Pterygotus Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 Hi. Found these teeth today in Dorset but the transportation box split open and mixed with the hammers! There are two teeth but are jumbled up. Any suggestions? I am going to try to superglue them together again but I’m not sure which belongs to which and may be missing pieces. Thanks in advance. I think they are both hybodontidiform shark. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connorp Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 We'll need better pictures to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 Yeah you really need to take close-ups of the fragments and even then we may not be able to ID until the pieces have been glued back together. I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 The first thing you'll need is at least 10x magnification mounted on a hands-free stand with good lighting. Then you'll need some super glue, a needle with which you'll apply the glue, fine-pointed tweezers, and two shots of Jack Daniels. The Jack steadies your hand and helps you to not care if you screw up in the process of restoration. But seriously, a 3D jigsaw puzzle at that size scale is tedious and takes a lot of careful dry-fitting. You have to be very careful to not cause additional fragmentation as well as removing loose particles that may be getting in the way of proper fit. It also requires a planned sequence of assembly because gluing two pieces may make it impossible for the next piece to fit in the void created by those two pieces where it needs to reside. You have to completely avoid creating acute angles in three dimensions. This is not as simple as it sounds, even with a small amount of pieces as in this case. Good luck! And I sincerely mean that. Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossil_sea_urchin Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 The top bit resembles an Asteracanthus tooth but unless there is a whole tooth it will be hard to tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Some good advice above. For future trips, I would recommend you take pictures of the fossil(s) prior to transit. A lot of us do so out of habit to show field shots and in situ placement of the fossil. A lot can happen in transit even with best efforts at being careful in wrapping, storing, and transportation of specimens. Having a quick photo shoot of your finds prior to leaving the site can be helpful in the event that you may need to reconstruct something that has broken along the way. 1 ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pterygotus Posted August 5, 2019 Author Share Posted August 5, 2019 Thanks everyone for your replies. The teeth came together but several fragments are missing. Not the best repair job I’ve seen , may need to reglue some pieces. @fossil_sea_urchin I don’t think it is asteracanthus because asteracanthus generally has flatter teeth but this one could just be contorted in some way. A few pieces might be a bit erratic because of excess glue so does acetone remove the glue and leave the fossil unharmed? The pieces and teeth are really fiddly and I keep dropping them everywhere and the superglue goes everywhere . The teeth from the area seem very fragile as both teeth broke slightly as soon as removed from the rock so is there some sort of preservation fluid that can be used on site? The smaller tooth is 5mm while the larger is 15. On 04/08/2019 at 12:26 AM, Mark Kmiecik said: and two shots of Jack Daniels. The Jack steadies your hand and helps you to not care if you screw up in the process of restoration. Very true, very true. Such wisdom in these very words. also, do the second to last two pictures vaguely resemble a very worn asteracanthus tooth? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossil_sea_urchin Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 Sorry, I didn't see any cusps. Now that there's cusps, it could belong to a whole range of sharks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 If you used crazy glue (cyanoacrylate) acetone will dissolve it. It may take a while but it will work. You can use the runny crazy glue to consolidate fossils like this in the field, but you'll also stick the fossil to the matrix, so it will need prep. Any excess adhesive/matrix can be removed with judicious use of acetone during prep. 2 Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts