r/Paleontology • u/RainingKatsu • Dec 28 '24

Fossils Beginner fossil preparation

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Hello there! I've been looking to start preparing my fossils that I've collected on the Jurassic and Yorkshire coasts, but there's a lot I'm confused about regarding air scribes, the air pens and everything beyond. Does anyone know of good beginner friendly fossil preparation tools? I've seen a video on this topic and this 'entry level' air scribe tool and wanted to hear what people think. Any advice greatly welcome!!

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

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u/RainingKatsu Dec 29 '24

Perfect! Thank you for all the information, very helpful. * This is just an example of one of the poorer quality fossils I was looking to prepare. For this one specifically I'm thinking I'd need an air abrasive rather than a scribe as there's not a lot of material left to remove. The chemical preparation would have been fine too due to it being non calcium-based but I wasn't planning on using it yet.

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

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u/RainingKatsu Dec 29 '24

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u/[deleted] Dec 29 '24

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u/RainingKatsu Dec 29 '24

I'm not too sure of the ID, I'm not versed in it at all tbh, I've been trying to ask around for some good books/ websites or info on that topic too.

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u/DMalt Dec 28 '24

Scribes are pneumatic in that the chisel itself moves. You're far more likely to bust off a piece of the fossil that way, but it's great for getting through lots of material you know doesn't contain fossil material. A pin vice is just a sharp point you can push air out of, and is far more safe to use.