AMMONITES and AMMOLITE! Hunting the Prairie for Marine FOSSILS!

In this one, a friend and I head out to my favorite fossil site to look for ammonites and baculites! We get into some fantastic baculites as well as a few nice ammonites! To top everything off, we found an ammonite the size of a dinnerplate! I am still repairing that one, but i will absolutely give you all an update when it is done! Once we get to the shop, I show you all how to stabilize and process ammolite; the vividly colorful nacre layer of ammonoids and one of the most incredible gems! I hope you all enjoy, and I will make sure to have another one out soon!
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[@sandmaker]

Wow oh wow they are just beautiful. Thanks for sharing. Be safe and stay healthy 😷⚒

[@geraldinesera8915]

You move around very quickly making it hard for us to appreciate what you are seeing and collecting.

[@salishseaquest7952]

No need to apologize for not filming with that heat. You found some amazing fossils. Was great to see how you work them for the best shine. Thanks, Theo!

[@sarejen6868]

Those are just BEAUTIFUL! 100°F+ HEAT?! Geeze I head to cooler areas in the high 90's anymore! Out driving in the mountains awhile back my hunt was from the road cut and looking from the ac of the truck cab, yup big heat intolerant anymore. Your prep work, preserving the specimens is great. I like how you said you did it. Thank you for sharing!

[@KennyLeee1]

Hi I'm Ken from Wisconsin I've been cutting and polishing rocks for 45 years I'm a first time subscriber and I love your Ammonites and Ammolite I have worked Opal along time but your colors are just the best

[@TheoKellison]

Thank you so much! That truly means a lot! Montana ammolite is absolutely some special stuff! I never get tired of working with the stuff; amazingly vivid colors! Ive got a real soft spot for opals though!

[@hoglefish]

Got to meet Theo yesterday. What a nice person!

[@releasingendorphins232]

Amazing! Thanks for sharing part of our world I never know existed.

[@KatyDidRocks]

I can't believe you got that ammonite out of there without a jacket! I'm SO EXCITED to see the end result.

[@TheoKellison]

It was some VERY slow and careful work but i got it out! Easily took about an hour and a half to get it out safely. Totally worth it! Can't decide if i want to polish the pearl or show the sutures🤔

[@savagesquirrel9828]

I am amazed that any nacre is left! Fun to watch you bring out the best in already cool fossils.

[@TheoKellison]

Thank you so much!😊 these Bearpaw shale fossils are definitely worth the extra time to prep!

[@KevinHarrell1]

Fantastic job cleaning, preparing, and stabilizing

[@TheoKellison]

Thanks so much!😊

[@kimbain4368]

Those colors! Wowza! Great finds, thanks for sharing!

[@rcsop]

awesome I own very iridescent ammonite or amolite

[@strawberrymoon2244]

Love this I find lots of these when I’m paddle boarding and hiking in Alberta. So cool to see how to make them look pretty !! Amazing video thank you !!

[@danababcock2766]

Beautiful stuff!

[@taesandracollosi6962]

Beautiful !!! Thank you for sharing.

[@TheOldladyB]

The ammolite is absolutely stunning.

[@cathers2hbergerthe22]

Love the prep the transformation is magic, so beautiful.

[@TheoKellison]

They are definitely worth the extra time!😊

[@yoopermann7942]

THEO, that was a cool hunt you guys went on! i miss the heat also! you sure found some GREAT TREASURES! thanks for taking us along!!

[@TheRogueRockhound]

Cool episode Theo, now you need to come to Oregon and do some hounding here. Oregon sunstone, fire opal, rainbow obsidian, green pet wood and much much more. Once I get a few episodes finished, I will give you the link. Cheers buddy!

[@TheoKellison]

It's on my bucket list for sure! Especially for some rainbow obsidian; i would LOVE to carve some of that stuff! Definitely send me a link!😊

[@Rocktwister]

Wow incredible transformation! It really hot here too 109 in the forecast this week. Thank goodness for your shop!

