How I Clean fossils with an air abrasive Workshop session 5

[@izzyh.3581]

The honesty at the end was fantastic! I get it too. You like to be rewarded. Probably why you do this line of work. It's not really work in some way. I would be very satisfied with myself if I spent THAT much time on something and to always find something incredible. Uncovered by you. It really looks like a miniature excavation site. A site you can hold. Great work, again. You earned a subscriber!

[@TheFossilAcademy]

Thank you, had a really nice find at the weekend I can’t wait to start, not worked on any bone blocks in a while so looking forward to it.

[@supernaturewee5442]

I truly envy your life! What a dream job! I would love to have lived and worked where you do... and I love messy workshops. It means you are working in them! 💚💚💚💚

[@TheFossilAcademy]

Yeah I do feel really lucky, the kids call the beach ‘Daddy’s office’, always makes me feel good :)

[@murrybraniff1195]

Hi Dan, good seeing you again,(Saturday) great prep work, thanks for showing the air abrasive working. Another great video, will defo pop in and see you at heritage centre for that coffee☕ highly recommend to all Dan and Great work they do at the Charmouth Heritage Center.

[@Jediknight.729]

Which system do you recommend for a novice to utilize. I'm part of the Peterborough geological society and this allows me to go into working quarries along with a team. Ketton quarry in Stamford ...oh Lord! Anyway found some amazing bivalves etc so 3-D...maybe air abrasive best for them not sure best place to buy system from

[@TheFossilAcademy]

For any tools I’d say your best stop would be Zoic paleo tools, they have the best selection of tools available in the uk. Epac in chard stock the comco abrasive units but new are very pricey, around 3k a pop I think. They do come up secondhand occasionally, best place would be fossil groups on Facebook, like Dorset Fossil Hunters etc, folk often selling fossil tools on their.

[@jamiehennis2080]

I love your vids!! They’re all so informative and satisfying!! I’m new to the prepping world. Located in the sates in Texas, I was wondering the the PSI is on your blaster and what type of blasting media/abrasive you’re using?? Walnut shells, baking soda, aluminum oxide, crushed glass??

[@TheFossilAcademy]

Cheers for the kind words dude, I run my compressor around 90-110psi, the Comco blaster I use has a regulator on it so you can switch it up and down depending on what you are working with, at the moment I’m using dolomite powder, you can have a few problems with moisture while using it so I run the air through a refrigerant dryer before it goes into the abrasive machine, it’s a bit over kill but I’ve never had it block up. Dolomite is a good balance, it doesn’t cut as fast as aluminium oxide powder but is gentler on the calcite and with care you don’t get that ‘melted’ look, like you easily get with aluminium oxide from over abrading, so dolomite is just a little more forgiving. It’s so much cheaper too, think a 20kg bag was around £20, it’s one use unlike aluminium oxide which you can sieve and reuse, but at that price it’s not really a problem. The 20kg bag has lasted me months and months.

[@jamiehennis2080]

@@TheFossilAcademy thank you so much!! I did forget to ask though, what the best grit/mesh/micron is?? Or the one you find yourself choosing the most??

[@TheFossilAcademy]

@@jamiehennis2080 the dolomite I use is 40micron I think, check out zoic paleotech online, they are a UK company that manufacture and sell fossil tools, they have some really good info regards prep, tools and abrasives. The descriptions of their products are really well written and might be helpful.

[@jamiehennis2080]

@@TheFossilAcademy thank you!! That’s actually where I get the bits for my dremel 290 and my Paraloid B72!! This is a lot of help!! I’ve been trying to learn air abrasion for about a week now - i by no means have the greatest equipment yet as I’m just starting on my prepping journey. I’ve attached an old 3.8L aquarium air pump hose to my Dremel 290 to blow the dust away as I chisel away, and my air abrasion setup is definitely begginer- I’ve got a $27 GBP air eraser that was originally running on a 30PSI airbrush compressor- I upgraded the compressor to a 65PSI compressor, upgrading definitely helped but still wasn’t as great as I’d like it to be, so thank you!! I will be upgrading my compressor soon!! I’ve done two complete Ammonites 152mm & 203mm in diameter. Prepping has been soooo relaxing and satisfying for me that I want to learn and get better at all aspects of it!! Thank you again for your content and for taking the time to reply!!

[@christianboutell7112]

Cool video mind ya head,respect.

[@SeaDog-Si]

That ammonite came out lovely!

[@TheFossilAcademy]

Simon Lippett cheers brother :) was really happy with it

[@bluefish4064]

I have some iron pyrites tiny ammonites from Charmouth , some have started to smell and fall apart . how do i make sure the others i have don’t do the same . ?

[@TheFossilAcademy]

It all depends on which beds they are from and the quality of the pyrite, some ammonites will succumb to pyrite decay really quickly, other species will be stable for years, keeping them as dry as possible helps, you can get a liquid treatment from a Germany company called Krantz, search for pyrite stabilizer on google and you should find it. It is expensive stuff but it will arrest the decay, I’ve also heard of people suspending them over a bath of ammonia too as a treatment, never given this a go though. Sadly once they really start to go there isn’t much you can do. There was a lady last year who stored them in pure alcohol?? Again not sure if they are all complete or if she has a few jars of potent pyrite sludge. Wouldn’t want to drink that mind.

[@Woo4Me]

Looked great. Is the crinoid finished now? Will you add a varnish to it? Oh, and don't tidy the workshop, just make more videos! :)

[@TheFossilAcademy]

I don’t use varnish for crinoid, know it sounds weird but I use hair spray! Makes them come up a treat

[@TheFossilAcademy]

Got about another hour on it I reckon, and the workshop is tidy! Well, tidyish........

[@craigdickinson8247]

Your beard game is strong. Thanks for the upload.

[@TheFossilAcademy]

Mate, I’ve just shaved it off!! Stinking cold and beards don’t mix!

[@alanwang6879]

Thanks! Another great vid!

[@whynotdean8966]

Could you use salt as an abrasive when working on limestone? :)

[@TheFossilAcademy]

Sorry for the late reply dude, not been keeping up with social media this past few months, salt would really mess the machine up, the particles would be too big, the main abrasives are dolomite, sodium bicarbonate (for really soft matrix like shale) aluminium oxide powder if you need more cutting power and for certain stone iron powder is really good but you need a dedicated machine for that type of abrasive.

[@whynotdean8966]

@@TheFossilAcademy Thanks for the reply :) I'm a complete newcomer to sand blasting. But I was considering making a NightHawkInLight style "sand blaster". But sodium bicarbonate is not cheap here so salt might have been good instead :) Similar hardness and you can get a pretty fine powder.

[@darinmbicknell]

Feel better Dan.

[@TheFossilAcademy]

Cheers mate feeling loads better, stay safe mate and look after your fam and friends.

[@willgoacher9122]

hi dan (and greg) (: , do you ever do any prep for other people in return for money or more fossils?

[@TheFossilAcademy]

yes mate. from time to time I do, always depends on what it is, the going rate for fossil prep is around 20 quid an hour, I know some charge more, just to give you an idea the crinoid in this vid would have been a bill of £60, I'm just finishing editing the next vid now so you can see it, theres a good picture of the finished piece on my instagram account

[@willgoacher9122]

@@TheFossilAcademy hi dan, i contacted you on IG, thanks for your help (:

[@TheFossilAcademy]

Been a bit hectic at work with the current situation, I’ve got tomorrow off I’ll have a look through the images when I get five mins

[@Brusselsproutsk8]

👍 more good stuff!

[@TheFossilAcademy]

Cheers man, just editing the next one now