What are the Pros & Cons of various Air Scribes

[EphemeralMoose]

I am looking at upgrading from a Dremel 290 engraver with ZOIC Paleo's tips, but I am not sure about the differences in the various air scribes available. I'd like to hear anyone's nuanced opinions on why they like/dislike particular scribes, and how they each compare to one another. Things like ergonomics for your hand size & any influencing health conditions you would be willing to share, maintenance demands and difficulty, how easy it is to swap tungsten carbide scribe tips, tips like "jiggle it like this to quick fix the issue", etc. 

This forum is full of so many helpful and experienced people , but some of the best information is scattered across the forum in unlikely places.

For example:

Dremel 290: Relatively loud so you should use ear protection. It has strong vibrations so you should use anti-vibration gloves or anti-vibe measures as well as frequent breaks to prevent nerve damage. I have somewhat large hands and the Dremel 290 is still slightly unwieldy for me due to the shape, weight, and size, which also creates the need for frequent breaks. I have damage to my wrist bones, but this tool doesn't irritate the damage as long as I take a 5 minute break ever 10 minutes of run time, and use anti-vibration gloves. You should take breaks like this even if you don't have wrist issues.

The default tip is faster than hand tools, but not the greatest -- ZOIC Paleo's 3rd party tips are a significant upgrade as they are a better quality tungsten carbide, better shape choices, and are narrower along the shaft to reach in tiny gaps. I have not tried other 3rd party tips, but I have seen numerous posts on the forums stating some of them are quite good as well, though I don't know how they compare to ZOIC Paleo's. The Dremel 290 has an okay range of motion you can control, from barely visible linear motion to ~1.7 mm of linear motion.  There is no airflow from the tip like an air scribe, so you must find other methods of removing chips & dust (you shouldn't be blowing on it because you need to be wearing a mask!) After you use the Dremel 290 for a while, the depth control dial may come loose as it did for me. I am stuck with the longest range of motion, but I don't entirely mind. The accuracy and precision of the strokes in this tool are lacking for detail work. I've measured ~2 mm in lateral "slop," meaning the tip of the scribe has ~2mm movement from the furthest left to the furthest right (same for top and bottom), but this ~2 mm "slop" is only present in certain conditions like sweeping motions or if you get caught on a piece and keep moving the tip may stay caught on the point for up to ~2 mm before it is pulled away. In practice, the lateral "slop" is more like ~1 mm (you may end up striking anywhere up to 0.5 mm from your intended point on contact). No matter which tips you use, they'll need sharpening -- diamond sharpening plates/stones should work. A low-cost diamond knife sharpening stone (~$15 USD, as of late 2023) from any hardware store should be okay.

For the price of the Dremel 290, it is a great entry level tool, especially in comparison to the extensive amount of equipment needed to run an air scribe, which can easily cost over $1,000 USD, as of late 2023. The purchase of 3rd party tips is a must for anyone using this tool for more than a few days in their lifetime, but the tips are almost as expensive or moreso than the Dremel 290 itself (as of late 2023). 

[Ptychodus04]

This is a massive topic. Multiple scribe types and manufacturers makes this almost impossible to distill down to a simple pro/con comment. Add in personal preference of the preparator and the discussion gets even more complicated. I have 8 different pneumatic scribes and at least 2 more in the "going to buy soon" budget slot. I can move down in stages from near jackhammer power to breaking up a single grain of sand. Harvey Winkler scribes are coveted by preparators (there's usually a year + waitlist to get one and they come with the highest price tag). Zoic makes some really good tools as well as Paleo Tools. I use scribes from all 3. Zoic is newer to the market but have a large selection of tools that are well made with fun fossil themed names. I have 2 of their scribes (Velociraptor and Microraptor). 

 

If you're dipping your toes into pneumatically driven tools, I would suggest starting with a middle of the road scribe like one of the Aro clones (the Zoic Trilobite is a good choice). This will serve for a decent range of prepwork, not quite big enough for quick matrix removal and not quite delicate enough for detail work but it kind of rides in the Goldilocks Zone for prep. From there, you can go larger for bulk removal or smaller for detail/delicate work.  

[EphemeralMoose]

On 11/1/2023 at 2:47 PM, Ptychodus04 said:

This is a massive topic. Multiple scribe types and manufacturers makes this almost impossible to distill down to a simple pro/con comment. Add in personal preference of the preparator and the discussion gets even more complicated. I have 8 different pneumatic scribes and at least 2 more in the "going to buy soon" budget slot. I can move down in stages from near jackhammer power to breaking up a single grain of sand. Harvey Winkler scribes are coveted by preparators (there's usually a year + waitlist to get one and they come with the highest price tag). Zoic makes some really good tools as well as Paleo Tools. I use scribes from all 3. Zoic is newer to the market but have a large selection of tools that are well made with fun fossil themed names. I have 2 of their scribes (Velociraptor and Microraptor). 

 

If you're dipping your toes into pneumatically driven tools, I would suggest starting with a middle of the road scribe like one of the Aro clones (the Zoic Trilobite is a good choice). This will serve for a decent range of prepwork, not quite big enough for quick matrix removal and not quite delicate enough for detail work but it kind of rides in the Goldilocks Zone for prep. From there, you can go larger for bulk removal or smaller for detail/delicate work.  

