Design Student Questions To Fossil Collectors Amateur And Professionals

[pazificer]

Hey guys,

I'm a design academy eindhoven student, first year and I have to make a stool/chair for fossil collectors. As a way of research I thought that you guys could help me!!!

One of the problems I've seen is you dont really need a chair... so the question would be do you need a chair? if yes with what. what problems you want to be solved by the chair? Or what problems do you have and you don't really have a nice solution?

Normally the research site is near or do you have to walk a lot? What you carry is heavy or light, do you use any device to help carry the tools?

Thanks in advance guys, if you want to add something even the smallest thing helps!!!

thanks,

David Teixeira

[Boneman007]

^{One thing you might want to consider: Some fossil hunters have trouble with their knees. A padded kneeling stool type of thing would be good in cases like this.}

^{We are pretty much on the move at most times. We cover a lot of ground regularly and carrying a chair or stool, in most cases would not be needed. Many of us are already carrying liquids, hammers, chisels and any fossils we may have found. This can mean 100+ lbs. in some cases.}

^{Now, a fossil preparation station chair might be a completely different thing! Give us an idea of what you are thinking.}

^{Hope this helps!}

[lmacfadden]

Hey guys,

I'm a design academy eindhoven student, first year and I have to make a stool/chair for fossil collectors. As a way of research I thought that you guys could help me!!!

One of the problems I've seen is you dont really need a chair... so the question would be do you need a chair? if yes with what. what problems you want to be solved by the chair? Or what problems do you have and you don't really have a nice solution?

Normally the research site is near or do you have to walk a lot? What you carry is heavy or light, do you use any device to help carry the tools?

Thanks in advance guys, if you want to add something even the smallest thing helps!!!

thanks,

David Teixeira

Yes, I have often thought when my knees lock up, that taking some sort of seat with me would have been a good idea!

It would have to be a low chair, maybe 8-10" high and collapsible. If it can be used for a dual purpose, like a walking stick of sorts, then that would also be useful so that you are not just carting it around but using it for stabilization.

I am often on a steep hill, and I find that digging a foothold helps me but I can't dig into the hill too far in, so the base of the chair needs to be smaller than an average seat. The feet would have to be flat on the bottom so that they do not implant themselves when I sit on it!

I would probably use a chair when I choose to dig for a while in a single spot.

Hope that helps!

[CStewart]

From an amateur perspective, I typically travel light. Lots of walking, crawling, climbing creek banks. Less in more in my case. Small bait bucket, hand shovel, gloves and skateboard knee pads. We do sometimes take a small back-pack chair that is designed with several pockets.

Good luck, and please post your concepts to this site.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

how bout an open aluminum frame 4wd, collecting buggy, electric motors, geared down for low speed and high torque. lay in it face down, drive it along and collect your favoite microfossils and small macros in "face down comfort" 6 inches from the ground at your

favorite beach or "flattish" site...with a canopy to prevent sunburn, you now have the craziest surrey ever to give chase to fossils...

Edited April 25, 2013 by danwoehr

[lmacfadden]

how bout an open aluminum frame 4wd, collecting buggy, electric motors, geared down for low speed and high torque. lay in it face down, drive it along and collect your favoite microfossils and small macros in "face down comfort" 6 inches from the ground at your

favorite beach or "flattish" site...with a canopy to prevent sunburn, you now have the craziest surrey ever to give chase to fossils...

... and don't forget the drink holder.

[BobWill]

If the assignment is for "fossil collectors" as you said, that would rule out the seat needed for lab work and narrow the task to designing a field chair. The chair would not need a back rest so it's more like a stool. Since it would usually sit on uneven ground that suggests a three legged stool. It would have to be low enough to the ground to facilitate making contact with specimens on the surface and of course useless if working on a slope. It would need to be light weight and collapsible for carrying since we often spend more time walking than we do working on a find. Even if we expect to spend hours at a particular spot working on a large find, we often need to walk in to a remote site. Remember that we'll be using it leaning over with hand tools engaging the ground in some way so anything you can design to limit the likelihood of tipping over would be better. And since, depending on the beverage in question, a drink holder might encourage tipping over with resulting spills, maybe you should leave that off

[lmacfadden]

... and don't forget the drink holder.

... suggesting the drink holder was made in jest. I usually leave the drink in my backpack or in my car depending on how long I plan to be there. The less things to carry the better.

[sward]

If the assignment is for "fossil collectors" as you said, that would rule out the seat needed for lab work and narrow the task to designing a field chair.

