Doctor Mud Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 (edited) Very nice! Your prep skills are good too!Thanks Shotcaller.It's getting tricky at the front end and I'd really like to be able to expose the eyes, but it is getting almost impossible to get the right angle of attack behind the claws. You don't get a sense of how high the claws stick up in this photo. I've done a bit more work since this pic was taken and I swear I must be mm away from them. Nervous about hitting the spines that are normally above the eyes. I'm going to keep on keeping on and see what presents itself after I remove more matrix. Edited March 31, 2014 by Doctor Mud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Hey Dmud. Ive got a yellow one somewhere? Put it away when we knew we were going to move to Montana and haven't seen it since, but it was the tuffest prep job ive ever done. it was sooooooooo soft that I could only get the size of a pinhead uncover and would stop and glue just to hold it together. Got real old with so much 'stop and gluing' but there was no other way to save the 'skin' of the crab. But now that I see that pattern on your yellow crab, im wondering if I have the same pattern? Not a clue to where it is though? RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CH4ShotCaller Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Thanks Shotcaller. It's getting tricky at the front end and I'd really like to be able to expose the eyes, but it is getting almost impossible to get the right angle of attack behind the claws. You don't get a sense of how high the claws stick up in this photo. I've done a bit more work since this pic was taken and I swear I must be mm away from them. Nervous about hitting the spines that are normally above the eyes. I'm going to keep on keeping on and see what presents itself after I remove more matrix. I've heard talk amongst the crab folk of a type of specimen that's yellow and will test the skills of any master prep. The 'pink' one I just finished was hard enough, but the 'yellows' are legendary for difficulty. Keep it up and no sugar or caffeine! Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. -Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 Hey Dmud. Ive got a yellow one somewhere? Put it away when we knew we were going to move to Montana and haven't seen it since, but it was the tuffest prep job ive ever done. it was sooooooooo soft that I could only get the size of a pinhead uncover and would stop and glue just to hold it together. Got real old with so much 'stop and gluing' but there was no other way to save the 'skin' of the crab. But now that I see that pattern on your yellow crab, im wondering if I have the same pattern? Not a clue to where it is though? RB Hi RB, I found the link on TFF to your post. I did a search for all posts containing Tumido to see what had been posted. Mine is no where near as bad as yours in terms of softness. I didn't have to do the stop and glue and stop and glue and........ for the whole thing. I just had to be real careful and there was one place that needed to be stabilised as I went. Thankfully the claws are brown and very sturdy and the matrix comes of quite easily. This will definitely be the last crab that I do with these engravers though. They are just not designed for this - they are chunky and hard to get into tight spaces, the scribe points need to be modified for fine work, and they overheat after long periods of use. Crab prepping is challenging enough and you need to give yourself every possible advantage to perhaps preserve some sanity Its just a matter of time before I join the air scribe club. I've been looking into compressors. I was thinking of going through Paleotools and maybe getting a ME-9100 and a microjack, plus a compressor with a 150 PSI capacity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 I've heard talk amongst the crab folk of a type of specimen that's yellow and will test the skills of any master prep. The 'pink' one I just finished was hard enough, but the 'yellows' are legendary for difficulty. Keep it up and no sugar or caffeine! Thanks ShotCaller. Your "Boss" certainly looked delicate but it came out looking great. He he, I have to remember to breathe sometimes when I'm approaching a delicate piece with the tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CH4ShotCaller Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Hi RB, I found the link on TFF to your post. I did a search for all posts containing Tumido to see what had been posted. Mine is no where near as bad as yours in terms of softness. I didn't have to do the stop and glue and stop and glue and........ for the whole thing. I just had to be real careful and there was one place that needed to be stabilised as I went. Thankfully the claws are brown and very sturdy and the matrix comes of quite easily. This will definitely be the last crab that I do with these engravers though. They are just not designed for this - they are chunky and hard to get into tight spaces, the scribe points need to be modified for fine work, and they overheat after long periods of use. Crab prepping is challenging enough and you need to give yourself every possible advantage to perhaps preserve some sanity Its just a matter of time before I join the air scribe club. I've been looking into compressors. I was thinking of going through Paleotools and maybe getting a ME-9100 and a microjack, plus a compressor with a 150 PSI capacity. That's exactly what I have. A 26 gallon 150 psi compressor, ME9100, a Micro Jack 6 and a 3. Great tools and a long air hose to set it away from my work area. My neighbors are thrilled with the gentle early morning hum of my endeavor. Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. -Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Hey Drmud, take shotcaller's advice and go for the Micro jack #6 along with the me9100, but get a 2inch stylus with that 9100. You can get more use out of the 2 inch. I myself have a 60 gallon compressor, but I also have lots of room and no close neighbors. Ive also calmed down a bit and don't cuss like I used too, but in the early days of crab prep I invented a few new cuss words! Ha!