for the air abrasive machine. RB Ive named this guy Mr Tank!!! A small but very robust Mioplosus!!! Just look at the shoulders on this guy! A weight lifter for sure! It took me this far to realize this was a Phareodus and not a Diplomystus!!! A very nice surprize! This Diplo is in some very nasty rock so gunna be intersting to see what the air abrasive does? How can you not like this little guy. This little Cockerellites liops is in a very nice state of preservation and I might even be able to get the fins to finish out? A small diplo with some tail end problems. Not good. What a freakin little beauty! Been waiting to prep this little Phareodus for quite a few years! Very soon this will be up on one of my office walls. Wooooop Woooooop!!! and @Ptychodus04, this is my view every morning now when I come into my office. Thanks man! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 You’re getting after it Ron! Nice fishies there. The big guy (remember, I named him Rocky because is face looked like he went 15 rounds with Apollo Creed? ) looks great on your wall. I’m impressed that he didn’t pull the Sheetrock off the wall!! 1 Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted February 8, 2020 Share Posted February 8, 2020 Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my chin! great looking wall and some nice future projects! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted February 9, 2020 Author Share Posted February 9, 2020 On 2/7/2020 at 4:12 PM, Ptychodus04 said: I’m impressed that he didn’t pull the Sheetrock off the wall!! French cleat screwed onto 2 studs. Looks like Rocky and Rocky are going to not get along. I named an ammonite cluster 'Rocky' a long time ago. If I shout out roooooocky, who's attention am I gunna get? RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 3 hours ago, RJB said: French cleat screwed onto 2 studs. Looks like Rocky and Rocky are going to not get along. I named an ammonite cluster 'Rocky' a long time ago. If I shout out roooooocky, who's attention am I gunna get? RB I bet neither respond. Here’s my Rocky, he’s always up for a ride in the truck. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daves64 Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 3 hours ago, RJB said: French cleat screwed onto 2 studs. Looks like Rocky and Rocky are going to not get along. I named an ammonite cluster 'Rocky' a long time ago. If I shout out roooooocky, who's attention am I gunna get? RB Probably a neighbor thinking you're watching an old movie. Accomplishing the impossible means only that the boss will add it to your regular duties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted February 12, 2020 Author Share Posted February 12, 2020 Been out in the garage, (aka, prep lab) lately and kept on working on a bunch of my smaller fishes lately. The last prep session I turned on my little garage heater the day before so the pipes would be warm and hopefully not condense with water!!! Always a bad thing. It actually worked though and I was able to do some air abrasion for the intire day. Well, my day ended at just after 3pm, but for me, thats purty dang good. Today was a bunch more air scribe work, (and let me tell you,,, each and every one of these are in a different kind of rock!) and a couple of days from now will be some more air abrasive work. Here is a picture of some Green River fish that ive been working on. There are 3 more not pictured here. Just not enough room, but man-o-man am I having fun. Always nice to be out in the garage....... and sippin some wiskey too!!! RB 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 Sounds like a great way to spend a day to me! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 21 hours ago, Randyw said: Sounds like a great way to spend a day to me! Spend enough days like this and you get sick at the thought of prepping another fish! I started a Mioplossus last week that looks like it is going to be superb and I was almost disappointed it wasn't junk so I could toss it aside when I knew I was staring down the barrel of 20 hours to spend on it. 1 Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 1 hour ago, Ptychodus04 said: Spend enough days like this and you get sick at the thought of prepping another fish! I started a Mioplossus last week that looks like it is going to be superb and I was almost disappointed it wasn't junk so I could toss it aside when I knew I was staring down the barrel of 20 hours to spend on it. There’s several statements here I don’t understand... “sick of prepping” and “toss aside” I don’t think those go together with the word fossil.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 3 hours ago, Randyw said: There’s several statements here I don’t understand... “sick of prepping” and “toss aside” I don’t think those go together with the word fossil.... They go together after decades of heavy prepping. My buddy calls it fossil snobbery. Eventually, you become pretty jaded and stuff that you would have prized 10 years ago are pieces you don’t even bother picking up. 1 Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted February 14, 2020 Author Share Posted February 14, 2020 16 hours ago, Randyw said: There’s several statements here I don’t understand... “sick of prepping” and “toss aside” I don’t think those go together with the word fossil.... @Ptychodus04 is right. If a fossil doesnt have the potential to become an A-Grade fossil, they can easily be tossed aside. After preppin 30,000 b-grade fossils one really starts to look for the top grade material. RB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadrosauridae Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 I'd love to have a few of your cast asides to practice on! 1 "There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 3 hours ago, hadrosauridae said: I'd love to have a few of your cast asides to practice on! I have a couple. If they aren’t good enough for him, they are typically junk. JK, @RJBs cast offs are typically B+ or even A-! The problem is that he makes prepping crabs look easy when it is some of the hardest stuff out there. I work on mine for a few hours and then put them away for a few weeks to recover from the abuse they give me. