Using rock hammers, awls and chisels, the team began by removing the rock away from the top and edges of the bones. Now the fossils were ready to be wrapped in plaster-dipped burlap strips. First they covered the top and sides. Once the plaster dried then they turned the jacket over and covered the bottom of the fossil. Before they were done they numbered the jacket and logged the number in their field books. The hard plaster "jacket" would protect the bones for the long journey back to the lab in Chicago.