ChiefZero Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 Hi all, I am new here and also quite new to fossil preparation, though I always like to find them. About a your ago I was swimming in lake michigan and I found a decent sized rock with alot of little fossils in it. One though I saw wasn't huge but alot bigger and looked to me to be a tooth and on further investigation I think it is a spinal vertibra but not sure. I have tried to get it out by drilling it but cant get to close to it that way, the rock is pretty hard. It seems cool to me but to most it probably isn't much, but I need to start somewhere . My questions are what do you think it is and how would I extract it? thanks ChiefZero p.s. Srry if this is in the wrong section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 Location, formation, and age of the geologic area. Please. It looks invertebrate to me. Possibly horn coral, or cephalopod. It also looks like it has some fossil barnacles on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 I agree with Nick, I doesn't look like a vert to me. OH and welcome to the forum, glad you are here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 well, could it be crinoidal? on the lower right, there's a itty bitty circular thing that looks like an end-view of a crinoid columnar segment. as far as getting it out goes, send it to rb and tell him it's a crab and he'll get it out in about an hour. just kiddin' rb. love ya, man. your "wooooooohooooooo"s are better than drinkin' redbull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiefZero Posted December 6, 2008 Author Share Posted December 6, 2008 OK the location is Saugatuck, Michigan USA; the geologic time is uppper mississipian; and the formation is not sure, This would be like sandstone or shale or granite right, all I think that it is a igneous rock or really hard sedimentary rock srry. what do you think about removing it, acid or a vibrating engraver? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 OK the location is Saugatuck, Michigan USA; the geologic time is uppper mississipian; and the formation is not sure, This would be like sandstone or shale or granite right, all I think that it is a igneous rock or really hard sedimentary rock srry.what do you think about removing it, acid or a vibrating engraver? thanks vibrating engraver, dental picks, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 Acid can be very harsh on fossils, is it that piece you are working on? I'm pretty sure that piece is 2 dimensional, very little gain from prepping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 It is a horn coral. Probably something like Zaphrentis sp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 It is a horn coral. Probably something like Zaphrentis sp. yeah, makes sense. i was looking at that line across it and thinking it could possibly be some sort of segmentation line, but it's probably just a wrinkle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 vibrating engraver, dental picks, etc. And go at it S-L-O-W-L-Y. You're trying to undo a few hundred million years of the Earth's best efforts, so be very patient. The experience alone will be worth the effort, and, as a bonus, you'll have a nice fossil that you prepped yourself. 25 years from now, it will still be your sentimental favorite. Welcome to the Forum! "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...
ChiefZero Posted December 6, 2008 Author Share Posted December 6, 2008 Ok so for a vibrating engraver any brand and style will work right, and for dental picks are there any specific kind I should use? After I get those thing then it is just need to go at it S_L_O_W_L_Y right? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 Ok so for a vibrating engraver any brand and style will work right, and for dental picks are there any specific kind I should use?After I get those thing then it is just need to go at it S_L_O_W_L_Y right? thanks In Canada the Dremel engravers are like 20 bucks, and I've heard they are the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bone digger Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 The dremel engavers work and the price is right for getting started in fossil prep. I've prepped all my crabs and some ammonites out with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiefZero Posted December 6, 2008 Author Share Posted December 6, 2008 Ok thanks ALL! I will let you know how it goes ChiefZero Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiefZero Posted December 7, 2008 Author Share Posted December 7, 2008 hi again I was going through the rock anf extracting the fossil. I come to realize that the fossil is much bigger than I originally thought and the clearer white color of the fosil is not on the rest of the fossil that was under the rock. This makes it really hard for my to be able to identify the fossil from the rock at some parts. How can I more easily tell the difference between the fossil and rock, or is this something that will come with time/ experience? thanks ChiefZero Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashcraft Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Magnification- if you make a mistake that is visible at 40x, it is not so visible at normal eye viewing. A low power "dissection" scope is nice, but can be pricey. Illuminated magnifying glasses on a swivel stand work okay on larger material. Engravers- get one from Sears, they move in and out, like a jack-hammer, instead of side to side. and it will really remove some material. Get a correct sized titanium drill bit, and grind the tip to the shape you want and replace the factory tip with that. Brent Ashcraft ashcraft, brent allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Magnification- if you make a mistake that is visible at 40x, it is not so visible at normal eye viewing. A low power "dissection" scope is nice, but can be pricey. Illuminated magnifying glasses on a swivel stand work okay on larger material. Engravers- get one from Sears, they move in and out, like a jack-hammer, instead of side to side. and it will really remove some material. Get a correct sized titanium drill bit, and grind the tip to the shape you want and replace the factory tip with that.Brent Ashcraft titanium? i don't think i've ever seen a titanium drill bit. what are the properties of it that make it better than whatever comes in the engraver? all i know about titanium is that it's lighter than steel and non-magnetic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 Hey Chiefzero, I wish you the best of luck. I know its exciting to start prepping your first fossil. My first prepping tools were a kitchen steak knife and one of the tines of a fork! Ha!! I think ive come a long way since then. You mention your fossil being a different color once underneath the rock and having trouble from there. You just have to go slow, take your time and try to follow the color. I know thats a pain in the arss, but it will get done. :and tracer, im purty sure I could get that fossil prepped pronto, but being as spoiled as I am now, i dont think I would mess with a piece of coral? RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashcraft Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 titanium? i don't think i've ever seen a titanium drill bit. what are the properties of it that make it better than whatever comes in the engraver? all i know about titanium is that it's lighter than steel and non-magnetic. They are actually alloys that are very very hard. Brent Ashcraft ashcraft, brent allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiefZero Posted December 11, 2008 Author Share Posted December 11, 2008 ok thanks I will keep trying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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