Kane's Bug Preps

[Kane]

Thanks, Ron! I suppose prepping trilos is as fun for me as crabs and fishies are to you!  

 

@Malcolmt -- It was a bit on the short side for you this year, but you managed to prep some of the most gorgeous material, though. My season is still kind of going... mostly local stuff. Found a nice chunk of Terataspis this morning near my house that will be a bit of a jigsaw puzzle.

[Malcolmt]

2 hours ago, Kane said:

Thanks, Ron! I suppose prepping trilos is as fun for me as crabs and fishies are to you!  

 

@Malcolmt -- It was a bit on the short side for you this year, but you managed to prep some of the most gorgeous material, though. My season is still kind of going... mostly local stuff. Found a nice chunk of Terataspis this morning near my house that will be a bit of a jigsaw puzzle.

Yes but all that gorgeous material never belongs to me.....You my friend had a collection centerpiece fossil this year......

[Paleorunner]

Excellent results, @Kaneit's nice to see your trilos, and the work you do with them.  

[Kane]

1 hour ago, Malcolmt said:

Yes but all that gorgeous material never belongs to me.....You my friend had a collection centerpiece fossil this year......

I sure did, and all thanks go to you for preparing that to a 'T.' I think it is more than worth you posting about the process!

[Ptychodus04]

On 11/10/2021 at 2:10 PM, Malcolmt said:

Yes but all that gorgeous material never belongs to me.....You my friend had a collection centerpiece fossil this year......

I feel your pain.

[Kane]

I was supposed to wait until winter, but I felt the urge to do some prep.

 

This one has a lot going on, not much of it fantastic. It is broken in a number of places and glued back together a la Humpty Dumpty as best as possibly can be. This delightful pliomerid from Russia is still worthy of some attention...

 

 

It begins with roughing it out with the scribe. Unlike some other matrices these can appear in, this is not the the sort that nicely pops off. Instead, it is filled with sticky, calcitic debris and occasional hard translucent crusts where using a scribe -- even ever so delicately -- will likely leave a ding. Abrasion has to be done extra carefully, too, as the sticky bits are as hard (if not sometimes harder) than the shell, so it is very easy to burn through these.

 

 

Pliomera fischeri is the type of elongated trilobite that just doesn't want to quit with abundant thoracic segments. But I persevered in search of the cephalon, and there it was, also sporting one of its eyes. One thing led to another, and the other eye and cheek appeared -- huzzah! Care was needed as well to avoid scribing too much around the glued area, which would require some patient (frustrating) abrasion. 

 

It was at this point I also had to make the decision about how much of the matrix to leave, but with just enough to prevent it from breaking apart (I was discovering all manner of little fissures waiting for some vibration to set the whole thing shaking apart!). 

 

 

[Kane]

And done. Not the very best, but the very best that can be done with my tools. I felt a bit bold so decided to have a go at partially exposing the hypostome, too. All told. about seven hours -- so less time than I anticipated this taking. A few places I'd love to touch up, but that would require a much smaller abrasive orifice (with a proper machine that could push through that) to prevent just making natural divisions into broad channels. 

[FossilDAWG]

I think that turned out Marvelous!!

 

Don

[Paleorunner]

3 hours ago, Kane said:

And done. Not the very best, but the very best that can be done with my tools. 

 

 

Well, blessed tools. 

[IsaacTheFossilMan]

That one simply was pliomagnificent!

Great job, as always.

[fossilhunter21]

21 hours ago, Kane said:

And done. Not the very best, but the very best that can be done with my tools. I felt a bit bold so decided to have a go at partially exposing the hypostome, too. All told. about seven hours -- so less time than I anticipated this taking. A few places I'd love to touch up, but that would require a much smaller abrasive orifice (with a proper machine that could push through that) to prevent just making natural divisions into broad channels.

Wow! you did an amazing job on that bug! 

 

Can't wait to see more of your work.

[Huntonia]

Wow very nice! Looks like you did quite well putting humpty dumpty back together!

 

Love seeing the hypostome!

[Kane]

15 hours ago, Huntonia said:

Wow very nice! Looks like you did quite well putting humpty dumpty back together!

 

Love seeing the hypostome!

Thanks! I do plan on exposing more of it at some point (as winter generally outruns my prep queue, I tend to come back to fine tune the previous preps). I will likely stabilize it a bit more first, but it would definitely be a first for me to prepare a hanging hypostome-showing prone trilobite! Next step: flying spines (not likely!  ). 

[Sjfriend]

Great job ...... as usual.

 

Looks great as is but prepping the hypostome would be icing under the cake

[Huntonia]

16 hours ago, Kane said:

Thanks! I do plan on exposing more of it at some point (as winter generally outruns my prep queue, I tend to come back to fine tune the previous preps). I will likely stabilize it a bit more first, but it would definitely be a first for me to prepare a hanging hypostome-showing prone trilobite! Next step: flying spines (not likely!  ). 

