Lee Taylor Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Okay .... I am a shark tooth hunter. I admit it. I know sharks teeth are the most common fossil BUT hey I like em. I found this tooth in the Edisto river in Charleston SC (map available). It was really dirty when I found it. I tried my hand at cleaning and polishing. I may have over polished a bit. Next time I am going to polish the enamel only. Not gonna polish the root. I used an air eraser by Paasche for cleaning. I then used a 6" buffing wheel with black polishing rouge. This tooth is angular, measures 3.90 inch, has serrations, and no cusps. Appears to be a rear Megalodon. Click for larger image Fossil Hunting in Charleston SC Charleston Shark Teeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Nice tooth -- I love the color , sort of an olive tint with variations. I only dream about 4" teeth -- My max find has been 3.3" Thanks for sharing this one The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Taylor Posted August 11, 2011 Author Share Posted August 11, 2011 Thank you Shellseeker. If you like this one then you will like the green one my fossiling pal found. I will search up the photo and post it. The green one was found in basically the same location. Do you have any fossilized shells? I have one good one that I can share a photo of. Fossil Hunting in Charleston SC Charleston Shark Teeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickNC Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 They might be the most common verebrate fossils but some of them are not common at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeloiVarden Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Does look mighty pretty. As long as you like the way it turned out, I would'nt worry what others think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edd Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 (edited) Why polish and not just clean though? Edited August 11, 2011 by edd " We're all puppets, I'm just a puppet who can see the strings. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeloiVarden Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Why polish and not just clean though? Some teeth from the edisto river are very unattractively stained. It is hard to explain unless you collect there often. Some may like the look, but the stains are often dare and patchy. There are tricks to cleaning some, but some are beyond even advanced cleaning methods and some even beyond polishing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Taylor Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 (edited) I am constantly working on improving my cleaning skills. I have used soap, water, bleach, apple cider vinegar, goo remover, aluminum oxide, polishing rouge, dental picks, wire brushes, dremel tools, etc, etc. I am still running into some materials on the surface of fossils and petrified wood that has had millions of years to accumulate and is pretty darn tough to do anything with. I have not used grinding and sanding but I can see that happening in the future. I saw some petrified wood the other day that had been cut in two and then sanded and polished to a black onix looking finish. Its a hobby for me so it is all just a matter of personal preference. Here is the tooth before it was cleaned with a Paasche air eraser using aluminum oxide. It was then polished on a 6" buffing wheel, using black polishing rouge. Click-able Edited August 12, 2011 by Lee Taylor Fossil Hunting in Charleston SC Charleston Shark Teeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Lee....Nice tooth... I never get bored of seeing self found teeth I bet its a real buzz finding megs... One day I'd like to find my own... Good call on the root, try and leave it rough next time I agree with your decsion... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Taylor Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 (edited) Thanks Steve. I see you started about 20 years ago in the UK. I started about 15 years ago in North Carolina. You see I had a pal named Steve and he was excited about showing me his giant sharks tooth that he had spent a fortune on. So my plan was to act like it was something spectacular because I did not want to hurt his feelings. After it was over I thought he was out of his mind to have spend hard earned American money on a dumb old sharks tooth. What a kook I thought he was. Well move the clock 15 years forward and I find myself traveling all over the place just to dig in the dirt. I found that tooth in a local river here about 30 minutes after I found a near perfect 7" Mastodon tooth. I was already intoxicated over the Mastodon tooth and then this Meg just popped up in front of my eyes. I was so thrilled I was on a high for days. I am headed to fossil hunt in Venice Florida next month. It is well know for fossils. It is about half way down the Florida coast on the western side. I am expecting a good hunt and some good finds. Seems it is time for it. Edited August 13, 2011 by Lee Taylor Fossil Hunting in Charleston SC Charleston Shark Teeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Lee.... I know what your saying... I went as a guest of a work friend on a museum trip to a famous quarry (didnt know at the time) and got hooked... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Taylor Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 Steve, without a doubt, it is addictive. It chose me, I did not choose it. What is that thing in your Avatar? What is the diameter? Fossil Hunting in Charleston SC Charleston Shark Teeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Lee... Its a big ammonite I found in Lyme Regis called a Coroniceras and I cleaned it up.... Its about a 21 incher, theres a mobile phone for scale... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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