Hyracodon Lower Jaw Fossil Preparation

My Fossil Preparation Tool-Kit featuring a pin vice, drill bits, two electric rotary tools, a handheld magnifier, and stabilizing adhesive

Since middle school, I have been collecting and researching fossils. I find the process of collecting, documenting, and preparing to be the most fulfilling. From my own experience, fossil preparation is similar to building a thousand-piece Lego set, finishing a painting, or writing a research paper in the sense that each of these endeavors requires indomitable patience, careful planning, attention to detail, and perseverance.

I started practicing fossil preparation using a pin vice and repurposed dental tools. Requiring a steady hand and knowledge of how hard to push with each stroke, manual tools were often frustrating to work with on a harder matrix. Today, I do the bulk of fossil preparation with handheld rotary tools, which have given me more success with their mechanical torque.

Below is a preparation sequence of a Hyracodon running rhino lower jaw that I prepared:

Preparation sequence of an Oligocene Hyracodon jaw encased in pink hued limestone. Brule Fm, Nebraska, USA.

Prepared specimen ready for display. Remaining matrix stabilized with adhesive. Cannot remove remaining matrix with destabilizing the integrity of the bone structure