SteveE Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 Greetings from Central PA. I'm a total noob when it comes to fossil prep. Today I have a flattish piece, about 10" across and 1" thick. It from a large outcrop of wavy laminations that I believe are from a Keyser Formation stromatoporoid. It's pretty weathered and too hard to tell if pillars are present. So I'd like to try to grind/polish one edge. I have a good collection of metal and woodworking sanders and grinders available but nothing specifically designed for rocks. So my QUESTION IS.... is there a reasonable way to grind/polish the edge of this sample to look for stromatoporoid pillars? I'm just guessing that false negatives are common doing this sort of thing. so I thought I'd seek expert advice before I just make up some hatchet job only to get iffy results. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 At 1" thick, a circular tile saw should work OK, and you can then grind and polish with a few grades of wet and dry paper (used wet). Otherwise, I guess an angle grinder suitable for masonry should produce a flat enough surface to wet and dry. Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 12 hours ago, SteveE said: Greetings from Central PA. I'm a total noob when it comes to fossil prep. Today I have a flattish piece, about 10" across and 1" thick. It from a large outcrop of wavy laminations that I believe are from a Keyser Formation stromatoporoid. It's pretty weathered and too hard to tell if pillars are present. So I'd like to try to grind/polish one edge. I have a good collection of metal and woodworking sanders and grinders available but nothing specifically designed for rocks. So my QUESTION IS.... is there a reasonable way to grind/polish the edge of this sample to look for stromatoporoid pillars? I'm just guessing that false negatives are common doing this sort of thing. so I thought I'd seek expert advice before I just make up some hatchet job only to get iffy results. Thanks Any chance you can post a picture of your find before you grind it down? The Keyser does have some stromatoporoids but the specimens I have collected are mound shaped and pretty clear as to their origin. Here is a blag post I did years ago on some Stromatoporoids that I found in the Keyser and other formations. http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/2010/06/stromatoporids.html -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveE Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 Thanks Tarquin, I guess the angle grinder is first up. It will be interesting to find out if the sample chips away faster than it cleans up And greetings Shamalama! I have been regularly reading your blog for awhile now, thanks for all the great info. I'm also pretty noobish at ID. Maybe its the sheet-ish stromatolites I've read about too. Looking for pillars is really an effort at ID, and I collected the piece to dive into the polishing learning curve. The outcrop is large (10ft?), very curvy, and as it weathers its delaminating. I didn't take photos of the outcrop but will try to get back before it really snows. There are many veins of a soft mineral (calcite I assume). In the last photo, I only dampened part. The green is from the algae. I'll post follow up pics after I've done some hatchet work on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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