Jocky Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 All you need is a pair of boots and a good eye! So far I have: various kitchen implements press ganged into fossil service several rakes 3 GPS devices a room dedicated to store / clean / prepare fossils customised 4WD with long distance fuel tanks, water storage, desert tyres and extra lights a very understanding wife How about the rest of the forum members? CHEERS Happy New Year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 -a lot of makeshift tools and "professional" tools -much frustration when I get lost -an entire house dedicated to storing and preparing fossils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 How much does an understanding wife cost? Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsessed1 Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 screens for sifting in different sizes, window,1/8", 1/4" and 1/2" neoprene waders for the winter, light weight waders for the summer (GMR) and wading shoes (with rubber bottoms) 5 or 6 shovels (you can never have too many shovels) hammers - rock hammers, 3 lb. sledge, and 6 lb sledge a couple of each many various sized backpacks and duffle bags rakes with screen attached to catch fossils in the waves a new 21' boat to get to where the fossils are ( access is a problem here in Md,) a new GMC truck to pull the boat ( the old truck was too small at least hats what I told her shhhh! ) small hammers, chisels, dental picks and a dremel to prep with several cabinets for fossil storage, some bought, some converted from things like gun cabinets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsessed1 Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 How much does an understanding wife cost? Those are priceless!! And hard to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkbyte Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 How much does an understanding wife cost? And where can you find one? "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Confucius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 (edited) Those are priceless!! And hard to find. Workin on that one myself...prospects are good...MUA HA HA! And with any luck this could be the first union between Forum members...stay tuned... Edited December 28, 2011 by danwoehr Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 - The complete Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology - The Treatise photocopied, because you don't want to mess up the books Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nandomas Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 (edited) How much does an understanding wife cost? :zzzzscratchchin: Edited December 28, 2011 by Nandomas Erosion... will be my epitaph! http://www.paleonature.org/ https://fossilnews.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickNC Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 It is fairly cheap for me. A home built screen, two shovels, a pair of waders.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I am blessed with a wife that actually likes to rock hound also. As for the cost... hand made screen, stand for screen, shovels and scoop for Florida; 2 rock hammers, hand sledge, pickaxe and an assortment of cold chisels for every where else to go with a 4x4 to get me to the out of the way spots. Plus an entire room dedicated to rock storage/display, another to cleaning with a dream of prepping in the future, a rock saw and a computer so I can plan rock hounding stops for every trip. Not to bad, actually, when compared to a customized 4x4 with extended range gas tanks, water tanks, multiple GPS's and etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Can be expensive.... Excluding transportation costs.... +$40,000 over last 9-10yrs. Generally cheap once the initial equipment is purchased. All depends what you want.... I assembled an optical digital imaging lab this year which incurred extra costs for a specific project.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terriW Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 'time' is what i'm short on..how do you find that?!? with a pick and shovel too! for me..it's a kayak and this statement..'you guy keep paddling i'll catch up after i cruise around on this sand bar' guess thats free exercise too as i make the mad dash downstream to the next pile of rocks and river debris! :hot: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trilobiteruss Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 How much does an understanding wife cost? Priceless!!!!!! Mine sure is!!! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Fossil hunting will be a cheap hobby Famous Last Words What started out to be a fun cheap interesting hobby turned out to be a very expensive "Obsession" Flash from the Past (Show Us Your Fossils)MAPS Fossil Show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 my girlfriend didnt just put up with, but actually enjoyed 13 fossil sites with me in 15 days strung out across europe AND she wants to learn to prep.... she's being eyed for promotion. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 my girlfriend didnt just put up with, but actually enjoyed 13 fossil sites with me in 15 days strung out across europe AND she wants to learn to prep...she's being eyed for promotion. Wait till she decides she wants her own work station and all her own tools and toys. Ya know..."His and Hers" Flash from the Past (Show Us Your Fossils)MAPS Fossil Show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jocky Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 oh so it's not just me then. Reading all the posts has made me realise I need to budget for a few more essentials like a light box. CHEERS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I started small in March, 2009 -- One shovel, one sieve, shorts with pockets to hold my finds, a tea-shirt and old pair of sneakers. I did not find many high quality fossils. Things got complicated: the sun was brutal, bugs (mosquitos, green flies, black flies) were after me, I noted the gators and water moccasins, the water was freezing, sun behind clouds on windy days, there were broken bottle and spikes in the river bed, and a gnarly old geezer in a canoe told me that the BIG PERFECT Megs were all up river a mile or