I wonder if a chair for lab work might be a consideration.

Personally, I don't have the steadiest of hands and sometimes when I'm working on something in my "lab" (otherwise known as my garage), I have trouble positioning the fossil and still supporting my arms sufficiently so my hands don't shake too much. Depending on the position I end up in, my arms and shoulders can tire quickly since they're not supported and having to reach.

I remember when businesses used to have their store-front windows hand painted for special occasions (insert old-fart joke here). I remember watching one of those window painters working once. He had used suction cups to mount a wooden rod across the window. He then propped his arm on the wooden rod to steady his hand as he painted. As he painted, he would then move the rod to the next area to be painted.

I wonder if some sort of chair with adjustable/extendable arm rests might help in this situation. The arms of the chair could be adjusted so that your arms would be supported over the fossil, minimizing your hands from shaking quite so much and reducing shoulder/arm fatigue.

Something like this may have more uses, such as model builders, etc.

Edited April 25, 2013 by sward

[Regg Cato]

Yes, I have often thought when my knees lock up, that taking some sort of seat with me would have been a good idea!

It would have to be a low chair, maybe 8-10" high and collapsible. If it can be used for a dual purpose, like a walking stick of sorts, then that would also be useful so that you are not just carting it around but using it for stabilization.

I am often on a steep hill, and I find that digging a foothold helps me but I can't dig into the hill too far in, so the base of the chair needs to be smaller than an average seat. The feet would have to be flat on the bottom so that they do not implant themselves when I sit on it!

I would probably use a chair when I choose to dig for a while in a single spot.

Hope that helps!

I've seen some people use stools before out in the field; I'm not all that old so I have no qualms about lying down and working on stuff (though some padding would be nice, especially in areas with lots of talus or small fossils; I find those get kind of sharp and annoying after a while lol). Sports and at least one stupid idea have taken a bit of a toll on my knees, however, so kneeling is something I try to avoid. Personally I'd find a sort of body pad to be most practical, something with a rugged underside that wouldn't sacrifice grip on inclined surfaces and wouldn't get damaged by small rocks but wouldn't be too heavy or irritating to carry around.

[Auspex]

Chairs are for the lab.

For collecting in the field, most often the overarching need is for least encumbrance (beach combing requires nothing at all). Elsewise, when a find is made and the extraction of it commences, the ergonomic requirements of any supporting appliance will be defined by the specific circumstances. Often, kneeling and/or prone positions are called for; sitting is less so, but can occasionally be needed. The collecting environment can be counted on to be dirty, muddy, wet, hot, cold...comparatively harsh in general, so mechanical simplicity is an imperative.

[lmacfadden]

I've seen some people use stools before out in the field; I'm not all that old so I have no qualms about lying down and working on stuff (though some padding would be nice, especially in areas with lots of talus or small fossils; I find those get kind of sharp and annoying after a while lol). Sports and at least one stupid idea have taken a bit of a toll on my knees, however, so kneeling is something I try to avoid. Personally I'd find a sort of body pad to be most practical, something with a rugged underside that wouldn't sacrifice grip on inclined surfaces and wouldn't get damaged by small rocks but wouldn't be too heavy or irritating to carry around.

I second that. I hurt my knees a month ago or so digging all day. So much so that I couldn't kneel down on my left one, still can't though the pain has subsided. It hasn't stopped me from digging since then but I can't kneel down on that knee. I did find myself laying prone, which I have no problem with. It seems the dirtier I get, the happier I am. It's the getting back up that is difficult. I think there would be no perfect "chair" or other device that would be beneficial for all circumstances... sometimes you climb, stand, stoop, kneel, walk, jump, crawl, roll and even dance around a little to get your balance back. But I have to say, there have been times when I thought "a chair would be perfect right about now!". I have a foam knee cushion that I take with me - it cushions the sharp rocks against my knee or my backside, whatever I happen to be using at the time. You don't really realize what hurts until you get home.

[Pagurus]

I've seen collectors sitting on overturned 5-gallon buckets in the middle of a sandy/gravely stream, sifting for shark teeth and other small fossils. A lightweight, waterproof chair with storage pockets might be useful. Maybe the seat could also be a sifter? With a waterproof cushion that could fit over it? Maybe it could be used as a "walker" too, to help climb up the banks ? (I use my sifter that way sometimes). Interesting project. I'd love to see your finished design, whatever it is. Enjoy the challenge.

[lmacfadden]

Just a small thing and insignificant to its purpose - screen print some trilobites on it for fun!!

