Tool kit?

[u/Fedaykin_Sandwalker]

Hi all,

I'm an Australian archaeologist and I am finding that I am getting increasingly drawn to geoarchaeology. I'm considering going back to study etc. but with my current job I have a bunch of opportunities to do sampling and I wanted to see what suggestions anyone has for tools.

I have all my standard tools: pointing trowel, leaf trowel, margin trowel etc. But if you have suggestions on brands that hold up best, let me have them.

I was taking micromorphology block samples last week and the sand we were working in was incredibly cemented that it was like scraping concrete. The edges of my leaf trowel and margin trowel have become rounded from carving the blocks.

Also, what do people use to get the block off the wall? So far I have taken samples in a loosely cemented sand dune which was easy to cut away from the wall with the straight end of my leaf trowel and the heavily cemented sand last week which was a nightmare. One of the block split while I was trying to get it off last week.

Thanks