Wada air scribe...thoughts?

[SPrice]

Here's the link which I found while digging into the Chicago Field Museum's latest acquisition of the Archaeopteryx fossil.  Akiko Shinya is the Chief Preparator at the Field Museum and was noted in this article.  Seems to me to be a bit of a novelty. The article is pushing 10 years old and I'm not hearing or seeing much about a mini-scribe.

 

https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2024/5151-wada-air-scribe

 

Anybody ever build one? Heard of of it? Will its shortness be a liability despite the advantage it offers in accessing tight areas where a longer handled scribe can't fit? I can extrapolate just by looking at it that there are definite tight spots are needing a shorter scribe and flipping the coin over, a short handled "jack hammer" might offer much less stability and control. 

 

I'm still fairly new at prepping and have yet to step up from the Dremel 290 engraver and tiny hammers and chisels and needles to pneumatic tools. I've got two air compressors for other uses  but scribes and additional needs add up quickly at the cash register. $Ka-Ching!$

 

What say ye professional preparators?

 

Image from the article.

 

 

 

 

[SPrice]

A little bit of "cart before the horse"  assumptions...shame on me. The short stubby business end isn't meant to be held but attached to a longer handle with an adjustable "elbow"  between the scribe's air chisel and the operator's handle grip. 

 

Still I wonder if this is a viable option as a primary scribe or more of a now and then when you have tight corners and angles to attack.

 

[oilshale]

I'm pretty sure it's only for cases where you have to work in very cramped conditions.
With corresponding eyepieces and a Barlow lens, I can achieve working distances of more than 30cm at 40x magnification with my binoculars. This is easily sufficient for normal air sribes.
On the other hand, the construction of this Wada air scribe is relatively simple, even with a small primitive lathe and some skill it is easy to make. 

 

[hadrosauridae]

I would love a stubby scribe!  My microscope working box is pretty shallow and it makes some scribe work awkward.

[jpc]

I printed this out a few months ago in hopes of trying to build one, but I just have not found the time, nor motivation.  I have a #3 MicroJack Stubby that I use inside my sandblasting box, and I love it.  I kinda wish all my microjacks were stubbies.   

[Ptychodus04]

I just received my ZOIC Balaur and am putting it through the paces. It is really short and I like the variable stroke/power feature. It comes with a pressure regulator and to adjust the stroke, you simply twist the front end. There are also 6 stylus options in various diameters and configurations with 3 different collets. I bought every configuration possible for the most versatility.

 

So far, I love it. I'm able to get right up next to a bone and pulverize the matrix without any damage to the fossil. Well worth the $$$