Preping Tools

[Ordovician_Odyssey]

hey everyone, i was just wondering where can you get tools for preping fossils, like the air abrasion thing, or even the pick thing that dentists use..

[frozen_turkey]

how much cash are you willing to deal out

[Ordovician_Odyssey]

depends, why are they expensive?

[frozen_turkey]

depends, why are they expensive?

O ya like a air abrastion unit or scribe will set you back a few hundred bucks. But you sould just go to a hardware store and get a electric engraver. But youll need to sharpen the tip a bit though. I use it and it works great just check out some of my pics.

But before you work on something nice practic a bit on scrap fossils.

And regarding the the pick tools you might be able to get those for free. I just asked my dentist for some broken picks. I just ground down the ends to sharp streight points. Here is a pick i preped a bit with a needle tool.

So i would do what i did. Its cheap and you get similar results, you just need to be a bit more carful. Also the reason air abration and a air scribe are so expensive you need to get an air compresser. So if you want a formal lab set up its gona set you back arround 800-1000 USD.

-frozen

[Ordovician_Odyssey]

how much are electric engravers?

[frozen_turkey]

how much are electric engravers?

15-20 USD.

[Auspex]

Sometimes your dentist might give you his worn-out picks and probes; doesn't hurt to ask!

[TheFossilHunter]

if your dentist doesnt give youthose, you can find them on ebay , thats where i got mine

start with electric enraver, you can get it at home depot, see if hat works, if not, may have to do an air scribe. you will probably also need a dremel, its not too expensive for what it can do - very versatile tool, will help you with cleaning, shining your fossils, cutting, drilling etc..probably will run from about $30 and up depending on the model

[frozen_turkey]

The engraver and the dental picks make a great combo. first go in with the engraver for heavy matrix removal then switch to the dental tool for the finer stuff.

[bear-dog]

Dental picks can be found at flea markets very cheap.I also suggest a dremmel,but get the diamond tips,and assorted grit wheels from a flea market as well.

[Ordovician_Odyssey]

awesome, thanks everyone for the replies

[emmytee]

also, if you can't get to your dentist and don't want to pay for shipping you can usually find some basic dental pics at the dental care isle of a grocery store or a pharmacy.

-Emily

[jpc]

Another fun thing to do is find single-ended dental picks and make little chisels out of them. By single ended I mean a point on only one end and a square butt on the other end. Another fun toy is a diamond wheel for your new Dremel. Great for sharpening tools. There are some really expensive ones, but there are some cheap ones out there, too. And with it you can make any double-ended dental pick a single ended one. The little chisels work well with a small hammer that you can find at the local pawn shop... maybe. Ask your dentist for old broken picks. Then go door to door to all the dentists in town. And don't be picky at the dentist's office. Discard the really twisted ones when you get home. And don't forget to say thanks.

BUT... I am convinced that to do really nice work (on the stuff we collect out here anyway) you gotta have the expensive set-up. OK, maybe I am just justifying my own lab, which I put together one piece at a time. I had my air compressor sitting around doingnothing for months before I even plugged it in, cuz I had no tools to use it with.

[Wrangellian]

...

BUT... I am convinced that to do really nice work (on the stuff we collect out here anyway) you gotta have the expensive set-up. OK, maybe I am just justifying my own lab, which I put together one piece at a time. I had my air compressor sitting around doingnothing for months before I even plugged it in, cuz I had no tools to use it with.

I second that point.. I've got difficult material to work with here as well, you only have to look at it and the fossils crumble. I wouldn't trust anything less than the air abrasion dealy on them, but since I don't have one the fossils are sitting idle in boxes until the day I have enough money to buy one (got the air compresser already thank God)... Also, I saw a website with examples of Moroccan trilobites prepped with dental tools and others prepped with the air unit, and the air unit did a noticeably better job, such that those specimens were selling for upwards of $100 while the others were only $40.