[@TheoKellison]

Oh my gosh! 109!? That's too hot even for me! I hope you enjoy your rocks! Let me know what you think of them or if there are any issues!😊id be more than happy to take care of it!

[@Rocktwister]

@@TheoKellison got them yesterday they are fantastic! Thank you!

[@krawdadandrusty]

Wow! Nicely done!

[@TheoKellison]

Thanks so much!

[@vivid23d53]

Hello Theo your work is beautiful.

[@moonstruck581]

That one piece looks Opalized with the blue and green colors amazing. So is the huge Ammonite going to have Ammolite, I can’t wait to see that put back together😎

[@judym1128]

All I can say is just stunningly beautiful.

[@michaelvandyke6715]

Always like working with Ammonite and ammolite from Montana... Nice Scaphite you found too.. Have built a few ammie's, slow, but worth the effort .

[@michaelvandyke6715]

May I share your video on my rockhounding site on F/B?

[@TheoKellison]

@@michaelvandyke6715 they are some of my favorites to work with; Those ammonites never get old! That big one is far and away the biggest one i have ever found, so it is totally worth the extra time to repair it! I have never repaired one of that size though, so it is definitely going slower than normal. And of course! Feel free to share it!

[@johnsmithland7325]

Very nice

[@cvx2dog549]

Nice finds! 👍 Keep giving prep tips please.

[@TheoKellison]

I will happily do so!😊

[@Jordan__Sloan]

Calcite crystals just chillin in the daylight? Must be nice🤠

[@Bizz420]

Amazing calcite specimen 👍🏼

[@tere11]

Wow!

[@GravelBarHopper]

Beautiful specimens bro!

[@TheoKellison]

Thanks man! 👍

[@kayperrault]

I’m just driving from Alberta to Texas and mapped out my spots to rock/gem hunt. A lovely lady at the ammolite mine told me anywhere i\along the river beds in lethbridge is good for ammolite hunting. Can you provide any sweet location for me to start?

[@kevinunger433]

Nice calcite crystals

[@rhodsruner8319]

i'm planning a trip to montana this summer can you give me an area that i can possibly look for ammonites and ammolite

[@BacGold]

Muito bom 💯👏👏👍🤝

[@DivineMasculine777]

Ammonite is great

[@soo9939]

Ooooo where are you? Need a local hound to take me out!!! Medicine hat alberta here

[@eyeguyeyeguy1]

Great vid. A couple ? for you: 1) Have you ever tried Paraloid B-27 for fossil stabilization? I have not tried it, but I guess dissolves in acetone and can be painted on for stabilization and dries clear. 2) where to you buy your thin CA glue? 3) what kind of clear epoxy do you coat it with?

[@TheoKellison]

I have not used it but i have been looking at trying it out! The Ammonites and baculites i often work with are very stable once polished so they don't need any stabilizing, but i have a good amount of fish scales and oysters that oxidize into nothing over just a few months so some stabilizer would be a huge help on those! Been using lacquer but i really want to find something a bit less caustic. Ill have to give it a try! As for the CA, I have never had much luck finding it at hardware stores or the like, the most reliable place to find it in my experience has been local hobby stores. And as for epoxy, you just want any clear doming resin; i can not remember the brand i use off the top of my head buti will look it up and get back to you!👍

[@eyeguyeyeguy1]

Theo Kellison Thank you

[@hazelnutcase357]

Will you be parting with any of your ammolite? It is even harder to find in a shop for purchase. I wish I had the time and location and money to rockhound. Nothing beats finding your own treasure in a field of grass. My best find was a calcite crystal and at the time I didn't think to mark the location on a map.

[@burninpowder8503]

Awesome! Do you ever make cabs out of that?

[@janicescragg2388]

I am hoping to go on an amolite hunt next summer on gravel bars in the river in Alberta Canada. Hopefully I can figure out how to do this legally here.

