Sorry. I forgot to add that bit in the video so thanks for asking. I tend to use a hairdryer with a very low temperature to slightly melt the wax and then wipe it off. The Paraloid base that protects the bone makes it very easy to wipe off once it’s melted a little.
very informative, thank you! i’m curious, do people ever just use straight white vinegar? that’s exactly just 5% acetic acid in water with maybe some other minor stuff added in. I for whatever reason would find it really funny that people can just use regular vinegar for fossil prep
Great question Gabe. Firstly, yes, you could use white vinegar but I wouldn't advise it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, you might want to vary the strength of the acetic acid depending on the matrix. Although you could dilute the vinegar, you can't increase the strength. Secondly, whatever they add to the acetic acid to make the white vinegar seems to give it a much stronger smell which tends to linger in the fossil longer than you want. Hope that helps.
Good question. The most common fossils in Lyme tend to be ammonites but it’s not uncommon to find a single vertebrae or paddle bone of an Ichthyosaur. What is much less common is finding large sections of Ichthyosaur jaw or articulated bones. Plesiosaur are even rarer than Ichthyosaur material however. Hope this helps.
Great video! It's super-informative, as finding information on doing acid-prep is hard to come by. Also, the result is just stunning. One thing I'm wondering about though is how you'd get from a 20% solution to a 5% solution. Is that just a mixture of a 3 to 1 water versus acid solution? Or is the calculation more complex than that? Also, why use a hair dryer rather than hot water to remove the candle wax? Wouldn't using hot water simultaneously increase the time that acid can be leached out of the fossil as well?
No, not all fossils would respond well to it so be careful. Generally this technique only works well on fossils in a limestone (Calcium carbonate) matrix and where the fossil itself is preserved in Calcium phosphate (for example). If the fossil is calcite or calcium carbonate, then the acid will eat straight through that!
![5 months of work to reveal this rare fossil! [unknown species]](/img/n.gif)
I think this is the best ever example of an Ichthy jaw I have ever seen. Spectacular fossil
This video was super informative. I've always been curious about acid prep but didn't really understand how it worked until now.
Glad it was useful. I'm no expert on this, but thought a basic summary might be useful.
I’m going to the Yorkshire coast tomorrow and hopefully I can be blessed in finding such a nice ichthyosaur jaw, great video!
Good luck Max. I’ve not been able to get out since lockdown. I just live too far way.
How do you clean the wax off the fossil?
Sorry. I forgot to add that bit in the video so thanks for asking. I tend to use a hairdryer with a very low temperature to slightly melt the wax and then wipe it off. The Paraloid base that protects the bone makes it very easy to wipe off once it’s melted a little.
@@PalaeoArt Thanks. I really like your videos 🤟
Thanks very much. Greatly appreciated
This is a very cool video! I have a question maybe sounds silly: how to do remove candle wax after each round in acetic acid?
Great video, thanks for posting. I've been wanting to add acid prep to my list of tools / skills for prepping but I havent taken that step yet.
Great video mate, im moving into acid preperation this year, nearly all set up and can't wait to get practicing
AWESOME Piece of Ichthyosaur! Wax after B72 - didn't know that. *Thanks*
very informative, thank you! i’m curious, do people ever just use straight white vinegar? that’s exactly just 5% acetic acid in water with maybe some other minor stuff added in. I for whatever reason would find it really funny that people can just use regular vinegar for fossil prep
Great question Gabe. Firstly, yes, you could use white vinegar but I wouldn't advise it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, you might want to vary the strength of the acetic acid depending on the matrix. Although you could dilute the vinegar, you can't increase the strength. Secondly, whatever they add to the acetic acid to make the white vinegar seems to give it a much stronger smell which tends to linger in the fossil longer than you want. Hope that helps.
Out of curiosity, how common are the bones of ichthyosaurs and other aquatic reptiles in places like the Lyme Regis?
Good question. The most common fossils in Lyme tend to be ammonites but it’s not uncommon to find a single vertebrae or paddle bone of an Ichthyosaur. What is much less common is finding large sections of Ichthyosaur jaw or articulated bones. Plesiosaur are even rarer than Ichthyosaur material however. Hope this helps.
Can I ask who prepped the Ichthyosaur jaw? I have one that needs prepping and I'd love to know who's work this is
Thank you so much for this video, will try this myself on a small piece of rostrum.
No problem at all. Good luck and take your time on it. Small bursts of submersion are best to see how it responds.
Dumb question but... once you have finished with the acid bath / rinse cycles, how do you remove the candle wax ?
You can apply a little heat with a hairdryer to lightly melt it and dab it off with a little kitchen towel. Nothing too hot though.
Where do you get all these fossils from?
Give my grandma her dentures back!
Great video! It's super-informative, as finding information on doing acid-prep is hard to come by. Also, the result is just stunning. One thing I'm wondering about though is how you'd get from a 20% solution to a 5% solution. Is that just a mixture of a 3 to 1 water versus acid solution? Or is the calculation more complex than that? Also, why use a hair dryer rather than hot water to remove the candle wax? Wouldn't using hot water simultaneously increase the time that acid can be leached out of the fossil as well?
Very Interesting, and great result !
Interesting! Funny thing, I could literally smell acetic acid while watching this because of long hours in the darkroom decades ago!
This acid can be used for all the fossil bones?
No, not all fossils would respond well to it so be careful. Generally this technique only works well on fossils in a limestone (Calcium carbonate) matrix and where the fossil itself is preserved in Calcium phosphate (for example). If the fossil is calcite or calcium carbonate, then the acid will eat straight through that!
thank you,very helpfull
Pleasure. Glad you like it.
Thank you, I learned something
Brilliant thankyou so much.
No ofense that looks kind of fake can you explain to me how it's real
I have much knowledge of paleontology but I still have a lot to learn
Круто! Автор красавчег!
FYI: wax doesn't dry, it hardens. There's no water in it.
Very good
Nature is wierd
rybojaszczur