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Hello, I made this find in the Alberta badlands yesterday, the area is known to have tons of hadrosaur bones, so i assume thats what i have. unfortunately, i was not prepared to extract the bone without completely destroying it, so i plan on going back to get it some time this week. I collected many bone fragments from the area, and have noted down the location. I will post decent pictures once and if i am able to bring the fossil home, i seem to have forgotten to take proper pictures in my excitement! I would also like to ask for advice on how to extract this fossil. I plan on purchasing some wedges to split the rock, to make it a more manageable size. beyond this, i understand that it is a good idea to stabilize the fossil somehow before extraction, what would you recommend i use for this? i would imaging an adhesive that is able to seep into all the pours, but i am not sure what i should use specifically. The second image is showing the rest of the fossil, mostly buried under clay. Thanks for the help!

I have read many of Dr. Schweitzer's papers and am wondering what the safest methods to extract soft tissue from dinosaur bones are. I cannot find any information on this topic so I figured I would start here. By soft tissue I mean apparent original biological molecules such as collagen, red blood cells, etc.. Thanks for any help on this topic!

Hello! Found these ammonites (?) in a rock at Lyme Regis today but not sure how (if possible) I could extract them and see if there's more in the rock? Also I'd be interested to know the minerals they are made of if anyone knows. There's also a few sparkly crystal looking bits in the rock. Thanks! Eloise (:

Hi everyone, I found this fossil in Eastern Ontario. I was wondering if anyone can identify the fossil. I don't think it's a trilobite. I'm also wondering if it can be extracted. I believe it's in limestone. Thanks!

Hi, just wondering what you guys use to extract fossils from shale thanks.

Hi! I'm very new to fossil finding and lucked across some fossil-filled rocks in central Kentucky a few weeks ago. I found these rocks in the median of I-75 in Kentucky, just before exit 87 (south of Richmond KY), where they had eroded off a sheer rock face that had been blasted out decades ago to make way for the expressway. I'm not sure what kind of rock the shells are encased in, and the only tools i have at my disposal are not particularly well suited for the job (a generic 5/8" masonry chisel, a nail hammer, and a dremel with various carbide cutting bits). I'm working on getting some tools eventually, but for now that's what I'm working with. Any tips or suggestions about how to get these shells out of this stone with what I currently have? Is it just going to be impossible without better tools, and if so, which tools would you recommend for this job? I'm attaching a picture of the rock and shells in question, with letters A, B, and C above the shells i've noticed encased in here. I'm thinking A and B may have some promise, and maybe C too? I have no idea what I'm doing here so I'm open for any insights or suggestions

Hi everyone, I am new to fossil hunting and recently took a trip to my local spot at Aust cliff in Bristol. I found some small chunks of bone bed about the size of a golf ball along the foreshore which I can see have small bits of bone including teeth. Does anyone have a good technique to extracting these without damaging the interesting bits. Cheers

I am wanting to remove this shark tooth for photography purposes, but it is attached to the display case via some putty-like adhesive. I haven't tried poking at it in fear of damaging the tooth (which is quite brittle), but it does appear to be somewhat hardened, although I may be wrong. Does anyone know how to best remove putties using household materials with minimal damage to the fossil? Any help is appreciated.

I have some small rock samples similar to this. What is the best way to extract some of the shells? Is vinegar safe ? I believe the matrix is coquina.

Help please. Complete beginner, first time hunting for fossils in Yorkshire, England (kettleness) I have no tools, just my hands and eyes at the minute Ive found a few ammonites which I would like to free. Thus far Ive watched youtube videos and googled only; they make it look so easy with just a hammer. My first attempt I broke the end off my ammonite and now afraid to try again. Please advise for tools and extraction methods? Also, how do I care for them once they are freed? many thanks!

Found Brewster Co. far west Texas. Lots of fossils in the area. I think this may be a shell? Want to make a sink out of it if I can figure out how. Need some good advice and knowledge. What is it? Top view first. 16" diameter. second bottom view. then the edge. 6" in total height of dome as bottom is flat.

In the mid to late Cretaceous, East Maryland was a warm forested area through which many bodies of water flowed. Iron was concentrated in the sands of these rivers, and it glued together the sand into bog iron over time. I happened across a outcrop of this while somewhat stupidly following an inaccurate geologic map, and I collected some sand and bog iron. I broke down some of it into a sand, and I forgot about it for a while. Recently I had an idea that came to me after watching a video on YouTube about turning rocks to iron. The iron rich formations of Maryland have been utilized for centuries, so I thought I'd try my hand at it. I am however using less sophisticated methods. I'm going to post my progress on this thread over the next long while, it could take a long time. This is just a fun little project I came up with, not entirely fossil related. Be sure to comment with any ideas you have, This is how I started: I just finished a preliminary test for hematite collection. This sand is mostly silica glued together with iron oxide (mostly yellow iron oxide) with little bits a hematite in it. I'm going to go for the hematite rather than the yellow iron oxide, which is hydrated and yields less iron. Using a bucket and a small saucer I tried to "pan" for it, which was mostly not working due to different grain sizes (I'll get a strainer to fix that one) and the closeness of density of hematite and other oxides. After trial and error, i worked out the best way to collect the hematite with my rudimentary tools which included the following: glass cups, a saucer, a bucket, three small rare earth magnets, and water. I would pan it down a bit, then shake it with the three magnets stuck together (sticking them together strengthens the field). On the two poles of the cube stick, hematite along with whatever stuck to it was drawn in. I dunked that in water to get rid of some sediment, then took the iron rich residue and put it in some water in a cup. After doing this for a while, I took the magnet into that mixture in an attempt to purify it a little. It did a bit, but the stuff is still impure. This is again a test, I think I'll get a strainer, a bigger magnet, and an actual gold pan. Once I get enough hematite, I think I'll get some aluminum powder and turn it into thermite since I don't have access to a furnace. Anyone know what I can put in the mixture to separate silica impurities once I light it? By the way, the initial test gave me about 2 grams of hematite, along with some silica grains that hitched a ride. Easier to see the shiny black powder in real life.

I have this item which looks to me like a shell. It has the shape but it appears to be incased in rock. Is there any way for me to "uncover" the shell if there is one at all? How would I go about trying to discover if there is something hidden within? The pics don't show the form as much as in person but hopefully you guys see what I see!