So I would say it all depends on what kind of material you're dealing with (and how much money you have).

[grampa dino]

Do you have a Princess Auto store out there, they have every thing you are looking for and cheap:)

[Wrangellian]

Do you have a Princess Auto store out there, they have every thing you are looking for and cheap:)

Never thought of that, there's one on the mainland but I think we have their catalog, I'll keep an eye out.

[Acryzona]

Congratulations on a well-deserved Invert of the Month! I bought my dental tools on Ebay as my dentist refused to give me his old tools (said he threw them out or resharpened them - somthing about liability or expense).

You may also check out Harbor Freight - they may have an inexpensive air compressor. In FF Member Sales, someone is offering an air scribe for $US 150.

Good luck!

Acryzona

[John]

O ya like a air abrastion unit or scribe will set you back a few hundred bucks. But you sould just go to a hardware store and get a electric engraver. But youll need to sharpen the tip a bit though. I use it and it works great just check out some of my pics.

I would strongly recommend against using an electric engraver. They transfer a lot of vibration directly to your hand and can cause nerve damage with long term use.

A pneumatic airscribe is both safer and simply a better tool. They do require an air compressor, but let's be honest, an air compressor isn't an outrageously expensive purchase and will provide years of useful service for all kinds of incredibly useful tools from nail guns to paint sprayers.....and fossil prep tools!

[TOM BUCKLEY]

Hi. I took the cheap way to fossil prep. Got my pics from my dentist. Use a Dremel engraver and carbide bits that I got on eBay. However, I really think the best bargain of all is the Air Eraser from Paasche....the air brush people. Does the job for $100.00. Get a small oil-less compressor from Harbor Freight for about $100.00 also.

http://www.paascheairbrush.com/airbrush_specialty.html

Micro-Mark has it on sale for $89.00

http://www.micromark.com/SearchResult.aspx?deptIdFilter=0&searchPhrase=paasche+air+eraser

Here's my set up......I can hear the giggling already. But hey...it works.

[Fred]

I would strongly recommend against using an electric engraver. They transfer a lot of vibration directly to your hand and can cause nerve damage with long term use.

Second that. These tools, however cheap, beat the heck out of your hand. This also compromises any fine work you want to do with them. If money is an issue, go for a cheap setup like the one Tom is showing off here (very cool btw, no giggling here). I would start with a basic compressor + airscribe.

[TOM BUCKLEY]

I would strongly recommend against using an electric engraver. They transfer a lot of vibration directly to your hand and can cause nerve damage with long term use.

A pneumatic airscribe is both safer and simply a better tool. They do require an air compressor, but let's be honest, an air compressor isn't an outrageously expensive purchase and will provide years of useful service for all kinds of incredibly useful tools from nail guns to paint sprayers.....and fossil prep tools!

Second that. These tools, however cheap, beat the hell out of your hand. This also compromises any fine work you want to do with them. If money is an issue, go for a cheap setup like the one Tom is showing off here (very cool btw, no giggling here). I would start with a basic compressor + airscribe.

The electric engraver does have a lot of vibration, but this can be minimized by setting the depth / speed to the lowest setting that gets the job done and cutting the carbide bits as short as possible. I've noticed that with use and age, the vibrations get worse.....just like people.

Tom

[JimB88]

I dont know about Canada, but here in the USA you can find dental picks for around a dollar for a set of four at most flea markets. I also recommend a small punch (one with the thin tip) once sharpened its an excellent tool! those can be found at any hardware or home-improvement store. I'd also get a Harbor Freight catalog, they have a lot of neat useful stuff at low prices.

[crinus]

Hi. I took the cheap way to fossil prep. Got my pics from my dentist. Use a Dremel engraver and carbide bits that I got on eBay. However, I really think the best bargain of all is the Air Eraser from Paasche....the air brush people. Does the job for $100.00. Get a small oil-less compressor from Harbor Freight for about $100.00 also.

http://www.paascheairbrush.com/airbrush_specialty.html

Micro-Mark has it on sale for $89.00

http://www.micromark.com/SearchResult.aspx?deptIdFilter=0&searchPhrase=paasche+air+eraser

Here's my set up......I can hear the giggling already. But hey...it works.

