fossilover Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Hi all!!! I found this (scallop?) shell a few years ago on shore at one of the local beaches. I would LOVE to clean some of the "matrix rock"?? off it, however, I have never attempted anything like this before. I do not want to risk damaging it as it is a nice specimen. Any suggestions, or am I screwed?? Also, if somehow I do manage to get it cleaned up, can anything be done about the holes on either side of the shell? (each hole is approx 3/4" in diameter.) I have enclosed pix for those interested: pic#1-top of shell, pic#2-reverse side of shell, pic#3-opening of shell, pic#4-hinge area of shell (shell measures about 3 1/4" x 3 1/4" x 1 3/4" without including the rock attached) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 i would leave that one as it is and keep looking in the area where it was found for better exposed, more complete ones. try to spend some time researching and asking and looking for places that have fossils and you will eventually find some that are perfect or nearly so. other than the damage to the shell, the problem is that removing limestone from limestone at some point can become more art than fossil, if the matrix is really stuck on well. plus once you start messing with it, if you don't have an air abrasive tool or some other way to smooth and make the matrix look natural again, it probably won't look right to you. regards, tracer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilover Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 Awww, that's too bad. But maybe when I find a better replacement I can practice on this guy... Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Awww, that's too bad. But maybe when I find a better replacement I can practice on this guy...Thanks! I run into a lot of pectins (Neithea sp), here in the Cretaceous of North TX. Most of the time I pick them up to help verify the formation that I am collecting in. I used to spend a lot of time trying to clean them. Normally I would pick up one like this collected from the Grayson formation in Denton, TX: On the better specimens, I would spend a lot of time trying to clean between the ribs - mostly with a pinvise. Invariably I would scratch the fossil as my hand would eventually slip!! Finally I got lucky and picked up the following one: Nature had done the work for me - except for a small piece missing from one of the wings, it was perfect. I would suggest that you practice on the one you collected using a pinvise or other suitable sharp pointed object. Go slow and be careful. . . but continue to look down when you hunt - you never know when Mother Nature will smile upon you. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilover Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 . . . but continue to look down when you hunt - you never know when Mother Nature will smile upon you.Roger NICE find!! And believe it or not, I went back to the same area a few weeks ago and found THREE specimens in the same day with no matrix on them!!! I was so excited. The only problem is none of them are complete. Funny thing, though, the two more complete ones have holes in the same place as the first one I posted with all the matrix rock around it. I wonder what happened? Another cool thing is that I had not recorded any info with the first specimen, so I have no idea when I found it or the exact location. This time around I have all the info I need. Here is a pic of the trio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 NICE find!! And believe it or not, I went back to the same area a few weeks ago and found THREE specimens in the same day with no matrix on them!!! I was so excited. The only problem is none of them are complete. Funny thing, though, the two more complete ones have holes in the same place as the first one I posted with all the matrix rock around it. I wonder what happened? Maybe a hungry animal with a strange habit came along.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl O'Cles Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Maybe a hungry animal with a strange habit came along.. That is interesting, had they been broken in random places then i would have said they are exactly that random breaks. But with the breaks in the same place and in a way that it really doesn't look as it could be done naturally i would say something did eat these animals. Maybe an octopus used its beak to crush the shell and eat the animal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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