I was looking for fossils on the beach and noticed something golden glinting on a rock. I realized it was the carapace of a fossil crab and that the fossil had turned to iron pyrite (fool's gold). I hadn't found one like this before and decided to prep it using an air scribe. An air scribe is like a mini jackhammer and knocks the rock loose from the crab. I was lucky in that there was a slight gap between the rock and the crab so the rock broke away really easily.

The rock is called a concretion and the theory is that it forms when the crabs is buried under mud and starts decomposing. The silt particles get cemented together by calcium carbonate.

The fluid being put on is B72 paraloid which strengthens and consolidates the fossils so it doesn't fall apart from the vibrations of the air scribe. This prep was really quick and only took 2 hours.

The crab is an extinct species of crab called a Trichopeltarion greggi. It is overlayed on a modern day species of Trichopeltarion crab to show the missing claw and legs.


Music: bensound.com and requires attribution
Crab image; CC4 and can be used for commercial content