Lower eagle ford lobster prep

[Shaun-DFW Fossils]

Very brief update on my first lobster discovered in my best “Tarrant formation” lower eagle ford spot a few weeks ago. I very carefully knocked some matrix off using a jackhammer (dremel 290, loud and not easy to control) and my friend Mercer helped me with a brief aluminum oxide+quartz blast with the air abrasive while I watched. More is starting to be revealed. It might take me a long time because I’m also rotating through a bunch of big echinoids and ammonites I’m prepping as well, and I’m doing more and more of it on my own. 

[Jaybot]

Nice!  I bet those calcite veins aren't making it easier

[Shaun-DFW Fossils]

3 hours ago, Jaybot said:

Nice!  I bet those calcite veins aren't making it easier

Exactly! Haha! My friend said he’s never seen a lobster with calcite veins going through it. I don’t mind leaving them, I just hope more of the lobster exists beneath the matrix!

[rocket]

good work! Lot of details, I can hardly wait until it's finished

[Ptychodus04]

Nice Linuparas. I’d be careful with aluminum oxide as your prep media. It can really tear up a specimen.

[Shaun-DFW Fossils]

18 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said:

Nice Linuparas. I’d be careful with aluminum oxide as your prep media. It can really tear up a specimen.

Thank you! Do you prefer dolomite?

[Ptychodus04]

4 hours ago, Shaun-DFW Fossils said:

Thank you! Do you prefer dolomite?

My main media is iron powder as it tends to be the most gentle on the specimen due to its less aggressive grain shape. For harder matrices, I move to dolomite (roughly the same hardness of iron but a rougher grain).
 

If I’m working with really hard rock, I’ll bump up to glass beads (Mohs 5.5) but you have to really be careful with it to keep from “burning” the specimen.

 

Al2O3 has a hardness of 9 and a very rough grain. I would consider it as a last resort if nothing else works. It’s an aggressive cutter and works fast but speed is the enemy of quality preparation.

I live and die by the old preparation mantra of “You can prep fast or you can prep well, you can’t do both.”