Mini Update Paleo Lab 5.25.17

Sara: Crumbly bits of bone. Tiny light bone fragments that plague every preparologist in the lab. That has been my dealings today.

Nightmares tonight of hitting the wrong spot and the entire fossil being blown away on the breezes.

We are still not entirely sure what vert this is, but it is huge, and it is an adventure.

May 4th Paleo Lab

Sara:

Today's lab time was spent working on bone number 4. ( The rounded vertebra in the pictures. )

Repeating the technique with the water has increased the amount of Matrix that I can remove in one lab session.

Uncovering the bizarre processes on the sides of this vertebra has been invigorating!

We're still not exactly sure which vertebra this is in the spinal column. A bit more Matrix removal should help us to determine it however.

Ridiculously exciting things in the lab are just around the corner! Stay tuned!

Paleo Lab Update

It has become real. Documentation has truly begun.

Each block is drawn, fossils and findings carefully matched up where they were found.

This helps us to put the whole picture together after things have been excavated and removed from the jacket.

Everyone's Gotta Eat

(The T-Rex diet by Eduardo San Gil, via Rampaged Reality)

PaleoLab Update

Sara:

We are still diligently working away at our blocks. Last week I became concerned that the density of the rock was preventing my scribe from removing the matrix on the outer edge of bone #4 (the large round surface). So with permission, I soaked a long piece of paper towel and let it rest on the tricky matrix. After 30 minutes it had worked its magic! Much of the matrix was easily removed and the bone was untouched.

As we further our exploration of these blocks we will be sure to update you when we find cool things or use new tactics!

Stay tuned!

Barosaurus tail coming along

Amber

It has been awhile for updates, but I'm am pleased to show you how far along I've come on this beautiful piece.

I came back to this tail on March 9th. Just sitting there, waiting for me. I love looking at it sitting with the others wondering how it will look when it's completed. Knowing that I am helping with this magnificent piece brings so much joy every time I am near it. For me, it's therapeutic. I can put away all my worries and stress and be mindful while working on this tail.

I took pictures of both sides because I was determined to clean up as much as possible. I had a lot more time to work in the lab this day and was happy to see when my time had ended, how much I was able to accomplish.

I was happy to clear off as much as I did on the one side and start on the other. It was very difficult for me to stop as I was eager to see this completed. (I have a ways away, but it's still tough to walk away!)

I finally was able to come back on March 31st to make more progress. I am very pleased with how much I did and not have anything crack. I held my breath a lot during the moments I was close to the cracks. So much that when people came by the window, they thought I was a mannequin and screamed when I moved. ;)

As you can see, there isn't any flaking from the main crack. I'm sure that a sharpened scribe helped a lot, but I am also thinking it was because I was able to use Rick's personal scribe which had the power of our Paleontologist. (I swear it's magic!) 

I'm going back this week so stay tuned for more updates. I'll be better blogging about it now that we are getting to the really interesting parts. 

Have a great night!

Amber

Updates anyone?

Amber

As much as I would like to say that I'm planning to keep this post somewhat short, I highly doubt that will happen. I promise it won't be a novel, but this girl has some catching up to do. Bear with me. I'll make it worth your time.

First off, who am I? Well I am the latest addition to the Paleo lab team and am thrilled to be there. My name is Amber. Or Dahl. I go by either one. I'm constantly talking in memes in my head so if it seems that everything I say sounds like I'm talking as a meme, chances are I am. Let's get started shall we?

January 12, 2017. First project. My sweet Barosaurus rib. Thoughts running in my head while working on this were:

• "Oh geez I'm going to kill this thing!"
• "Wait, it's dead already."
• "Don't screw up Dahl!"
• "Oh my gosh is that a mark? Did I just make that mark?"
• "Why isn't this as pretty as the others?"
• "Wow. This is theraputic. I really like how this is putting me in a zen like OH MY GOSH DID I JUST BREAK A PIECE OFF?"

I figured after 3 hours I should give myself a break and go home before I had a meltdown. And no, I didn't break a piece off, I was overly paranoid and thought I did.

January 20, 2017. Round 2. I was definitely feeling more comfortable with the scribe and was actually getting into the rhythm by making up dinosaur songs in my head while I was working. I also noticed that I was getting better, but could still tell I had to go back over some pieces that I missed. Rick was reviewing the piece and was telling me that things were looking good so far and then said that I need to work on getting the glue off. I'm sure my eyes bugged out of my head. First thought that went through my head when he told me that was, "Oh great now I really am going to kill it for sure!"

Again. You can't Dahl. You can't. This took me about 3 hours to get this beauty where I left it.

February 3, 2017. Round 3. GLUE DAY. I was determined. I was able to cleaned the parts surrounding the glue and I was determined to tackle it today. I felt comfortable enough with the scribe that I thought it would be nice to listen to some background music while I worked. What better music to get you pumped up and get that dang glue off than old Metallica, Megadeath and Dio? I even noticed that I was going along with the beat of the music. And guess what? It worked. I was able to get most of the pesky glue off without any damage. I was even feeling mighty proud of myself thinking I was able to get as much done as I did in 45 minutes. Then I looked at my watch. Nope. 3 hours. Jokes on you Dahl!

February 9, 2017. Round 4. Time to work on the edges and use the even better scribe for hard to reach places. I'm telling you, that thing is AMAZING. I can't believe how clean I was able to get edge pieces without feeling like the whole thing was going to explode into dust. I'm definitely getting my groove even more. I wasn't able to work on it as long since I had an appointment, but I was able to get a lot done in 2 hours!

February 16, 2017. Round 5. Holy Diver! I am done! Look how beautiful it is! I was able to get out those pesky pieces of sandstone and not destroy the edges! Thanks to my years and years of painting experience and deep paranoia of not wanting to screw up I did it!! I love the beautiful sheen that the vinac adds to it as well. I'm so proud of this piece and it's even better after getting the seal of approval from Rick. This only took me an hour to finish up and then I danced after. I was so happy. Here is the before and after of this glorious rib:

Ya, I can get used to this. 

Then Rick says, "How about something more advanced?"

I am going to be working on the tail. And these are a LOT more delicate to work with so........sorry Dio. Not this round.

Stay tuned for next time!