RJB Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I finally got around to doing a bit of prep on this rock the other day until I got too cold and quite and came inside. Then I put in another hour or so the day after that and quit again because of the frigin cold! And I still had nothing more to show for all that work except lots of scribe marks on the rock. A very boring process, but one that has to be done sometimes. Once I finally started getting to the tail of the fish and onto the meaty part, I really began to wonder if I could really prep this fish? It was extreamly difficult to tell the difference between the rock and the scales??? I even stopped that day and then attacked it a bit more today with some new vigor and determination and finally started to get somewhere. I do have a book on the Santana Formation in Eastern Brazil, and I do know that this fish is about 140 million years old, but I cant find my book so thats all you get for now. Sorry. This dang stupid fish seems to have head problems, but I dont want to say anything untill I get more rock off it and see just how it may turn out? The very first fish I prepped out from Brazil years ago was a piece of cake compaired to this very tuff one!!! I took several pics of this fish so you can see what I was kinda going through without being there, but I have no idea yet just how good or aweful this fish may turn out? I also wasnt keeping track of how many hours Ive spent on this fish so far, but I will take a guess at 5 for now? Dam fossils!!! RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandpa Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 "Dam Fossils" - can't live without them, can't live without them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share Posted March 2, 2009 "Dam Fossils" - can't live without them, can't live without them! Thats purty dang funny. I had to read it twice actually. I know the photos dont show much, but I think I can possibly make this a purty dang neato fossil. Im still wondering about the head, and Im still wondering about the dorsal fin, but once I get it prepped out as good as possible I will smooth out the surounding rock, and the smoother the rock gets, the darker it will become making for a much better contrast between the fossil and the rock. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 Well, im not too happy with this fish. Just too many problems for me. But I did what I could do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroMike Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Well, I sure do like it! I think it is amazing how you guys can clean these up and make them look so good. " This comment brought to you by the semi-famous AeroMike" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 Well, I sure do like it! I think it is amazing how you guys can clean these up and make them look so good. Thanks for the compliment Mike, but I think Im going to put this up for sale as soon as I can get a webpage up and running. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 I think it is a nice looking fish, good prepping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bmorefossil Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 haha it looks fine to me you did great work for not being happy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 ...I think Im going to put this up for sale... If it's not a keeper, use it for bait! "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...
bone digger Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 well it's not perfect but it's still really nice. you should be able to sell it no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn835 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 I have to ask..........how did you even know there was a fish in there. The starting product looked like a plain rock. Come on fess up........you have x-ray vision dont you? You can tell me, I wont tell anybody else. I think your doing a great job with prep. It looks like a real pain in the patoot With rocks in my head, and fossils in my heart.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bone digger Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 a thin line was probably visible where the tail went out of the concretion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn835 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Now thats a trained eye. With rocks in my head, and fossils in my heart.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 Thanks mommabetts. Always nice to get compliments. and thanks everyone else. Bigjohn. It was very simple to know there was a fish in this rock. Certainly cant see what kind of quality it will be, but when I picked up this rock and started looking at it, I could see two little dark lines on one end of the rock. I asked the fellow that was selling it if that was the tail end and he said yes. I couldnt resist, but I do wish it was in better condition, the head anyways. I will be lucky now to get my money out of it let alone the hours of prep! Arrrrrrrgh!!!!! dam fossils! RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Mamma says "life is like a box of nodules..." "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...
RJB Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 Mamma says "life is like a box of nodules..." Im about ready to start throwing those noduals at momma's head!!! RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bone digger Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Mamma says "life is like a box of nodules..." now thats funny right there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesse Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Hey Ron, Dang fossils is right! I've been preparing a porpoise skull I collected at Capitola over winter break, and it first took my 2 hours of chiseling to hammer it out of a boulder, to a nice 45 lb chunk. Then, it took about a week or so of acid preparation (just vinegar) to weaken the rock. Then I had to hammer it with a chisel in the laboratory, which sent chunks of rock flying all the way across the Museum of the Rockies preparation lab. Then, I had to use the most powerful airchisel in the MOR to prep away the calcareous sandstone, and then a microblaster to clean up the details. It sure is paying off, though; its a dang beautiful specimen, and I should post pictures of it once I'm done. Nice thing is... it represents a new genus and species of phocoenid porpoise. By the way... the dolphin skull you mailed me a couple years ago; that turned out to be Parapontoporia wilsoni, and its in the Santa Cruz Museum collections now. Now, that one was a real pain to prep. Jesus! I didn't even finish the job; I only got the top surface prepared. Parapontoporia is an extinct "river dolphin" that is closely related to the Chinese river dolphin that just went extinct. Anyway man... fossils in nodules... I feel your pain! Hope your fish turns out ok. Bobby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Thanks mommabetts. Always nice to get compliments. and thanks everyone else. Bigjohn. It was very simple to know there was a fish in this rock. Certainly cant see what kind of quality it will be, but when I picked up this rock and started looking at it, I could see two little dark lines on one end of the rock. I asked the fellow that was selling it if that was the tail end and he said yes. I couldnt resist, but I do wish it was in better condition, the head anyways. I will be lucky now to get my money out of it let alone the hours of prep! Arrrrrrrgh!!!!! dam fossils! RB well, i think you should put the rest of the nodule back on it and sell it as a mystery nodule with a fish in it. it worked for the first guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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