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re: freeing limestone fossils
Roger:
If acid prep doesn't work (and I assume you've diluted the acid sufficiently
to control solution), then you're going to have to use mechanical prep. I
have good success with Chicago Pneumatic airscribes, carefully coating
exposed bone as Iwork. You can also try a trick I learned in grad school,
to cook the rocks until quite hot (over a Tillman burner), and then plunge
them into cold water. This helps disaggregate the matrix in *some*
limestones.
I'd give acid prep another chance, with very dilute acid, say 2% HCL or
vinegar strength (5%) acetic. This works on most LS I've seen, including
chalky matrix such as I suspect you're working with (Cretaceous?).
david schwimmer
schwimm@uscn.cc.uga.edu