DE&i Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Decided the timing was right to give these two finds my full attention as the temperatures here become more chilled. I plugged in my small electric fire in my prepping shed and set to work reducing the size of these fragile clay blocks that hold a shrimp in one piece and a crushed ammonite in the other. The process was a lot easier than I thought with a steady hand and sharp saw the clay cut like a knife through butter. I then just applied a thin paraloid coat to them, they are still quite heavy and may suffice as books ends but not really sure at the moment. Regards.....D&E&i The only certainty with fossil hunting is the uncertainty. https://lnk.bio/Darren.Withers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 I smile to see a hand saw in use; I have done the same with soft matrices. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZiggieCie Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Pocock Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Nice I like the idea of using a saw, I have resorted to using a tile saw and shaper on the lime stone matrix that I work on, it works well and is much les likely to slip like and electric cutter. Thanks for sharing Regards Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Love the handsaw pic. Ha! Been there done that. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Whatever gets 'er done. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 A good crosscut saw is my tool of choice for fragile specimens in soft matrix. Tile saws work great but the water can be problematic when combined with dry shale! Also, a large toothed crosscut saw does wonders for opening field jackets without stirring up a lung full of plaster dust. 1 Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE&i Posted October 17, 2015 Author Share Posted October 17, 2015 Thanks guys as there's no better place to be as winter sets in. And outside fossiling becomes a ( little ) more difficult. It's just me and my fossils a radio and a mug of tea. I'm going back for this slab as its packed full of Belemnites. But the matrix consists of a shell concretion and what take a herculean effort to lift it. So not sure what the tool of choice will be but I'll take an assortment. Regards.....D&E&i The only certainty with fossil hunting is the uncertainty. https://lnk.bio/Darren.Withers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 A good crosscut saw is my tool of choice for fragile specimens in soft matrix. Tile saws work great but the water can be problematic when combined with dry shale! Also, a large toothed crosscut saw does wonders for opening field jackets without stirring up a lung full of plaster dust. You can get diamond blades rated for 'wet or dry' use, I have a 10" one mounted in my dad's chop saw right now. You just have to use a dust mask. The blade may wear out faster than if you used water but they last long enough that the price is worth it. I do envy people who have soft matrix to work with, though, or even hard but not splintery matrix. My splintery shale is probably the worst stuff to work with in all the fossil world! Yer options are limited to what I just described... No rock saw with oil or water, no chisels, no hacksaws will do, and you can't even clamp the chunk in place without damaging it so you have to be careful when cutting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE&i Posted October 25, 2015 Author Share Posted October 25, 2015 I had my daughter Iris and her pet worm ( in the blue tub ) help me in the prepping shed today. Ive been carefully wiping over some Woolly Mammoth fragments with some wet wipes over the past couple of months. And have now decided to slowly dry them in cold storage. I really like the tan brown colorations on some of them and wonder if that could have been the tusks natural color or perhaps where sediments might have discolored them. Regards.....D&E&i The only certainty with fossil hunting is the uncertainty. https://lnk.bio/Darren.Withers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 We should all be so lucky to have prep lab partner like yours. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Nice, yep I've worn out some hand saws...STANLEY owes you something for the PR. Good stuff! Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Cute picture of your prep helper. I used to have one of those too,,, but he grew up. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 Super cute prep helper! I remember when my boys used to come out to the garage and "help" me prep fossils! No chance of that these days, it's all Call of Duty or Minecraft for them. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE&i Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 The constant supply of Hot Chocolate drinks does wonders when help is needed. So the team is back in the prepping shed to look through some old Lower Oxford Clay, Peterborough Formation matrix I have to look for cephalopod hooklets. We found three complete ones so far but hope to find some more. They are 1.mm in size. Regards.....D&E&i The only certainty with fossil hunting is the uncertainty. https://lnk.bio/Darren.Withers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Very nice. Did you use the dark side of the Force to find them? I'm loving the shirt! Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Look, if you're serving hot chocolate and we get to search for belemnite hooklets, then you're tempting me to come help. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Your kids are too cute! It's great that you can share your fossiling time with them. Lucky man. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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