[@katherinedoughty839]

Wow! Well it was certainly worth getting baked out there. Those finds are just beautiful & that calcite is awesome...look forward to seeing the big one finished. Will it have the same colours on it or is it like the polished brown one?👍🙃

[@TheoKellison]

It was totally worth it! We were absolutely cooked by the end of the day though!😂 thats the tough question; it has amazing detail so polishing it like the brown one would bring it out even more, but it also looks like it has fantastic color underneath that weathered layer. I will probably have to debate for a few weeks before i actually decide what to do with it!😂 thank you so much for watching!

[@Sandiiwhite]

Hi. Do you sell your ammolite?

[@Fishkut_RL]

Hey Theo what is this site called? I am coming through Montana by car on the way to Lake Superior and am hoping to find the first ammonite of my life! I live in Oregon and would love to hit up this site on the way!

[@wojoman131]

where did you find these?

[@jacquicherry1721]

Theo Kellison, I don’t know if there are any streams/creeks near there, but a young man I know found some even larger ones like that in a creek about three hours north of here, and they were intact! Just wanted to let you know, in case you have that option. 😊 I just found your page. Really enjoyed the video! May I ask what state you’re in? You might’ve said, but I missed it. I’m sure that you’re far from here. I’m in Mississippi.

[@Cliffwalkerrockhounding]

Use miuratic on those calcite, it looks great

[@kamjohnson1269]

Which area of Alberta is this looks fun!

[@gregadams5847]

Could you use a lapidary sanding belt/drum to dress up the surface. Or is it too uneven, thus pendant motor?

[@sklallamghost9188]

Can you do some giveaways for raw Ammolite? Or do you have a shop to buy some from? I want some to make jewelery and integrate into Native Art. Beading and carving, I'm from the Pacific NW Washington.

[@janicescragg2388]

For filming with my phone I use the clamp part of a selfie stick that I unscrewed from the stick and screwed on to my tripod stand. Not as good as a camera but a simple solution to needing your hands free when filming.

[@KatyDidRocks]

Also, lol, your phone does better than your (now drowned) camera picking up the colors of amolite.

[@TheoKellison]

I think it does too!😂 my old camera just despised ammolite; never could wuite capture all of the color. The image quality and resolution in general was better on my old one, but i much prefer the stabilizer and auto focus on this one, so i guess you win some and lose some😂

[@carliegriffin7229]

💙💙💞💞💞

[@paulcarder8032]

Beautiful work Theo! What brand of super glue and epoxy do you use? One more question. Can you clean an ammonite with muratic acid? Thanks!

[@TheoKellison]

I will check and get those brands for you! I can not remember off the top of my head at the moment🤔 and i would shy away from cleaning ammonites with muriatic; they tend to be calcified so the muriatic would dissolve the fossils itself and that is definitely something to avoid. Thanks for watching!😊

[@dianegreen6635]

Can you remove the ammolite for jewelry ? Just beautiful

[@TheoKellison]

You can! I will actually be making a video all about that soon!😊

[@judykathrine6051]

I was under the impression that Alberta issued only so many permits to "mine" ammonite?

[@mortonfourohfour8102]

It's all over the place. I have a spot on the eastern foot of the Rockies and its loaded. Pick em up and take em home.

[@specialgems]

🧡🧡🧡

[@phyllisalippert-kelly524]

Did you know calcite was used for gun sites during WWII?

[@cretaceouscrustaceans5985]

Use silicone carbide wheels buddy and your next step is to go watch gem of the west

[@Afiqa3004]

I'm gone dizzy watching this vid 😵

[@geraldinesera8915]

Why didn't you truly show us how to prep the ammonite to ammolite. That's why we tuned into your video. Please be generous.

[@El-mongolo_leonVyt]

I like turtles

[@deannelewis5847]

Where are you

[@cretaceouscrustaceans5985]

You would die if you came to southern Alberta

[@TheoKellison]

Oh i know! It's on my bucket list for sure!😄

[@ronmcdonald4230]

Omg quit apologizing

[@matthewbenson5913]

Whine much

[@tedkellison2598]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SON!!