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted April 2, 2014 Author Share Posted April 2, 2014 That's exactly what I have. A 26 gallon 150 psi compressor, ME9100, a Micro Jack 6 and a 3. Great tools and a long air hose to set it away from my work area. My neighbors are thrilled with the gentle early morning hum of my endeavor. Hey Drmud, take shotcaller's advice and go for the Micro jack #6 along with the me9100, but get a 2inch stylus with that 9100. You can get more use out of the 2 inch. I myself have a 60 gallon compressor, but I also have lots of room and no close neighbors. Ive also calmed down a bit and don't cuss like I used too, but in the early days of crab prep I invented a few new cuss words! Ha!!! Thanks guys! I can see the advantages of having a longer stylus. Particularly with the Tumidos. The legs and claws can be in all sorts of funny positions and you need a bit more "reach" to get in there. I'd held off getting a compressor and air scribes. Waiting until I move into a house. In an apartment right now. The sound proofing is pretty good but I wonder what the neighbours think of the buzzing from the engravers. I don't really think the compressor would be much louder than the dremmel engraver! Its about as loud as an idling chainsaw! Yep RJB I'm happy for the noise sometimes to cover my cuss words! I'll know whats happening with my job in a few months so we should be able to find that perfect place with a suitable "man cave" for me, compressor, scribes and crabs... Until then this one will be finished with the engravers. Hopefully one day I'll be able to look back on my first crab and the engraver experience will be a thing of the past! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CH4ShotCaller Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 On the plus side, ya could increase your inventory while waiting for that house. We lived in an apartment years ago and if I had prepped..... well, it would have made the news. Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. -Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drizzt0000 Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 that is an awesome crab keep it up now im dying to see it finished since i live in kansas i probably wont be able to find anything as cool so im living through you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 that is an awesome crab keep it up now im dying to see it finished since i live in kansas i probably wont be able to find anything as cool so im living through you! Thanks! Looks like there are some cool fossil localities in Kansas though - maybe not for crabs but marine reptiles and sharks! Some are listed here on the fossil forum in the area listing fossil locations. The link to the Oceans of Kansas website looks really good. Seems like private land might be an issue out west in Kansas where the chalk deposits and sharks teeth are though. Were abouts in Kansas do you live? Private land is becoming more of an issue in New Zealand too. Thankfully though the farmer who owns the land you have to cross to get to this crab locality is happy to let people onto his land (just not dogs since there are sheep). He even jump started my car once since I was in too much of a hurry to get down to the beach and left my lights on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 On the plus side, ya could increase your inventory while waiting for that house. We lived in an apartment years ago and if I had prepped..... well, it would have made the news. Its a bit like that in my apartment. Luckily the walls have good sound proofing though. I close the doors to keep the sound in - so far no complaints.... I probably would have heard from "shut up guy" who shouts out at any disturbances in our apartment block - smoke detectors, crows, crying babies...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CH4ShotCaller Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Its a bit like that in my apartment. Luckily the walls have good sound proofing though. I close the doors to keep the sound in - so far no complaints.... I probably would have heard from "shut up guy" who shouts out at any disturbances in our apartment block - smoke detectors, crows, crying babies...... LOL, we had a murder a block away from my house yesterday and a meth lab explosion earlier in the morning, the explosion woke me and thought I also heard gunfire. Gotta be strapped just to mow the lawn, LOL! Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. -Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 LOL, we had a murder a block away from my house yesterday and a meth lab explosion earlier in the morning, the explosion woke me and thought I also heard gunfire. Gotta be strapped just to mow the lawn, LOL! Wow, when you said you wear protection to prep your crabs I thought you meant goggles and a mask , not a vest :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CH4ShotCaller Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Wow, when you said you wear protection to prep your crabs I thought you meant goggles and a mask , not a vest :-) LOL! You're closer to the truth! How's that crab coming along? It's a good specimen, maybe wait a bit for the better tools and take a few trips to collect more concretions? I gotta get back to my new huntin' grounds soon for more concretions myself! Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. -Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 LOL! You're closer to the truth! How's that crab coming along? It's a good specimen, maybe wait a bit for the better tools and take a few trips to collect more concretions? I gotta get back to my new huntin' grounds soon for more concretions myself! Almost there with the crab. Thinking of calling him Mr T (for Mr Tumidocarcinus)....as in "I pity the fool..." A-Team Mr T. Doesn't look too different from last time from the top, but the big claw is over 4cm high and it is tricky to get in behind there. I think I'll be ok to finish with the tools I have but this will be the last one sans air scribe. You must be running low on concs by now. I'm looking forward to my next trip. I could do with some fossicking after all this prep time too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CH4ShotCaller Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 image.jpg Almost there with the crab. Thinking of calling him Mr T (for Mr Tumidocarcinus)....as in "I pity the fool..." A-Team Mr T. Doesn't look too different from last time from the top, but the big claw is over 4cm high and it is tricky to get in behind there. I think I'll be ok to finish with the tools I have but this will be the last one sans air scribe. You must be running low on concs by now. I'm looking forward to my next trip. I could do with some fossicking after all this prep time too. Running low on the good ones, found a wheel barrow full of poor concretions in a forgotten corner of my back yard last week. Think I'll go next month, should be a wee bit dryer than now. I'll post pics, I'm over due for a bowl of chili 'n hot dogs. Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. -Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drizzt0000 Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 sorry for the delay in reply in live in wichita ks lots of invert fossils ive found including my bryozoa im finishing prep on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 sorry for the delay in reply in live in wichita ks lots of invert fossils ive found including my bryozoa im finishing prep on Hey - I saw that bryozoan. Great work and a beautiful piece. I must go back to the thread and see if you have made any more progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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