Ludwigia Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 (edited) This time I got around to photographing the preparation progress on this one. At the site I pried out a rather large block measuring about 40x40cm. There were only 2 ammonites visible on it, so I gave it a whack to make it a bit smaller, thereby breaking another one which was hidden under the matrix and reducing the block into 3 separate pieces, each of which held a part of the ammo. So there was nothing left to do but pack them all away and lug them out along with the other finds of the day. I had to walk back and forth to the car 3 times on that day. Here are the 3 pieces placed back together and viewed from above. Ammonites can be seen at the bottom middle, above right, and if you look closely, slightly left of center. A view of the broken edges showing the parts of the split ammonite at the top and also the rest of the one visible at bottom middle in the above photo. The logical plan of action to begin with is usually to dig around carefully with the air pens in order to determine the relative positions of the fossils and perhaps to discover something new on the way, so off I went. I decided to work on each block separately first of all and just laid them back together for the photo. Now I could see a bit better where everything already visible was positioned. The next step was to clear off some matrix with the air abrader in order to get in closer. This way there's no danger of damaging the shells. Edited July 25, 2013 by Ludwigia 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted July 21, 2013 Author Share Posted July 21, 2013 Some smaller ammonites are now coming into view. This is starting to get interesting. I decided it was now time to glue the blocks together. Some people use epoxy, but I swear by superglue, liquid or gel, depending on the circumstances. This time I used both since there was a lot of area to cover. Then it was possible to get in closer to the split ammonite and remove more matrix with pen and abrader. Now the broken one at the top in the middle and 2 smaller ones are free, and the others are taking on form. I removed the smaller one above the larger one in the middle since it wasn't very well preserved and blocked the view. The next step was to explore the matrix on the right to see if anything else fossiliferous could be found. As it turned out, there was only one more ammonite which was not particularly spectacular but still worth keeping. I decided then to reduce the balast by removing a larger chunk of matrix from the right hand side. At this point, the block has found its basic form for presentation. Now it was time to start fine tuning. 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted July 21, 2013 Author Share Posted July 21, 2013 (edited) The following photo shows the stage reached after a couple of hours of sandblasting and engraving. The block is now in its presentation position. I've removed a lot of matrix from around the ammonite at the top in order to accentuate it some more, since that is the largest and also appears to be the best preserved of them all. The next photo shows the block after another hour with the air abrader. Now it's almost done. After cleaning up some little details and smoothing down the matrix, I transported the block upstairs to the finishing table where I filled in the gaps with my trusty stonemeal mix and finished off the ammonites with a coat of Rember. Here's the end result. Ancolioceras opalinoides: Top, above middle, middle left and the 2 small ones. The largest one measures 10cm. in circumference. Ludwigia haugi: bottom middle and bottom left. The block measures 27x24x7cm. Stratigraphy: Sinon Bank Murchisonae Zone Upper Aalenian Preparation time ca. 12 hours. German Dogger beta Site: Wutach Valley, Germany Edited December 25, 2014 by Ludwigia 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Beautiful work, Roger! You earned that slab of beauties.. I wonder how many people walked by the original piece, having no idea of the possibilities inside! Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 i like it! Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 Beautiful work, Roger! You earned that slab of beauties.. I wonder how many people walked by the original piece, having no idea of the possibilities inside! Thanks. Probably not too many, since it's hidden away in a cliff in the middle of the woods. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 i like it! Me too! Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blastoid Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I LOVE that you photographed the prep process, and the end result is pretty amazing. That series of photos could be turned into a wicked cool poster. Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 Thanks, Blastoid. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothos Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 You're a great preparator ! Great work there. Congrats for this beauty (and personal find !) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Beautful... what powder do you use in the air abrasive for these thiings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtdauber Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Nice work! Impressive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 You're a great preparator ! Great work there. Congrats for this beauty (and personal find !) Thank you. Beautful... what powder do you use in the air abrasive for these thiings? Fine grade iron. I have to adjust the pressure a lot since the matrix is extremely compact in some places, but in others very soft. Try to keep it as low as possible, but sometimes I have to go up as far as 8 bar (120psi) and spray at a slanted angle. Nice work! Impressive! Thanks. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Remarkable transformation! I too was thinking how easy it would be to pass over the original piece is (Maybe in person its easier to see the ammos?) I know you like to expose the ammos as much as possible short of popping them off the matrix, and it looks great, but I wonder if you've thought of doing something that would look a little more natural, as if the ammo shells just sunk and rested there on the seabed... less matrix removal and therefore less work? I'm not recommending you change your prep style, just wondering what one example done this way would look like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted July 31, 2013 Author Share Posted July 31, 2013 Remarkable transformation! I too was thinking how easy it would be to pass over the original piece is (Maybe in person its easier to see the ammos?) I know you like to expose the ammos as much as possible short of popping them off the matrix, and it looks great, but I wonder if you've thought of doing something that would look a little more natural, as if the ammo shells just sunk and rested there on the seabed... less matrix removal and therefore less work? I'm not recommending you change your prep style, just wondering what one example done this way would look like. I pried this block out of the layer where the fossil content is generally quite high, so I always study these blocks a lot more closely before I set them aside. I have the tendency, particularly with the finds from this site, to want to expose both sides in the hopes that the last side I expose is better preserved than the first one, and then one thing leads to another and before I know it, I've popped another ammonite out almost completely. There were actually a few where I had originally planned to do exactly that which you are suggesting, like one often does with the concretions from the Yorkshire and southern English Jurassic coasts, but my curiosity got the better of me again. I'm sure I'll take you up on your suggestion at some point with my future finds from Wutach valley. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Great - will look for you to post a pic when you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted July 31, 2013 Author Share Posted July 31, 2013 Great - will look for you to post a pic when you do. I think the last one I posted near the bottom of the linked page is getting close to what you mean. http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/34371-hunt-results-from-the-aalenian-and-bajocian-in-germany/page-5 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 You mean the one in post #95? Yes it's close! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted August 1, 2013 Author Share Posted August 1, 2013 You mean the one in post #95? Yes it's close! Yup. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masonboro37 Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Splendid work! Enjoyed the step by step process and the finished beauties~ Process of identification "mistakes create wisdom". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beach Boy Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Hi Roger Just found your post and boy am i glad that i did, the way you showed the prep process was excellent and a pleasure to read. As i now have my own camera it is something i will try do ,as it is much more interesting than a photo of the finished fossil. Thanks for taking the time . Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted August 3, 2013 Author Share Posted August 3, 2013 Thanks Dave. Glad you got something from it. I'll be looking for your prep reports now. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted August 8, 2013 Author Share Posted August 8, 2013 Splendid work! Enjoyed the step by step process and the finished beauties~ I missed your post last time around. Thanks for your comments! Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosmoceras Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Good job Roger on the prep; you have made it a fantastic specimen! Well spotted, do they often contain multiple ammonites? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted August 12, 2013 Author Share Posted August 12, 2013 Thanks, Thomas. Yes, if you manage to find the right spot along the layer and if you can get the matrix out in a good sized piece, then the chances of a multiple ammonite block can be good. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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