Sometimes You Have To Whack It !!

[Mark Kmiecik]

As always, an awesome presentation. Thank you.

[Nimravis]

18 minutes ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

As always, an awesome presentation. Thank you.

Thanks much Mark.

[stats]

15 minutes ago, Nimravis said:

You have to love Pit 11, but this location that was across from Shadow Lakes was not very big, but the amount of fossils versus duds was super high, especially with the smaller pieces. What I showed here is hardly anything from what I got out of that location and still probably have concretions from that area to open, but not smaller ones. The highest number of fossils would have to be the Myalinella meeki clams.

I have to agree about Pit 11. Unfortunately, it's tough work to collect now.  But, I can't wait to get back out there in March!  Pit 2 also has/had a large ratio of fossils to duds.  

 

Cheers,

Rich

 

[RCFossils]

On 12/13/2020 at 2:47 PM, Nimravis said:

You think that this is a Mazonova? I have some in my collection, but did not think that this piece was, but you would know. I will have to find what case I put it in and pull it out.

Yes, this appears to me to be Mazonova!

 

[RCFossils]

On 12/13/2020 at 2:24 PM, Nimravis said:

Rob you are correct about the Essex fauna, I found a couple Essexella asherae Jellyfish at this site and I think some of these animals may have come in by store surge. Below is a Essexella that I found there, not the greatest example, and a few other fossils that I just pulled out of a tray that they have been in for a long time.

 

  

 

  

 

 

This millipede should be re-labeled Pleurojulus cf. biornatus.

Unfortunately it is missing both the head and tail ends but rarer then euphoberia.

 

 

[Nimravis]

59 minutes ago, RCFossils said:

This millipede should be re-labeled Pleurojulus cf. biornatus.

Unfortunately it is missing both the head and tail ends but rarer then euphoberia.

Thanks Rob, I had showed it to Tom T. and got the id from him, I will change it. Thanks again.

[Nimravis]

I don’t know if I posted this piece before, but seeing that I just ran into it again, I figured I would show it. 
 

Back in October of 1991, I was at some type of Fossil function at the Field Museum with my son who was 8 years old. They had people identifying fossils, talking about fossils and all kinds of Paleontological stuff. At one of the stations they were allowing kids to take one fossil out of a box of Mazon Creek fossils that contained jellyfish and ferns. My son stated that he was going to get one and off he went. If I remember it right, he came back about 1 minute later and I asked him if he took a jellyfish or a fern, he answered by saying “neither I grabbed a Tully Monster piece”. I think that no one knew it was in the box, it is not the greatest, but it still nice. It is great that at 8 he knew his fossils.

 

 

[Yoda]

@Nimravis 
 

Fantastic 

[Caverat]

Way back when, when I was collecting at Mazon Creek (1960's to 1980's), they were either already opened or we held them long axis vertically on another big rock and struck the top sharply with our trusty rock hammers. Once, maybe two or three times... We discarded a lot of them, but also came back with some great specimens!

[Nimravis]

42 minutes ago, Caverat said:

Way back when, when I was collecting at Mazon Creek (1960's to 1980's), they were either already opened or we held them long axis vertically on another big rock and struck the top sharply with our trusty rock hammers. Once, maybe two or three times... We discarded a lot of them, but also came back with some great specimens!

I still do.

[Wrangellian]

I like the drawer display. What does the full unit look like?

I guess gluing them onto cards like that is not the worst thing you could have done with them.

[Nimravis]

50 minutes ago, Wrangellian said:

I like the drawer display. What does the full unit look like?

I guess gluing them onto cards like that is not the worst thing you could have done with them.

Those drawers were made by a friend for someone else and when they were done with them, I grabbed them, they are loose, but stackable. As far as gluing them, I use Elmer’s Glue which does not hurt them and with the amount that I have, it is the best way to do it otherwise they are rubber banded and though it takes less room, it is harder to tell what you have. 

[jdp]

On 12/13/2020 at 2:47 PM, Nimravis said:

You think that this is a Mazonova? I have some in my collection, but did not think that this piece was, but you would know. I will have to find what case I put it in and pull it out.

Looks like Mazonova. Really fantastic specimen.

[Nimravis]

57 minutes ago, jdp said:

Looks like Mazonova. Really fantastic specimen.

Thanks, it is not my best of these, that is why I really never gave it a second look back then.

[Nimravis]

On 12/13/2020 at 7:29 PM, Wrangellian said:

I like the drawer display. What does the full unit look like?

I guess gluing them onto cards like that is not the worst thing you could have done with them.

