gtheo Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Just got a Dremel and am trying to use it to clean fossils I found. What Dremel heads and speeds work best for removing hard rock deposits to expose fossils? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeymig Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 None. Use a small hammer and a small pin punch to remove as much "hard rock" as you can then break out the Dremel. mikey Many times I've wondered how much there is to know. led zeppelin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtheo Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 Thanks Mikey, I have one fossil sand dollar with a thin layer of very hard rock on it. It would be hard to chisel away. Take a look at the picture and you will see a line oh hard rock across part of the sand dollar. How can I get rid of the line? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeymig Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I see. I wouldn't use a dremel then and if you do try a wire brush wheel. I would go with the stainless steel and someone recently said if you wax the wheel before you use it then the wires will stay on longer. If you never used a wire wheel before then be careful. Those little wires go everywhere and even thou they are small, they hurt like heck if you step on them. Mikey Many times I've wondered how much there is to know. led zeppelin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raistlin Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 I bought several very small point carbide bits for my dermal engraver from this guy on eBay. LINK They really eat through some pretty hard rock. He sells them at a decent price. RobertSoutheast, MO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lmshoemaker Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 If you need a dremel attachment, I would go with the brass brushes they make, or one of the gritty-spongey brushes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lmshoemaker Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Although, those two brushes I listed are for the rotary style dremel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgdls Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 I use silicon carbide or aluminium oxide grinding stone attachments on a pendant dremel. The carbide ones are harder but more expensive. There are several different shapes. The ones with the highest peripheral speed take the most matrix off. Paul P.S. don't forget to wear a mask and use some form of dust extraction (even if its a vacuum cleaner nozzle held close to the work). P.P.S. when you get close to the fossil itself try using the wire brushes e.g. pencil brush and/or a throwaway knife. Dilute acetic acid can soften any remaining matrix if applied for short periods. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taj Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 After many many tries , I use now almost exclusively the stainless steel attachments . Depending on the hand that yield the tool , you can do anything from grinding down pieces of rock to fine cleaning of the thinnest remaining layer of sediment . But it takes some time practicing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgdls Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Taj, Which exact attachments are those? thanks Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtheo Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 Wanted to thank people for their suggestions. This weekend I worked on the piece in the picture I posted with a carbide grindstone. I am making progress as you can see. Not done yet. I have started uncovering part of an adjacent sand dollar as well. The layer of rock over the adjacent sand dollar is thick so it will take some time to uncover. The matrix is very hard rock so will take some time to uncover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgdls Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 That's made a big difference. Great! Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taj Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Mmmmh , I'm facing unusual troubles uploading pics with my Mac at Home . Let's try this with my laptop at work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgdls Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 (edited) thanks Taj. I'll have to buy some more I can see from the assortment you have. Paul Edited March 4, 2014 by paulgdls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taj Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 And I have more .... But these are the most useful at moment . Used dental sets are top for this ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taj Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Speaking of which , my old faithful just passed away yesterday . Had to find another one real quick , seems that the basic ( and cheap) ones are getting scarce on the shelves .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtheo Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 Finished it. Only complication was there are crevices in some of the sand dollar plates that caught some of the red polishing stuff. Other than that I am happy with how it came out. Have another piece I want to work on that is going to be a pain because the sand dollars are incased in a much thicker layer of rock. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulgdls Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Very pleasing to look at! Lovely piece Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taj Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 A beauty!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squali Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 NICE JOB Thanks for the follow up It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon82 Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 That's a great piece Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members Gunslinger Posted April 21, 2020 New Members Share Posted April 21, 2020 So not sure if anyone is still on this site, recently because of the pandemic I have started looking out in my field on my family farm due to the fact that the part of the Wisconsin Glacier ended on my land. We have even donated Boulders to the Army Corp of Engineers for the Shelbyville museum. I have started finding a lot of fossils down by an ancient waterway and have been finding some amazing stuff. However, I am wanting to clean them up a bit and was wondering what kind of drill bits would be best to use. Some of the rocks are hard while others are made of a soft sediment compound that is very soft when wet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 @Gunslinger read this post and also scan some of the prepping thread in this topic, I have a feeling you may get some good answers here. There was another thread concerning the wire wheels for rotary tools, about massaging silicone sealant into the base of the wires to prevent so much loss of bristles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members Teeth hunter Posted September 28, 2020 New Members Share Posted September 28, 2020 Awesome thread I'm about to start prepping a ton of fossils i have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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