Would you be able to give some recommendations of air scribes intended for medium to detailed work? The first one that is coming to mind is the Fossil Shack air scribe, but that stylus is quite short. Other than that, there is of course the Trilobite by Zoic and various Chicago Pneumatic scribes. Beyond those the prices tend to nearly double, outside of my current price range. I already have an air compressor that can squeak by, but I'll inevitably ride it into the ground as it won't quite be able to keep up with the scribes and have time to rest. I'm removing acid or base preparation from my tools as I am beginning to include my 7 year old nephew in this hobby -- good quality kid-sized PPE is hard to find, but it is out there. I don't imagine muriatic acid and kids are a great combination. Even I don't like using it, and I've got years of biochemical laboratory experience with worse compounds.

 

To give a better idea of what I'm looking for, we work on fossils we find: Pennsylvanian through Ordovician, host matrices including sandstones, limestone, dolostone, chert, shale, and something unknown as hard as the Zoic carbide tips. Fossils we've found so far have details ranging from fenestrate bryozoans to large cephalopods, but most fossils are trilobites, gastropods, and brachiopods. 

I'd be thankful for any information you could provide. I've been reading nearly every post in the fossil prep thread, currently on page 60 of 105. 

[hadrosauridae]

I've never worked on your matrix before, it sounds like it could be quite challenging.  As for the scribes mentioned, you wont go wrong with one from Fossil Shack or ZOIC.  Anything mid to lower scale on their power should be fine.  I believe the Balaur model from ZOIC has some adjustment in power level as it works with a wide range of air pressures.  As for "shortness" of the scribe, I find that highly desirable, not a hindrance.  If you are doing acribe work, you SHOULD be doing it in a box with vacuum filtration to prevent your work area, you, and your lungs free of rock dust.

 

Lastly, youre using muriatic acid with fossils?!  I'm shocked.  I would never using anything that strong for preparation, and absolutely not around children.  The strongest you should probably use is common household vinegar, citric, or low concentration sulfamic. Those should only be used for very short dips, followed by long soaks in clean water. 

[EphemeralMoose]

1 hour ago, hadrosauridae said:

I've never worked on your matrix before, it sounds like it could be quite challenging.  As for the scribes mentioned, you wont go wrong with one from Fossil Shack or ZOIC.  Anything mid to lower scale on their power should be fine.  I believe the Balaur model from ZOIC has some adjustment in power level as it works with a wide range of air pressures.  As for "shortness" of the scribe, I find that highly desirable, not a hindrance.  If you are doing acribe work, you SHOULD be doing it in a box with vacuum filtration to prevent your work area, you, and your lungs free of rock dust.

 

Lastly, youre using muriatic acid with fossils?!  I'm shocked.  I would never using anything that strong for preparation, and absolutely not around children.  The strongest you should probably use is common household vinegar, citric, or low concentration sulfamic. Those should only be used for very short dips, followed by long soaks in clean water. 

Oh no no no never around anyone but myself. And it was quite dilute, buffered, on ruined fossils or botched hash plates. Regardless, I don't use it anymore and advise others against it. I only mentioned it in relation to kids as a sarcastic joke. I've gotten rid of all chemical prep and cleaned everything before letting him near the area.

I agree that household vinegar is pretty much the only acid to use, and even then they must know it may have hidden, long-term effects on the fossils.

 

As for safety for scribe work, I currently work with full mask ppe and hearing protection as well as having a vacuum pull air through a filter, then outside. I also have a number of air purifiers I modified to have suitable filtration for stone particles, as well as designated prep suits. My nephew has only ever used hand tools. I plan on letting him try the Drexel 290 once I find the rest of the PPE for him. Until then, he only gets to do wet hand prep. Risking my own health is one stupid thing, but I will never risk his or anyone else's in any way.

[Ptychodus04]

@EphemeralMoose I haven’t used the Zoic Trilobite scribe personally but it is an Aro clone scribe and they are great middle of the road scribes across the board. The Fossil Shack scribe is a good scribe but it is designed for work on softer matrices (specifically, the Green River Formation). It is good for lighter/detail prep. The Chicago Pneumatic CP9361 is a medium to heavy prep tool. It will hog through most matrices but is useless for detail work.

 

Most of the Zoic scribes are designed to be on the lower end of the air consumption spectrum so, if you’re limited by your compressor, I would lean toward their scribes. 

 

 My preference on stylus length is opposite of @hadrosauridae as I much prefer a longer stylus to a short one. I find the longer stylus to provide more access to tight spaces but it comes with a downside. It is much easier to break a longer stylus so, you have to be more careful not to drop it or knock it off the table. I’ve spent several hundred dollars replacing styli due to clumsiness. This is something to consider with a child apprentice.

 

With proper PPE and dust remediation, a work box is not essential. I didn’t start prepping in a box until I started working with abrasives. Even with a box, the floor of my lab gets pretty dusty. A lot of this is iron abrasive that falls during clean up or movement of specimens. I’m prepping a lot more than a typical hobbyist though so, I tend to generate a larger amount of debris in a given timeframe.