I almost wrecked a $300 fossil because I didn't buy a proper prep kit first.

I found a cool trilobite in a shale slab last month and tried to clean it with a cheap nail set and a screwdriver, which put a huge gouge right through its head. I ended up spending about $80 on a real air scribe and some magnification goggles to fix my mess, and it worked way better. Has anyone else learned the hard way to get the right tools before starting a delicate prep job?

3 comments

3 Comments

jennifercooper4d ago

Honestly sometimes you just gotta work with what you have. That fancy gear sounds nice but not everyone can drop that kind of cash upfront.

mitchell.daniel4d ago

Totally feel that! My first setup was a webcam duct-taped to a stack of old textbooks. Sounded like I was recording from inside a tin can, but it got the job done. Fancy gear is cool, but it doesn't replace just getting started with whatever's around. Sometimes the janky solutions are what you remember most anyway.

aaron8454d ago

It's not even about the cash sometimes. You can have the gear and still make stuff that sounds bad if you don't know how to use it.