Nice that you can catch up, if only once a year. At this rate I dont know if I'll ever make it through my backlog 

Maybe this summer if I'm not too busy finding more stuff I'll get through it all, but right now it sure feels like 1 project finished 2 more added to the pile! 

 

I'm sure you'll be doing flying spines in no time! Have any plans to upgrade your setup? Seems like equipment is holding you back. I can hardly imagine the wonders you could do with a high end abrasive system!

[Kane]

2 hours ago, Huntonia said:

Nice that you can catch up, if only once a year. At this rate I dont know if I'll ever make it through my backlog 

Maybe this summer if I'm not too busy finding more stuff I'll get through it all, but right now it sure feels like 1 project finished 2 more added to the pile! 

 

I'm sure you'll be doing flying spines in no time! Have any plans to upgrade your setup? Seems like equipment is holding you back. I can hardly imagine the wonders you could do with a high end abrasive system!

I see that as one of the few benefits of winter: time to catch up on prep, time to plan the next fossil season's trips, time to draw. It sort of works out for me since I do the bulk of my teaching duties September to April, so at least 4-5 of those months are snowed under.

 

Of course, like you, tons of stuff I could (and probably should) prep, but most of my unprepared finds are not destined to be cabinet worthy, and likely end up in labeled boxes in storage. I try to be mindful of the costs associated with the wear and tear on equipment, so don't want to give it my all on a broken bryozoan or a crusty coral.  I have a few pieces that just have to wait until the equipment is better, and that includes some of those ridiculously spiny Moroccan trilobites, or super delicate pieces that require much finer precision tools. 

 

I have one prep-master friend who is also amazed that I can get the results out of this equipment that I do. He tried to use mine when his lab was not in commission, but it was just too frustrating for him.  There is something to be said about starting out on the low end, and then appreciate the finer tools once one has earned their stripes. Sometimes that probationary period gets extended (heck, I still have a 30+ year acoustic Yamaha guitar as I don't feel I deserve a higher end one yet!). 

 

I desperately want to ramp up the quality of the equipment, though, so I keep my eyes peeled for deals. I think I might need a bigger house first... As some forum members who have been here can attest, the prep area I'm in is pretty crowded, with both the mini lab and the workout area competing for every inch. I think I'm at least another 10-15k away from the lab of my dreams. At present, I'm still using the Paasche I've "modded," and just two somewhat functioning scribes. And the occasional streams of salty language when things go awry.   

[Ptychodus04]

6 hours ago, Kane said:

And the occasional streams of salty language when things go awry.   

That sounds like my prep lab as well. I had a string of them yesterday after I spent an hour detailing out the dorsal fin of the Diplo I'm working on only to have the tip crumble the second it was exposed! I didn't even have time to mess it up on my own. This fish is full of thin, flaky fins and scales. I kind of saw it coming though. The matrix is kind of weathered and is more well adhered to the prep side of the scales than the other side. This is a recipe for missing scales on a fish!

 

That bug is awesome! well done.

[Kane]

10 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said:

That sounds like my prep lab as well. I had a string of them yesterday after I spent an hour detailing out the dorsal fin of the Diplo I'm working on only to have the tip crumble the second it was exposed! I didn't even have time to mess it up on my own. This fish is full of thin, flaky fins and scales. I kind of saw it coming though. The matrix is kind of weathered and is more well adhered to the prep side of the scales than the other side. This is a recipe for missing scales on a fish!

 

That bug is awesome! well done.

In the words of Charlie Brown, "WAUUGHH!!" That had to hurt, but at least (cold comfort) it wasn't your fault. Still, if the bulk of your work is for clients, that sinking feeling in the stomach has to be twice as severe!  

 

Had a bit of a minor "oops" myself the other day on another prep job. Somewhat not entirely my fault as the matrix decided to pop off a bit too early and take some shell with it. I generally have a gauge for how much matrix can safely separate from the shell at any given time, sort of like peeling off a band-aid where the goal is NOT to rip off skin. Now I wait for the Milliput and acrylic paint set fairy to arrive in a week or two. 

[FossilNerd]

7 hours ago, Kane said:

I try to be mindful of the costs associated with the wear and tear on equipment, so don't want to give it my all on a broken bryozoan or a crusty coral.  

Hey! Broken Bryozoan and Crusty Coral need love too! 

 

All joking aside, I think you are a fine example of what can be done when one puts their mind to it. It’s not the tools that make you a good prepper (although I concede that better tools help), but rather your talent, attention to detail, patience, and determination. An inspiration to all amateur preppers!  

[FossilDAWG]

On 11/14/2021 at 9:52 AM, Kane said:

Next step: flying spines. 

In my case, "flying spines" would probably mean flying off into space, never to be seen again.