[erose]

David,

I am an industrial designer by training and the project sounds like a good one. Did you come up with the idea of a chair for fossil collecting or your instructor? Sometimes the answer is to not do it at all. But that probably is not an option for you. As a fossil collector there is way too much stuff to carry now: hammers, chisels, boxes, bags, water and so much more. Probably the most realistic solution is to create something that you can carry all that stuff in AND can be used as a chair for resting. As mentioned when we collect we are either walking or crawling. Sitting still would be of little use when actually collecting. When I go out I have one large bag that holds all of my tools plus water, food and sometimes extra clothes. When I reach a good place to collect I drop the large bag and continue on with a smaller shoulder bag. The large bag acts as my "base camp". A really practical "base camp" would be nice.

One suggestion would be to find the local fossil collecting club, if there is one, and ask to go out with some of them to see what they really need. In-the-field research would be fun and you might even find some fossils.

Good luck,

Erich

Edited April 26, 2013 by erose

[thair]

A comparable activity might be like a catcher in baseball. sometimes especially in little league pads are used to strap to the back of the legs to help in the squating position and as you crawled or moved short distances you would not have to carry. Just a thought.

[Wrangellian]

^ I have not seen that but it sounds like an interesting idea that might work.. as long as the circulation isn't inhibited

Alternately I was thinking of something like a small padded 'bucket seat' type of thing that could double as a large knee-pad for both knees to fit into. I have often been in situations where such a thing would have been a godsend - when I find something, it often takes a long time to work it out of the rock and I can't squat for very long before the blood stops flowing, and kneeling for long periods is necessary, and to take breaks it would be nice to sit on something other than dirt or sharp rocks... but it would have to be lightweight and easy to carry of course. The sitting position doesn't have to be high but if there is something that can be done to make the height adjustable that would be even better.

[BobWill]

I've got it!! A short stool attached to your rear with Velcro that just stays there as you walk and is already in position when you need to get close to the ground for a while. It would also be good for standing in lines...nobody will crowd you too close and when the line gets slow you can have a rest

[Auspex]

I've got it!! A short stool attached to your rear with Velcro that just stays there as you walk...

Call it "Stego-Stool"

[fossisle]

Maybe a prep stool, with proper support for those long hours prepping fossils

[xonenine]

if you must design a chair, something like a shorter balans type chair would be ok, with a way to sling it over the back/backpack or shoulder when not in use

I'd use similar materials to the backpack, nylon and lightweight tubing.

[pazificer]

Guys thanks for the loads of info I'm sincerely very happy with the answer ( I wasnt hoping for some much : ) )

I'm going to start today with trying to think on the highlights of what you guys said, and try to sketch something. The idea I had before was like a chair where you could lay down and work, and adjustable legs where you can position in lenght and height so you can position the better way. Anyway this was just the first idea.

Another things is, would it be nice if it was like different arms with tools attached so you could pick one then another more easily or is that no trouble at all. Do you have to keep changing tools allways or not?

Ill try to keep you updated and maybe try to go to a fossil site next weekend!

Thanks you very much guys and if you have something to add please do!

David Teixeira

[pazificer]

Ps: if you have photos of people while working and you could send it to me would be very nice to! less probable if you wanna film it even more perfect but I dont ask that much of you : )

you can send it to or even email me if you want with something pazificer@gmail.com

again thanks very much for all the help!

David T.

[pazificer]

Again, Whats the basic tools you need? I'm searching now the tools and I'm seeing a lot of tools but I bet thats a lot is non sense that you don't need.

[pazificer]

If the assignment is for "fossil collectors" as you said, that would rule out the seat needed for lab work and narrow the task to designing a field chair. The chair would not need a back rest so it's more like a stool. Since it would usually sit on uneven ground that suggests a three legged stool. It would have to be low enough to the ground to facilitate making contact with specimens on the surface and of course useless if working on a slope. It would need to be light weight and collapsible for carrying since we often spend more time walking than we do working on a find. Even if we expect to spend hours at a particular spot working on a large find, we often need to walk in to a remote site. Remember that we'll be using it leaning over with hand tools engaging the ground in some way so anything you can design to limit the likelihood of tipping over would be better. And since, depending on the beverage in question, a drink holder might encourage tipping over with resulting spills, maybe you should leave that off

when you say that "limit the likehood of tipping over" . you mean the tools tipping over? Like you leave the tools on the ground and they tip over to somewhere and then you have to stop and picked them up?