Kyle Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I know some people are against it, but can someone help me out with the best way to polish up a Meg tooth. I would like to put a nice shine on a few teeth and experiment beforehand on a couple broken megs, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THobern Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 If you don't have lapidary equipment; nail files and a whole heap of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoRon Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Unless most of the enamel is severely damaged, or completely gone, you will lessen the value of the tooth (to collectors) by polishing it. If you have to polish it start with around 100 or 200 grit wheels and then work with finer grits until you get the desired polish. If you have wheels you can load or a fabric buffing wheel you can finish with cerium oxide or red rouge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Menser Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Try furniture polish and see if you like the result. It may save you from ruining a good specimen in the name of dubious aesthetics... Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 i'm not against it. i'm rabidly against it. to the point where i think it should be illegal. seriously. i think they should let all the career violet criminals out of prison and fill the prisons with people who've been caught trying to "prettify" fossils. <go ahead, tracer, tell us what you really think> i'm getting mad here!! wait, what was the topic? <walking out, looking confused, but at least not polished> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ynpigo Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 I would suspect that 100-200 grit is far too coarse. 1200 Grit would be like a pre-polish. I would try an actual polishing compound first, like cerium oxide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 i'm not against it. i'm rabidly against it. to the point where i think it should be illegal. seriously. i think they should let all the career violet criminals out of prison and fill the prisons with people who've been caught trying to "prettify" fossils.<go ahead, tracer, tell us what you really think> i'm getting mad here!! wait, what was the topic? <walking out, looking confused, but at least not polished> Fossil Forum Disclaimer: The antics and rantings of Tracer do not reflect the forum as a whole, please note that our eccentric friend is readily prone to such outbursts. All damages are also not the responsibility of the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracer Jr. Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 i too disagree greatly with polishing meg teeth. it absolutely ruins the specimen to me and i will NEVER own such a fossil. sure the colors may look interesting, but if you like colors go find an agate and polish it. just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Fossil Forum Disclaimer: The antics and rantings of Tracer do not reflect the forum as a whole, please note that our eccentric friend is readily prone to such outbursts. All damages are also not the responsibility of the forum. you capitalized my freakin' name, doggonit!!!!!!! you know i hate that almost as bad as if you'd polished it!!! this sort of willful antagonism is what man went to the moon to get away from! well, that and to hit a golf ball in 1/6th earth's gravity... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreekCrawler Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 If you would like to polish teeth slightly use 0000 steel wool and mix water with baking soda to make a paste.Use the steel wool and baking soda as an abrasive and polish lightly.Be careful and check your progress every few strokes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandpa Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Crest with tarter control. But seriously folks, just say NO to polishing fossils. Take my wife . . . please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 DON'T DO IT!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyquest Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 I'm sure you could spray something on if you're just looking for a glossy shine. Maybe a non-yellowing clear acrylic spray or something better. I sprayed this on some dull river teeth I found and shined them up but it peels easily if you scratch them accidentilly. Never tried the floor polish. If you have nice expensive teeth I wouldn't do anything short of sending them to an expert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Posted August 21, 2009 Author Share Posted August 21, 2009 Thanks to the people who gave me helpful suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Menser Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 I'm sure you could spray something on if you're just looking for a glossy shine. Maybe a non-yellowing clear acrylic spray or something better. I sprayed this on some dull river teeth I found and shined them up but it peels easily if you scratch them accidentilly. Never tried the floor polish. If you have nice expensive teeth I wouldn't do anything short of sending them to an expert. Floor Polish? Don't try it. I was merely venting my disgust thru sarcasm at the idea of ruining yet another fossil. Frankly I don't get why people who want to polish things or shape fossils into 'art' don't get into gemstone lapidary where their efforts actually result in improvement and increase in value. Or if they really want a shinny tooth, buy a shinny fake-it's basically the same thing and saves the real thing. It makes me feel more kindly towards museums when they complain about quality specimens being in private hands (and subsequently getting ruined). No offence, Kyle but INHO it goes against everything fossil collecting is about. Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Why harsh on Kyle? His collection, his fossils. When he asked for tips, he acknowledged that there are those who disapprove; I doubt that he thought that he'd face righteous indignation, though. "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...
Frank Menser Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Why harsh on Kyle? His collection, his fossils.When he asked for tips, he acknowledged that there are those who disapprove; I doubt that he thought that he'd face righteous indignation, though. I feel the same way about it as if a guy was to take a piece of fine Ebony wood and paint it purple. Yeah, it's his wood, but the damage is perminent...Forever. We are in a hobby that allows us contact with some of the earths rarest treasures. Some of those treasures are being locked up in the countries they are collected in. That makes any really good specimen even that more important. Also we have a new generation of people going into fossiling. Often they do not know or appreciate how hard it was (and in some cases is) to obtain these jewels. They do not appreciate the History. To some of them it is a nik nak to be polished up as a table ornament or necklace. I think there are enough imperfect pieces found that can be adapted to that purpose. INHO I feel we older and more knowledgeable collectors owe a bit of a debt to mother nature to teach those who are new the value of that tooth in their hand-not just the dollar or ornimental value. I think that is what makes a fossil Forum different. In the end aren't we all about preserving part of the Past? Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 Don't get me wrong; I get, and subscribe to, the preservation/conservation/connoisseurship thing. It just seemed that some of the responses were a little out of proportion. We're talking about a couple megs here, and I give Kyle the benefit of the doubt that he wouldn't do it to his grade-A's. Not really so different from a cabbed gem-bone or a polished Petosky stone, is it? "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...
