jason longboard Posted September 5, 2010 Share Posted September 5, 2010 On some of the good teeth I have found, Im afraid to keep scraping this film off even though the teeth seem pretty strong, I really dont want to break these. Any ideas? Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable is my mentor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruitbat Posted September 5, 2010 Share Posted September 5, 2010 You might consider posting a picture showing the 'crust' you're referring to. There are a number of things that can leave a crust on the surface of a fossil and what works on one type might not work on another. -Joe Illigitimati non carborundum Fruitbat's PDF Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted September 5, 2010 Share Posted September 5, 2010 You might consider posting a picture showing the 'crust' you're referring to. There are a number of things that can leave a crust on the surface of a fossil and what works on one type might not work on another. -Joe Ok, Joe Everyone has a few teeth with "crust". Here are a couple of mine. Note that the reverse of the smaller one is clean. The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason longboard Posted September 5, 2010 Author Share Posted September 5, 2010 Thanks guys,heres the pics, its going to be a gorgeous tooth if this comes off. Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable is my mentor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 See whether a little white vinegar might help, but make sure it isn't etching the tooth too. Maybe test it on a low-quality tooth first? "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...
siteseer Posted September 6, 2010 Share Posted September 6, 2010 (edited) I think that's a little gypsum. I've just carefully chipped it off before. Teeth with that much color are usually well-mineralized and sturdy, but yeah, try not to put too much pressure on them and use a sharp blade (scalpel) and safety glasses. Did you try soaking it in a little water? Thanks guys,heres the pics, its going to be a gorgeous tooth if this comes off. Edited September 6, 2010 by siteseer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason longboard Posted September 6, 2010 Author Share Posted September 6, 2010 I think that's a little gypsum. I've just carefully chipped it off before. Teeth with that much color are usually are well-mineralized and sturdy, but yeah, try not to put too much pressure on them and use a sharp blade (scalpel) and safety glasses. Did you try soaking it in a little water? Yeah just tried a dental pick and water so far. Stupid mean tooth. Those last ones I just found were tough to clean too but not with this white stuff. Im going to work on it Sunday and will try as you guys say most likely unless someone chimes in with a super product for white crust lol. Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable is my mentor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickkcin11 Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Nice tooth! I had a similar sandy coating on my sand dollars and used a scalpel like device to get a lot of it off. That and a toothpick for the more fragile ones. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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