BONEDIGGER’S SPECIAL...continued

Paul adds plaster to the roof of the tunnel
he dug under the jacket.

For large or long jackets, tunneling underneath the fossil can guarantee that nothing will be lost when the jacket is turned.  Plaster bandages can go through the tunnel, forming a ring around the fossil.

Tip 10: Tunneling under the specimen greatly reduces the chance that any part of the fossil will drop out of the jacket when it is turned.

Four take on the task of turning the jacket.

Once the top of  the jacket is complete, chisels are driven under it to weaken the legs of the pedestal, and the jacket is turned over.  It helps to have several hands involved in turning a jacket to make sure nothing falls out.  However, the open areas on the underside of the jacket must be relatively small.

Tip 11: Turn the jacket slowly and ask for helping hands.

Just turned, the bottom of the jacket shows two small openings that did not allow any movement in the jacket or loss of bone.

Finishing

Finally, the remaining openings on the underside of the jacket are closed.   This side of the jacket is usually developed as a flat base by incorporating wood planks.

Wood planks added to the eventual underside of the jacket make for a stable base.

A flat base means that the jacket can be slid without problem and that it will not rock to and fro on the preparation table in the lab.  So this base should be flat.

Tip 12: Make a flat base.

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