Airabrading at last....

[Everhardus]

So for several years i knew that getting better prepresults would have to include a air abrader. With my Junair silent compressor this was problematic as there is not enough airflow, so these last years i was limited to pen work....

A few month’s ago my beloved Junair got a leak in the tank, repair was not very cheap,  so i upgraded to a much more powerful compressor, not silent but workable....I also bought a very old Renfert abrader, very cheap, which after replacing the filter set started to work very fine....

So here’s some prep results with this setup. At last i was able to prep a few of my finds from my 2012 trip to the Lafarge quarry at Belmont, France. 

 

Allthough i ‘m really happy with the results so far, it’s a very slow process, even with the replaced  filterset on the Renfert. 

 

Some matrix is just too problematic for this Renfert machine. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s not effective enough, or maybe it’s because the unit is limited to 6 bar, so i cannot push it more..... At the moment i’m waiting my custom build Eckhard Petersen abrader, this unit should cover it. So i hope for more and better pix in the future....

[Randyw]

They are looking good!

[Everhardus]

I really like them to, allthough there not finished yet...It’s a real joy for sure to get these ancient beasts see the light of day again, no way i could have done this by simply penwork allthough this is involved as well ofcourse.....

[Ptychodus04]

Very nice. Abrasive prep is a very slow process. What media are you using?

[Everhardus]

I’m using Iron.

[RJB]

Very nice and good luck with your new set-up. 

 

RB

[Ptychodus04]

5 hours ago, Everhardus said:

I’m using Iron.

Iron is often very effective at low pressures but I believe @Ludwigia often abrades at very high pressures. Most of my work is at low pressure since I mostly use abrasives on the Green River material that is quite soft.

[Everhardus]

I understood that Roger abraded his finds from this quarry at 3-6 bar pressure which the Renfert can handle. Somehow it's not effective enough for me allthough changing the old filterset made a huge difference....i should be ok when the EP abrader arrives since it's optimised for fossil prep and can handle high pressure as well.

[Ptychodus04]

1 hour ago, Everhardus said:

I understood that Roger abraded his finds from this quarry at 3-6 bar pressure which the Renfert can handle. Somehow it's not effective enough for me allthough changing the old filterset made a huge difference....i should be ok when the EP abrader arrives since it's optimised for fossil prep and can handle high pressure as well.

I just converted BAR to PSI and you’re right. 6 BAR is in line with the higher end pressures Roger has talked about.

 

That is insanely high pressures compared to what I use. I recently prepped a fish and never went over .55bar (8psi).

[Ludwigia]

You guys are right about the maximum pressure and the medium which I use, although I do go up as far as 8 bar on occasion, but I don't really like to do that. I'm not familiar with the Renfert, but I had no problem with the things from Belmont using Eckhard's abrader at pressures between 3-6 bar, as you've mentioned. I'm sure you'll get better results once it's delivered. 

[Everhardus]

These Renfert units are for dental work and i get the impression they are designed for low pressure jobs. Nothing lost here, it was a experiment i can affort since i bought it so dead cheap, i’ll clearly sell it without any loss. But for now i won’t, it’s a unit that includes a cabin which is quite small which is limiting but suits my needs for most of the stuff i need to prep. So when the EP arrives i plan to use the Renfert cabinet just not the abrader part of it which is sort of silly when you pay normal prices for Renferts......

[Fitch1979]

geweldig he die speeltjes

[Everhardus]

Yep Dries, having the right tools is great fun. Sadly, it comes with major investments....it’s a lot cheaper to buy fossils.....but hey, where’s the fun ?

 

 

[Ludwigia]

9 hours ago, Everhardus said:

Yep Dries, having the right tools is great fun. Sadly, it comes with major investments....it’s a lot cheaper to buy fossils.....but hey, where’s the fun ?

 

 

In my experience it's more than worth the investment in the long run.

[Fossildude19]

I think these are pretty good results!  

[Everhardus]

You are right, i was pleased as well. But the set up was not a match for some of my other finds. Today my EP abrader arrived....hopefully more pix to share in the near future....

[Everhardus]

First try with the EP today, what a difference. These were done in about a hour. With the Renfert it would have taken me a day....sorry for the brurred pix.

[Ludwigia]

8 hours ago, Everhardus said:

First try with the EP today, what a difference. These were done in about a hour. With the Renfert it would have taken me a day....sorry for the brurred pix.

 

What'd I say? Happy?

[Everhardus]

At this point very much so Roger. These were done with only 3 bar as you told me and the difference in speed is very big. 

[taj]

Ah ! In the old days I prepped these manually 

Good job Marcel !

[Everhardus]

Thanx Thierry and by the way hat’s off to you for going at these manually.....