Prepping Badly Weathered Mudstone?

[Tachikoma_kun]

Hello!

I would like to ask some advice, on my trip to Lyme Regis (UK) I found a few interesting items that need prepping before I can ask for an ID, but sadly the mudstone is incredibly badly weathered and layered. It literally is like dust and falls apart at the slightest touch. Despite packing well, a lot of the items I brought back just disintegrated on the trip back as soon as they dried out.

I think I have found some sort of algae or seaweed, but it's embedded between some irregular layers so normal splitting wouldn't work, plus it's too fragile.

When I collected it, it was wet so was like a dense clay and quite malleable rather than rock, so was wondering, should I soak and try to prep it while wet to reduce the chance of it shattering or just pick at it very carefully and use the fragility to my benefit in removing the matrix?

I can upload some photo's tonight when I finish work if anyone wants to see it.

Thanks in advance

Ash

*edit*

Sorry, please move to Q&A

Scale on tape measure = cm/mm

Edited September 22, 2011 by Tachikoma_kun

[Indy]

This should be an interesting thread

It would be best to see some pictures before making suggestions

My first mental picture is of my collecting technique to insure

such material arrives home in the same condition as collected

[Tachikoma_kun]

Sadly I collected them early on in my holiday so they were packed in the hotel for a few days before I got home.

I'm not sure keeping them wet would have been much better than letting them dry out, I collected them from the base of the cliff a few feet from the sea (even at low tide) so it was literally like mud and incredibly fragile, which was good for solid fossils like the ammonites and belamnites, but terrible for this sort of thing.

I doubt the fossil will be of any interest as very little of what I found was in good condition, it's more to practice for if/when I find something more impressive. I have another possibly sea flora fossil, but it's so badly preserved it's little more than a stain on the mudstone.

Will upload some photo's tonight, thanks for looking!

[Indy]

When encountering interesting fossils in the field and not

collected...Taking pictures to share and discuss is an option

[Tachikoma_kun]

Oh I collected everything I found bar a few remnants of ammonite mother of pearl that was all that remained on the mud that hadn't been washed away and a few I left for kids in the area to find.

I have been without internet since I made my original collection post so have not had the chance to post other than in work on a cheeky break.

[Tachikoma_kun]

OK, images uploaded, I included the unknown fossil (not sure it's even a fossil, but I found quite a few similar inclusions) that you can see face-on. I think it's some sort of kelp perhaps due to the nodular sections running along it's length, reminded me of the bladders on modern seaweed.

[Indy]

OK, images uploaded, I included the unknown fossil (not sure it's even a fossil, but I found quite a few similar inclusions) that you can see face-on. I think it's some sort of kelp perhaps due to the nodular sections running along it's length, reminded me of the bladders on modern seaweed.

PICS were added to #1 (above) Top of Thread

[dhk]

I work a lot with siltstone which is finer than the mud. What I do is take white glue and cover the stone front and back and let it dry but don't cover the fossil part. You can do it at home or in the field as the glue dries fast. The glue holds the stone together while you work on the fossil. When you're done, the glue can be pealed off with some care or since it dried clear, you might choose to leave it on. I usually keep the glue and a brush in my tool bucket and carry it with me just in case I do find a brittle stone that looks like it won't make the trip.

[Tachikoma_kun]

Thanks for the info, will look at buying some white/pva glue, any ideas about prepping it dry or soaking it for a few days and prepping it soft?

[dhk]

depends of what it is. If it is a brittle peice the water might make it fall apart, if it is solid, the water might help. I have found with the type of stone you are talking about, a dry prep would be quite eazy as the mudstone will chip away with very little effort. Always prep from the center out to avoid chipping off a section of the good stuff.

[Tachikoma_kun]

Thanks everyone for your contributions, will have a go at prepping it sometime in the next fortnight, just bought a collection of about 50-60 vintage cameras which I need to catalogue and clean and that will take most of my free time.