 

Don

[Huntonia]

8 hours ago, Kane said:

At present, I'm still using the Paasche I've "modded," and just two somewhat functioning scribes. And the occasional streams of salty language when things go awry.   

Only two scribes right now? Man, now I'm even more impressed! I thought you had at least 3 or 4! I've been thinking real hard about getting a third, I shouldn't but I might 

And of course I think any hobby needing precision work comes equipped with the expanded vocabulary in case of emergency 

1 hour ago, Kane said:

Now I wait for the Milliput and acrylic paint set fairy to arrive in a week or two

I've been meaning to get some of this myself and start trying my hand at restoration but it's a daunting challenge! How easily removable is Milliput? The paint is what really gets me nervous, I've never been good with paints, and thanks to some mild colorblindness my color-matching skills leave a lot to be desired 

[Ptychodus04]

3 hours ago, Kane said:

In the words of Charlie Brown, "WAUUGHH!!" That had to hurt, but at least (cold comfort) it wasn't your fault. Still, if the bulk of your work is for clients, that sinking feeling in the stomach has to be twice as severe!  

 

Had a bit of a minor "oops" myself the other day on another prep job. Somewhat not entirely my fault as the matrix decided to pop off a bit too early and take some shell with it. I generally have a gauge for how much matrix can safely separate from the shell at any given time, sort of like peeling off a band-aid where the goal is NOT to rip off skin. Now I wait for the Milliput and acrylic paint set fairy to arrive in a week or two. 

It is definitely a high stress environment working on specimens for clients. Thankfully, most understand that there's a bit of "it is what it is" when dealing with things dead for millions of years. I'm just unhappy when a specimen doesn't come out perfectly. It's the only bit of perfectionist mentality that I have in me. That being said, after 25 years of prepping, I'm still waiting to see the perfect specimen...

 

1 hour ago, Huntonia said:

Only two scribes right now? Man, now I'm even more impressed! I thought you had at least 3 or 4! I've been thinking real hard about getting a third, I shouldn't but I might 

And of course I think any hobby needing precision work comes equipped with the expanded vocabulary in case of emergency 

Do it! I have 5 scribes with a 6th on order.

[Huntonia]

15 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said:

Do it! I have 5 scribes with a 6th on order.

Perhaps I will, I think I still have some spending cash that hasn't been spent on rocks yet 

 

I could really use a proper detail scribe, I've been thinking about grabbing a Pferd MST 

[Kane]

18 hours ago, Huntonia said:

Only two scribes right now? Man, now I'm even more impressed! I thought you had at least 3 or 4! I've been thinking real hard about getting a third, I shouldn't but I might 

And of course I think any hobby needing precision work comes equipped with the expanded vocabulary in case of emergency 

I've been meaning to get some of this myself and start trying my hand at restoration but it's a daunting challenge! How easily removable is Milliput? The paint is what really gets me nervous, I've never been good with paints, and thanks to some mild colorblindness my color-matching skills leave a lot to be desired 

Heh... And to make it more daunting, the one scribe is for bulk matrix (ME-9100) and the other for fine detail work (Pferd MST-31) and nothing in between. I've had to perform a few tricks to ensure both can work a bit outside their specs so that the specimen isn't destroyed (with the ME) nor is the scribe mechanism damaged (with the Pferd). I desperately need a mid-line scribe that works, as all the other ones have been lemons for one reason or another. I'd get another PT, but that kills the wallet with custom/duty on top of their choice of using the priciest shipping option. Plus, I had too many problems with mine. 

 

I think Milliput is reversible even after it sets. I've been able to abrade excess off in the past, but thankfully the curing time is quite a few hours so there is time to change one's mind or try again. I've not done the colour-matching yet, but I suppose I'll have the opportunity soon. In the past, all my minor resto work has been using black milliput on black trilobites.  

[Malcolmt]

You can never have too many scribes, I would hate to admit to the amount of money I have spent on scribes over the years. Last count I have 13.

 

You should treat Milliput as if it is going to be permanent. It was designed to be permanent and you can mix a bit of pigment into it and it will still set. It was designed for detailed plastic modelling so it takes paint reasonably well. Milliput White fine is the best of the Milliput line for invertebrate fossil restoration. The coloured versions do not set with as fine a finish.

 

A hint is that you can use water smooth out the finish once you have the shape you want sculpted before it sets . Once set you can air abrade it but it is preferential to use an super fine grit sandpaper or Emory paper  to refine. You have easily 2 to 4 hours to work on your restoration and it takes about 24 hours to cure completely. You need to mix Milliput thoroughly and you need to ensure that you are using 50% of each component. I find it takes 2 minutes of kneading and folding to get a complete mix-Milliput has a tendancy to form a discoloured film on it once opened. Remove this if at all possible. I find that Milliput is best if used within 3 to 6 months of opening. Always reseal unused Milliput in a tight saran type wrap once opened keeping the Parts A and B separate.