DarasFossils Posted November 23, 2022 Share Posted November 23, 2022 Hello, I am new to fossil preparation but I bought one of those Miocene Crab concretions, but I am not sure how to separate the rock without damaging the crab inside. I only have dental tools and chisels, but they are not enough to separate the two sides for a pos/neg display that I could like. What sorts of tools could I use for the job? It is something similar to the picture below. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted November 24, 2022 Share Posted November 24, 2022 To split a crab concretion where you end up with a crab on one side and the impression of the crab on the other is just about impossible. I've popped open thousands and Im not sure if I've seen that? At least not perfectly. Best option for such a small crab is microscope and mini scribe and lots of prep time. Best of luck RB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarasFossils Posted November 25, 2022 Author Share Posted November 25, 2022 19 hours ago, RJB said: To split a crab concretion where you end up with a crab on one side and the impression of the crab on the other is just about impossible. I've popped open thousands and Im not sure if I've seen that? At least not perfectly. Best option for such a small crab is microscope and mini scribe and lots of prep time. Best of luck RB Thank you! I don't expect it to be perfect, but the one they showed me at the shop was so compressed I didn't think it would carve and they suggested I split it. I'm too scared to hit it with a hammer though! I'm planning on buying an air scribe soon so I may just try that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crabfossilsteve Posted November 25, 2022 Share Posted November 25, 2022 Is it just me, or does anyone else think that this is really not a California pea crab. You could take an exacto knife (one of the pointly ended ones) and hit it softly with a chisel to remove the matrix around the crab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarasFossils Posted January 8, 2023 Author Share Posted January 8, 2023 On 11/25/2022 at 7:35 AM, crabfossilsteve said: Is it just me, or does anyone else think that this is really not a California pea crab. You could take an exacto knife (one of the pointly ended ones) and hit it softly with a chisel to remove the matrix around the crab. I know this thread is old, but I realized I missed your message. I do not have a picture of the crab itself because it is still incased in the rock, so I chose one online that looked similar to what I expected in terms of the rock splitting but I don't think that picture is a pea crab either though I believe mine is. I'll try a chisel and an old exacto knife! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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