two. So, a kayak, surveyors pole to anchor kayak in river bed, more shovels (short handled, flat points, bucket shovels), more sieves (1/4 , 1/2, backups), a kayak trailer, a pickup truck to haul the kayak without the trailer, dry bags/boxes, etc , etc etc As others (including my understanding (working because it is good to have one adult bringing home the bacon in a relationship) wife has said -- OBSESSED!!!!!! The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vordigern Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 lol lot of great answers, for me my fossil obsession cost me: -screens -tools (prybars,chisels,sledges,screw drivers...) - gas which has become more expensive since I started site prospecting -boots -screens -gear for the kids -new tire from the nail I got on a dirt road in October the understanding wife is priceless, I just wish her eyes wouldnt glaze over everytime I start telling her about my new exciting find my obsession is getting a little more expensive as I am getting my first air eraser, and air compressor this week when I spend my Christmas gift cards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 for me most of the capital equipment expenses are behind me, so the ongoing expense is fuel and maintenance of vehicles and equipment. since there isnt much variety on my home turf, the cost of itinerant collecting adds up fast. and since 75% of exploration results in no good fossils or residual collecting potential, good sites come to me at a premium. i've pumped over 50 grand into collecting, mainly transportation, over the last 9 years, but its been a wild and fulfilling ride with not only tangible rewards in the form of finds, but also oneness of nature in an almost "henry david thoreau" sense, as well as quality time with family and friends, and dealings with kids, museums and universities. good times y'all... mua ha ha! Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boneman007 Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 A Tahoe with $15K in upgrades, traded in for a Hummer H2, Truck wench.... Hammers, Chisels, Diamond Saws, Picks, Knee pads, bags, backpacks, boots, gloves... Air Abrasives, Air Chisels, Acids, Bases, Glues, Stabalizers, various removers... 3 broken ribs, Fender flair torn off my tahoe, Bumper torn off the Tahoe, stung by scorpions twice... And last but certainly not least... One Ex-Wife.... Fossil Hunting? A bargain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfergirlatx Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 (edited) How much does an understanding wife cost? What an interesting question. I am the wife and the fossil hunter of my home. I have been known to bring home over 100lbs of dirty fossils per day, for the last 3 years. "He" doesnt have a proplem with all the stacked crates, tubs, storage bins, and bags of fossils in every room of the house...its me that cant stand the mess!!! But...have I stopped bringing home fossils? No, no I have not. I just get more upset everyday at my massive out of control collection that continues to grow by the day. So to answer your question, How much does an understanding wife cost? Well, since I am the one bringing the fossils home and I am still mad at how many I bring home...good luck is all I can say Expenses: My hunting site is on my property. At first I just started to pile my fossils on a small shelf in the living room, then the shelf broke due to the weight, so had to invest in several storage tubs. Well the weight of the fossils in the 40 gallon plastic tubs broke the tubs = fossils all over everywhere!!! So upgraded to metal file cabinets...but that didnt work either, when opening the top drawers, the entire until would tip over = fossils all over everywhere!!! So converted a guest bedroom into a fossil room. Installed shelves to hold my finds. Bought microscope...already had a mud boots, boat, kayaks, (I live and hunt at the lake), several digital cameras, plastic zip lock baggies to bring up my finds and a really jazzed up computer Fossil hunting and collecting for me has been less of a financial burden, rather a lack of storage burden.... Oh wait!!! My biggest expense with respect to fossil hunting/collecting has certainly been the "learning curve". Books, books and more books!!! Some of those books are rather expensive. The things we do for *fun*. Edited December 28, 2011 by surfergirlatx "The road to success is always under construction." Author Unknown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 My husband doesn't care much about collecting fossils, but he will dutifully carry them from the car/truck and put up with our stacks. He has spent hours researching tools, buying two of most everything for me and my son; turned in his credit card bonus points to get us hotel rooms and meals, and given up eating at the table for a week or two after a fossil hunt. He even gives an appropriate amount of praise when we find something cool. (Not to mention filling our gas tank when we bring it back on "E".) He has several fossils on his desk at work that we've given him, and is currently researching our needs for an air scribe and micro sand blaster. He asks his friends where we may be able to hunt, and prints out our maps. In short, he's the best. In return? He can take off on his motorcycle whenever he pleases...but then this fall, he gave up a weekend trip so that John and I could take off for the quarry. Some guys just know the way to a woman's heart! We haven't had too many expenses, since we have a lot of the necessary stuff around on the farm, but I agree the "space" issue is probably our biggest hurdle. Anna and John SE Oklahoma ____________________________________________________________________________________ "Life is an occasion, rise to it." --Mr. Magorium, "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" http://www.johnsdiscoveries.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Our tightly cyclical Pennsylvanian strata make for a good 'economy package'. One doesn't have to travel far to collect in a diverse plethora of depositional environments, sometimes even in the same exposure. Of course, there are a few, really good spots out there that will put some miles on the car. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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