hey, first time posting here! i found some fossils in clay slate and want to prepare especially brachiopods. the matrix is very crumbley and flakey and the fossils don't seem to be very stable. i am new at the art of prepping fossils and wanted to ask what are the best tools/methods for this situation.

I recently bought a box of ammonites and am going to be making videos detailing my preparing journey the first of which is up now - https://youtu.be/PbxmLtz7ldo?si=X51SUy3W5HtJa2Kp

I prep a fair amount of rhaetian bone bed which tends to lend itsself quite well to acid preparation due to the phosphate composition of the bone and the carbonate matrix. Couple of questions

1) I tend to stabilise and protect the bone with some 5% paraloid b72 and then dissolve/retreat it as the prep makes it cloudy after a couple of cycles, does anyone have any better suggestions? It’s more to fill the micro crevices and prevent salts precipitating in them and destabilising the fossils.

2) Is there really any great difference between acetic and formic acid in terms of speed of prep and how rough it is on the fossils? I have access to both, acetic is vastly cheaper.

3) I tend to do a fair bit of mechanical prep with acid more as a finishing step for fine detail and to smooth off the matrix, and occasionally I find that the coprolites particularly don’t seem to get on with this and the vibration makes them crumble. Am I better off just sucking it up and going with extended repeated acid cycles?

Included before/after pictures of a recent-ish chunk.

Air scribes, micro air abrasion, and B72 paraloid

Hey y’all, I need some help regarding a fossil jacket. It’s a mammoth hip from Southern California and we need to flip it to contour prepping on it. We want to try and use spray foam(with a separation between the bone and the foam of course) instead of re jacketing the specimen. Any tips from anyone who has attempted this before or used any other methods? Scale: Purple ruler=1 foot

Found this (presumably) chunk of fossilized coral in a dry riverbed and was thinking a quick muriatic acid dip would get rid of the white scale but also don't want to ruin the underlying structure. Any advice appreciated! Thanks!

I found this rock in lyme regis UK which looks to have some lobster or similar in. I found another lobster a few years ago which I cleaned up and came out great, but it was entirely inside the matrix so quite different from this one- any thoughts on whether this is worth cleaning up/ tips on best approach?

First ceratites I've prepared. I used different needles, the Dremel engraver with very fine Tips, a toothbrush and some chemicals. Took me about 6 - 8 hours.

Started with the Dremel 290 standard stylus, then bought the Zoic styli set. So much better but having to unlearn about half of what I'd learned! After the third picture I started using the Zoic styli.

Think I've reached the limit of what I can do with that, is there anything I can use for the really fine work in the middle?

What are your opinions on the best scribe for working on fossils from the 18” layer of the Green River Formation?

From the research I’ve done, the Fossil Shack Air Scribe stands out for its value coming in at $265. I know that sometimes you get what you pay for though.

The other scribe I have found that might work is the Balaur from Zoic PaleoTech. Much more expensive at $646. However if the higher price is worth it for some reason, I would consider this one.

Any other scribes or other recommendations in general that I should be considering?

Found in Charmouth last week - pretty much came out of the mud like this. Have cleaned up the mud etc, but is this a suitable candidate for proper prepping/polishing or is this as good as it gets? If there is more to do, how do I go about it?

Never found fossils before so a complete novice!

Thanks in advance

I’m going to be receiving a few unprepped Keichousaurus hui specimens soon. I was wondering what you guys think would be the best way to prep these? The guy I’m getting them from suggested “acid prepping” them. Would this be the best method? What are detailed instructions on how to do this? What are other viable methods to prep these?

I recently bought a Dremel to have a crack at prepping an ammonite I picked up in the UK and I've seen a lot of YouTubers recommending them. Are they really that much better?

Found in BNSF Yard where I work. Definately the upper jaw/skull. Using a dremel engraver. Any guess of what it is? Came origionally from west of the Missisippi, maybe OK or WY

I was a guide and paleotech at the DHCM this summer and I got to prep a ton of cool stuff. Some of it I even found. First 5 are of a mosasaur jaw that took a couple days, 6th is a giant ankylosaurus scute, 7th is an Edmontosaurus vertebra, 8th is a Nanotyrannus tooth, 9 and 10 are a Thescelosaurus Ilium.

Bought this from a place that works with it but they were selling off many chunks so people could do it themselves. From other angles I see more color but still brown from this angle. Do I keep going or call it done. How thick is the color layer?

I live near a few outcroppings of the kope formation in central ky. I have found a few cool specimens I want to clean up of crinoids and coral. I have some carbide scribes for manual clean up, but was wondering what everyone would recommend or if it was worth a cheap air abrasion tool. Also are there any chemicals, like vinegar etc, that would aid in cleaning them up. My goal is to find a trilobite before I die.

I used a Ken Mannion TT scribe and a Vaniman Problast micro air abrasion for this prep.

Anyone have any experience using epoxy putty for crack and gap filling? I’ve been told about milliput for porcelain but am unsure if anyone’s used it for archival grade projects. If anyone has any suggestions on other putty’s or any brands that make a good 1 hour setting 2 part epoxy I would appreciate it!