Ash Posted January 5, 2015 Posted January 5, 2015 Hey guys, probably not going to get to collect at Mazon creek myself so was wondering if anyone would be willing to share the freeze thaw experience and post me some unopened nodules whilst I'm in the US to take back home with me? Cheers. "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe" - Saint Augustine"Those who can not see past their own nose deserve our pity more than anything else."
fossilized6s Posted January 5, 2015 Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) I wish i could help, but i only have a few left. I won't be collecting more until April or so. Freeze/thaw is fairly simple though. 1. Soak nodules in water for about a week. That way the water can penetrate every cavity and soak into the hardened shale. 2. While keeping the nodules submerged in water stick them into the freezer or ice chest. Let them freeze solid. It usually takes about two days. 3. Thaw the nodules. You can either let them sit out in the sun, sit at room temperature for a few hours or run hot tap water over them. I like to run hot tap water over mine. Sometimes it helps the stubborn ones to pop a bit quicker. 4. Inspect your nodules, check for hairline cracks and tap gently with a hammer. Peel off layers of shale accordingly. Sometimes you will have several layers to peel of before reaching the fossilized nucleus. BUT, DO NOT force the shell to come off either. Sometimes the fossil will be preserved throughout the whole nodule, layers and all (this is the case for flora usually). 5. If the nodules haven't split in the middle or split enough to reveal your fossil repeat steps 2-4. You may have to repeat freeze/thaw upwards of 30+ times. It took me 50+ cycles to pop open a few. A hammer works too. But i find the whack-o-nod technique to be detrimental to the delicacy of Mazon fossils. Patience is key. Edited January 5, 2015 by fossilized6s 2 ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG
Ash Posted January 5, 2015 Author Posted January 5, 2015 Thanks for the consideration Great, informative post! Hopefully can get some to try it out on "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe" - Saint Augustine"Those who can not see past their own nose deserve our pity more than anything else."
fossilized6s Posted January 5, 2015 Posted January 5, 2015 Sorry i couldn't help you get some nods. It's our off season. Haha I know of a man that has a few thousand.....but whether or not he will want to part with some is another question. Im sure he'll chime in if he does. ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG
Mrteacherdude Posted January 20, 2015 Posted January 20, 2015 I have come back from digs with several hundred nodules. Freezer space can be a premium for me so I take trays of nodules, submerge them in water and set them outside all winter. I also have found this helpful because when I'm looking at the nodule each day it gets more and more tempting to channel my inner Thor and hammer the thing open. In a normal year the water will freeze and thaw a dozen or so times and do a lot of the work for you.
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