I won't giggle. I had a set up just like this for many, many years. When you are young and do not have a lot of money you make do. And this set up worked just fine for years. I have admit that I will never go back, now that I have tried the bigger machines. You do know that there are intermediate machines available and are in the $500 range. Much less that the $2500 for the big machines.

Pneumatic scribes can also be purchased for cheap (<$100)if you buy clones and not the brand names or the modified ones from Paleo Tools.

Someone mentioned all the other uses for a compressor other than fossil cleaning. I will agree many times over on that point.

I use a Foredom (expensive Dremel type of tool) for my "landscape" work. "Landscaping" is the process of removing all those unsightly scribes marks left by the scribes. Foredoms are expensive but recently I purchased a clone for $30. It was at one of those traveling tool show that come into town twice a years and are held at our local fair ground. If you have those type of show coming to your town, check it out. Great deals.

crinus

[John]

The electric engraver does have a lot of vibration, but this can be minimized by setting the depth / speed to the lowest setting that gets the job done and cutting the carbide bits as short as possible. I've noticed that with use and age, the vibrations get worse.....just like people.

Tom

No matter how you use an electric engraver, that will just mean it takes a while longer before you are sitting in the office of your physical therapist, waiting for the next round of treatments for the lack of feeling in your hand. I think your AirEraser setup is SO much better. It is cheap, gets the job done and assuming you take care not to allow the dust into the air, it's pretty safe. The first airbrasive tool I ever used was one of these same devices and I used a respirator and shop vac to keep the glass particles out of my lungs.

Beware of that dust, though. I know a long time collector who has to use oxygen and will never be able to collect in the field again because of his long term exposure to silica dust from prepping fossils. It causes a condition called silicosis where the glass particles become permanently embedded in the lining of your lungs, severely reducing the amount of oxygen you can take in with each breath. It's very similar to the condition asbestos workers developed and is easy to prevent if you take dust collection seriously.

[TOM BUCKLEY]

No matter how you use an electric engraver, that will just mean it takes a while longer before you are sitting in the office of your physical therapist, waiting for the next round of treatments for the lack of feeling in your hand. I think your AirEraser setup is SO much better. It is cheap, gets the job done and assuming you take care not to allow the dust into the air, it's pretty safe. The first airbrasive tool I ever used was one of these same devices and I used a respirator and shop vac to keep the glass particles out of my lungs.

Beware of that dust, though. I know a long time collector who has to use oxygen and will never be able to collect in the field again because of his long term exposure to silica dust from prepping fossils. It causes a condition called silicosis where the glass particles become permanently embedded in the lining of your lungs, severely reducing the amount of oxygen you can take in with each breath. It's very similar to the condition asbestos workers developed and is easy to prevent if you take dust collection seriously.

Thanks for your concern, John. When I first set my system up I used a piece of clear plastic over the square opening. The cup from the Paasche kept hitting it. I then removed the plastic and it worked much better. I have a Shop - Vac running into the box and use an N-100 face mask. For those who don't know, a mask with this rating removes at least 99.99% of particulates. I also wear glasses and use a magnifying visor. I also hope that I haven't given the impression that I do a lot of prepping....I don't. I just wanted to see if I could put a system together and prep a few trilobites.

I use an electric engraver AND the Air Eraser.

And just to clarify things....a Physical Therapist mainly concentrates on the legs and walking. It's an Occupational Therapist that works on the upper extremities. Believe me, I have A LOT of experience in this area. Actually, prepping fossils is good therapy for my right hand as that's the hand I use.

Tom

Edited December 7, 2010 by TOM BUCKLEY