PaleoRon Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 I would suspect that 100-200 grit is far too coarse. 1200 Grit would be like a pre-polish. I would try an actual polishing compound first, like cerium oxide. Cerium oxide won't work as an initial polishing agent on teeth with badly damaged enamel. You might polish a few high spots but the end product would not look very nice. To make it look even half way decent it is necessary to grind the enamel down to give the blade of the tooth as smooth a finish as possible. In many cases this requires removing much, if not most, of the enamel from the middle of the blade. I doubt that Kyle is planning on polishing a high grade near perfect meg tooth into a low value paper weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Menser Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 Don't get me wrong; I get, and subscribe to, the preservation/conservation/connoisseurship thing.It just seemed that some of the responses were a little out of proportion. We're talking about a couple megs here, and I give Kyle the benefit of the doubt that he wouldn't do it to his grade-A's. Not really so different from a cabbed gem-bone or a polished Petosky stone, is it? If Kyle had indicated that he was planing on doing this to some inferior grade teeth, I think he would not have gotten so many negative responses. The point is he didn't and in fact his statement that he is planing to practice on some broken pieces first kind of implies that the teeth he is planing to do the serious work on have more value. So I don't think that all the people who objected were making noise about a Petosky Stone (which by the way is one of the very few fossils that is improved by polishing). Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 well, i, for one, have no recollection whatsoever of having previously posted in this thread. i mean, it's just like all the former synapses were rubbed away with cerium oxide or something. i never mean to be abrasive. yes, i rub some people the wrong way, but it's just because my manner of speaking isn't very polished. subtlety is just not something that i shine at, it seems. but in the spirit of wanting to be like auspex when i grow up, i fully support convivial comradery, both here and in neighboring parallel dimensions. and i do brush my teeth, but i regretfully state that they remain valuable probably only to me. i will make a confession here. i've polished my share of dinosaur bone and petrified wood. so i suppose i'm a forgetful, hypocritical, rude person. <sobbing hysterically and attempting to run out of the room, only to trip over auspex' extended foot and do a header over the balcony rail [this room's on the second floor of the forum]> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenixflood Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 Well, it seems like you started quite the topic Kyle No worries, everyone is entitled to their opinions. First, we really don't know exactly the quality of the specimen Kyle is going to be working with other than the fact that he wants to practice on some broken megs. This may indicate that he has a better specimen to work on, like Frank said. We just don't know what condition it is in. But we really don't know. You may want to put up some pictures Kyle of the teeth you want to polish. In the end it is your decision. Now, we all don't have to agree to it. If you ask me, I wouldn't do it, but it depends on the condition of the megs. But they are your teeth. Some will say that they belong to humanity. I don't think anyone on this board has the exact same opinions about fossils. We all see them in a different way. For some it is a hobby, for others a lifes' work, to others food on the table. But there are common threads that run through out love of fossils. But please if you choose to disagree with the act of polishing, direct it toward that act and not towards Kyle if you would please. Thank you The soul of a Fossil Hunter is one that is seeking, always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fig rocks Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 <sobbing hysterically and attempting to run out of the room, only to trip over auspex' extended foot and do a header over the balcony rail [this room's on the second floor of the forum]>What a drama queen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mako-mama Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 My thoughts on polishing shark teeth~ 1. "Megs" are among the most common of shark teeth. The way most of us come by them, they cant really be considered serious scientific specimens. They are collectibles. Most come from rivers or mixed sediments that make them worthless except to other collectors. I think Frank hit the nail squarely when he referred to meg teeth as graded (quote: "doing this to some inferior grade teeth"). That word alone smacks of commercialism. Unless a fossil is properly aquired and curated and has scientific importance, it's basically a rock. Enjoy it the way you'd like, Kyle. That said, I do think making permanent changes (by grinding) to a fossil might be a problem in the long run. You might one day need to sell it. If all you want is a pretty, shiny crown, Johnson's Paste Wax is just the thing to use. If you ever want to get off, a bit of ammonia on a paper towel will do the trick. No permanent harm is done. I do this to all my "high quality, personal favorite shark teeth". If they were truly valuable scientifically, they'd be in the possesion of someone more qualified than I to study them. As it is, I prefer pretty and see no difference in enhancing an ordinary shark tooth or polishing a piece of amber to peek at the bug or cutting an emerald to get the shape I desire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Menser Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 There is a definite difference between a good fossil specimen and an emerald or Amber. Polishing Amber allows us to see the fossil within more clearly without damaging the fossil. Unlike polishing a tooth which destroys its outter surface. As for Emeralds. This big Muzo XL contains a very gemmy section which would produce a stone of no small value. However, I would not even consider cutting it as it is a beautiful and Rare specimen and there are specimens where the crystals are not so well presented that make fine stones too. Actually I don't see where I attacked Kyle at all, just the practice of turning fossils into decorator nik naks. So what if it isn't so lovely? Warts and all that is what it is, a record of the past. I am not opposed to restoring an imperfect fossil and certainly not opposed to cutting Petrified wood which makes nice cabs or by polishing brings out the grain of the wood. Many years ago I ran into a fellow who considered himself an Artist. He had a specimen of Sulpher that had a gorgeous walnut sized xl. Any mineral collector could tell you that a perfect xl of that size is very hard to find. To "preserve it" he imbedded the specimen in concrete. You could see where the concrete bled into the crystal ruining it for ever. But, it was his specimen so why should I care? I grew up in a place where the fossil History is almost completely gone save for what was collected before developement burried the whole area under Condos and Asphault. It made me appreciate what I was able to collect (above). Granted Meg teeth are still common, however my remarks were not directed at Kyle as much as to present arguements that some who may have the idea of messing with a fossil more rare and perfect might be able to read why so many of us prefer that things stay natural. Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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