I wanted to show you a couple pictures of how the guy designed these drawers for Mazon Creek fossils that are mounted on cards.

 

The main tray is 22 1/2” long and other stackable trays fit inside it. There are a total of 4 trays that makes up this piece, 2 main trays and 2 secondary trays.

 

 

The two main trays have holes so you can put a finger to carry the whole unit.

 

 

 

When you separate the two main trays, it looks like this.

 

 

When you take out the 2 secondary trays, it looks like this.

 

 

They 4 tray unit is also stackable with other 4 tray units shown below.

 

 

It really is very nice for way to store some of my fossils, it would also work well with other fossils that are flat- trackways, small Green River plates, etc. you could also put a drawer liner inside if you were worried about damaging something.

[Wrangellian]

On 12/15/2020 at 12:08 PM, Nimravis said:

I wanted to show you a couple pictures of how the guy designed these drawers for Mazon Creek fossils that are mounted on cards.

 

The main tray is 22 1/2” long and other stackable trays fit inside it. There are a total of 4 trays that makes up this piece, 2 main trays and 2 secondary trays.

 

The two main trays have holes so you can put a finger to carry the whole unit.

 

When you separate the two main trays, it looks like this.

 

 

When you take out the 2 secondary trays, it looks like this.

 

They 4 tray unit is also stackable with other 4 tray units shown below.

 

It really is very nice for way to store some of my fossils, it would also work well with other fossils that are flat- trackways, small Green River plates, etc. you could also put a drawer liner inside if you were worried about damaging something.

Interesting... Never seen that design before. So the smaller trays sit on top of the fossils in the larger trays?

If I had come across these in a 2nd hand place I would have assumed the ones with holes were meant to stick a dowel through them and use them like a tool box, and I might be tempted to get them to use as collecting trays.

[Nimravis]

51 minutes ago, Wrangellian said:

So the smaller trays sit on top of the fossils in the larger trays?

Correct

 

 

[RJB]

Can you imagine whacking this huge concretion open?!!!  

 

RB

[FossilDAWG]

Can you imagine carrying that thing out of the field?

 

Don

 

[Nimravis]

5 hours ago, RJB said:

Can you imagine whacking this huge concretion open?!!!  

RB

Lol- I have one at home that is as big as the hammer and I have others outside that are big. No matter the size, if I found it, it is going home with me. 

[stats]

5 hours ago, RJB said:

Can you imagine whacking this huge concretion open?!!!  

RB

You are going to need a bigger hammer....    I have a few bigger concretions outside.  Unfortunately, I've not seen anything in them.

 

Cheers,

Rich

 

[stats]

23 hours ago, Nimravis said:

I wanted to show you a couple pictures of how the guy designed these drawers for Mazon Creek fossils that are mounted on cards.

 

The main tray is 22 1/2” long and other stackable trays fit inside it. There are a total of 4 trays that makes up this piece, 2 main trays and 2 secondary trays.

 

 

The two main trays have holes so you can put a finger to carry the whole unit.

 

 

Those are nice.  Where did you get them?  Was that a common way to do it back in the day?

 

Cheers,

Rich

[Nimravis]

45 minutes ago, stats said:

Those are nice.  Where did you get them?  Was that a common way to do it back in the day?

I got the trays from Walter and they were made for him by another collecting friend of ours. Walter mounted his fossils that way, although he would use a green rolled thing that was used by people working on fake floral projects. I also followed him, but noticed that it would leave a residue on the back of the fossils, so I stopped and went to Elmer’s glue. I still mount fossils this way when I have a chance, but still have several hundred that are just rubber banded, and they will remain that way, the others will get mounted.

[Wrangellian]

On 12/16/2020 at 9:33 AM, Nimravis said:

I got the trays from Walter and they were made for him by another collecting friend of ours. Walter mounted his fossils that way, although he would use a green rolled thing that was used by people working on fake floral projects. I also followed him, but noticed that it would leave a residue on the back of the fossils, so I stopped and went to Elmer’s glue. I still mount fossils this way when I have a chance, but still have several hundred that are just rubber banded, and they will remain that way, the others will get mounted.

My mother gave me some of that floral stuff for the same purpose when I was a kid. I've still got fossils with oily residue on them. At least it was easier to pull the fossils off what I had them stuck to than it would have been with Elmer's.

[Nimravis]

15 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

My mother gave me some of that floral stuff for the same purpose when I was a kid. I've still got fossils with oily residue on them. At least it was easier to pull the fossils off what I had them stuck to than it would have been with Elmer's.

No, Elmer’s glue pops right off and no residue.