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadrosauridae Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 26 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said: I have a couple. If they aren’t good enough for him, they are typically junk. JK, @RJBs cast offs are typically B+ or even A-! The problem is that he makes prepping crabs look easy when it is some of the hardest stuff out there. I work on mine for a few hours and then put them away for a few weeks to recover from the abuse they give me. I've watched some crab concretion prep vids. It definitely looks to be very time and labor intensive. On top of that, I'm sure its about 50X harder than it looks for a neophyte like myself. "There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 You’re right! I’ve gotten some of @RJB and @Ptychodus04 cast offs before (and I hope they will keep me in mind when they have more) and they are indeed still quality pieces! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 20 hours ago, hadrosauridae said: I've watched some crab concretion prep vids. It definitely looks to be very time and labor intensive. On top of that, I'm sure its about 50X harder than it looks for a neophyte like myself. I definitely wouldn’t start with them! 19 hours ago, Randyw said: You’re right! I’ve gotten some of @RJB and @Ptychodus04 cast offs before (and I hope they will keep me in mind when they have more) and they are indeed still quality pieces! There’s always more. It just takes getting out to get some, then prepping through a bunch of specimens to decide which ones make the cut. Next time I’m in Kemmerer, I’ll make sure to grab some intentionally for you to prep. 1 Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 On 2/14/2020 at 7:13 AM, hadrosauridae said: I'd love to have a few of your cast asides to practice on! Most of my 'cast' asides get sold for gas moneys. Sorry On 2/14/2020 at 12:26 PM, Randyw said: You’re right! I’ve gotten some of @RJB and @Ptychodus04 cast offs before (and I hope they will keep me in mind when they have more) and they are indeed still quality pieces! My middle son has exspressed some serious interest in starting to do fossil prep and I told him he could pick out some things for practice. Im purty sure he's gunna pick out a couple of big boxes worth of stuff. Sorry RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadrosauridae Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 If your cast-offs are still worth $$$, then youre right to sell them off. Exploration and prospecting takes a lot of time and gas! If you get any more that you youd rather sell than prep, please keep the forum in mind! "There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 Took me a bit over 4 hours to get the fins on this little Phareodus prepped out. At first, when I tried to do some air abrasive work on it with soda bicarb and figured out it wasnt gunna work, (rock harder than the bone), I almost tossed it aside. Then with a bit of airscribe work the last hard layer of rock was coming off purty dang good but I was very very nervous about the rock coming off the fins? I was convinced that it was going to destroy the fins! Boy was I wrong and what a wonderful thing to be wrong this time! It was very slow going and I was constantly stopping and gluing and I did lose some bone material but overall it came out FANTASTIC!!! I still have a lot of cleanup and rock work and I just may put the fossil sauce on the intire rock plus the fish to stabilize this thing. Very weird rock. Lots of hard layers but not really stuck together? The fish in the upper middle is the one im working on. Doesnt look like much here. here is the upper middle fish after about 4 hours 20 minutes. Fins are almost always super tuff and these were not easy at all, but daaaaaangoooooola did they come out nice with some TLC. All airscribe work. Still has a lot of clean up and rock work to do. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 8 minutes ago, hadrosauridae said: If your cast-offs are still worth $$$, then youre right to sell them off. Exploration and prospecting takes a lot of time and gas! If you get any more that you youd rather sell than prep, please keep the forum in mind! I have sold a ton of my cast offs on this forum over the years and I have right now lots of stuff to sell, but for me, I have to be in the sales mood. Selling is a job nowadays for me. There will come a time when I will all of a sudden just start posting stuff for sale. Then when all that is done I will tire of it and wait for the sales mood again. Just the way I roll nowadays. RB 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 2 hours ago, RJB said: My middle son has exspressed some serious interest in starting to do fossil prep and I told him he could pick out some things for practice. Im purty sure he's gunna pick out a couple of big boxes worth of stuff. Sorry Nothing to be sorry about! I’m ecstatic that you’re passing your knowledge on to your next generation! The rjb bloodline keeps prepping! Maybe he’ll be the guru to got to when we’ve gone to the great prep station in the sky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 7 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said: There’s always more. It just takes getting out to get some, then prepping through a bunch of specimens to decide which ones make the cut. Next time I’m in Kemmerer, I’ll make sure to grab some intentionally for you to prep. I think I just peed myself a little in happiness! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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