PASS THE TOOL KIT

I Thought this might be an interesting little  topic.

i sometimes wonder what favorite  tools and equipment you all use, so i thought this might be a good idea to find out each others 'Tool KIT', and get to know each other better. This could also help others decide what tools/kit they need to take with them if collecting out of their usual area.

Please keep this clean, no rude inuendos and This time 'No Chat'

There are  6 questions

1/   Where is/are your Local collecting area/s (Justa general area)?, and  What type of rock or deposit is this?

2/ do you collect, ROCKS, MINERALS, and OR FOSSILS

3/  What is your basic kit for field work in your LOCAL hunting grounds?

4/ What do you use for Prepping your finds when you get home?

5/ What is your favorite piece of kit?

6/ Do you have an unusual tool/piece of kit?

I will nominate the 1st person to go and NO ONE else can go untill the nominated person has been. Then that person nominates the next  etc.  Once someone has been nominated they cannot be nominated again. IF YOU JUMP THE GUN YOUR POST WILL BE DELETED.

 Chat will be deleted.

 I PASS THE TOOL KIT TO ........................BILL G

When you've done Bill, you nominate the next person.

Hello Bill,

1) the areas i mainly collect are the bosa beds in sardegna for the neptunus crabs and vignola pliocene beds for shells and gastropods but also cancer sismondae crabs.

2) i collect fossils

3) crabhunting: just a hammer to open the nodules, tape to close them again, small pastic bags for eventual lose pieces i don't want to drop .

gastropod and shell hunting: shovel, pickaxe, knives to cut small clayblocks, plasticcontainers for delicate samples, superglue, mixed vinylic glue and water in a bottle to consolidate rare pieces in sand matrix if dry weather, lots of newspapers that i wet and lay under and on top af the samples to avoid drying and cracking of shells during storage.

4) to prep crabs : compressor, different airscribes, pneumatic grinder, airabrader, surgical scalpels, epoxy bicomponent  glue and superglue, matt acrylic varnish or 5% paraloid in alcoholic solution.

To prep shells and gastros: knives, scalpels, smallscrewdrivers, paintbrushes, vynilic or soda silicate to harden!

5) anything that makes a better prepquality

6) no unusual tool, i believe

I PASS THE TOOL KIT TO ANDY S

Hi to all.

1.  I have no local area to hunt.  I usualy go to several sites in different states on the same trip.

2.  I collect only fossils.

3.  Since I go to several sites on the same trip, I take most of my tools.  Pick hammer, mini sleges, big sledges, small prybars to big 6 foot long prybars, glues, little plastic bags, lots of newspaper for wrapping, boxes, all sizes of chisles, gas powered rock saw, jewelers loup, and of course one trailor to haul all this stuff plus whatever fossils I find.

4.  It really depends on the fossil, but I mostly use my air scribe.  I do have two other sizes of air scribes and I have two air abrasive systems, a fordome with dozens of different bits,  lots and lots of little tools and a few different glues.  It really does depend on the fossil you are going to prep.

5.  My favorite piece would be my air scribe.  Actually I have 3 of them.

6.  I think my 'unusual' piece would be how I take a chainsaw file and grind one end down to a very sharp point and use that as someone would use a dental pick.  The thing is, these are  made of a very high quality steel and can easily outwork any dental tool.

 I dont know alot of folks here, so here goes.  I nominate Longshanks

Fiona - you naughty girl, but I was expecting it!

1, I collect on the south yorkshire coast in the boulder clay deposits that were left there 12000 years ago by the last ice age.

2, I collect anything that is interesting - fossils - minerals - flotsam and jetsam, I recently found a pully block from a very old sailing ship - it was mineralised and very heavy.  

3 Basic kit? my sons who are as mad as I am for the outdoors! several hammers! a big ruck sack and patience by the bucket load!

4-Fi  You know I have a silent compressor and all of the air equipment glues, grinders etc so what I will show you from my prep arsenal is some thing that will help beginers, people who cannot afford expensive equipment and how to prep your fossils to a very good standard without getting too technicle and spending a fortune on prep equipment.

Forgive me for the poor picture but I hope you can see three diferrent thickness darts! on metal shafts that I once made up - a bit more effective and precice than masonry nails.

5 My favorite piece of kit is not one thing but my hammers.

6 I have several plastic artists palete knives that I have cut and sanded for a specific reason.

I pass the tool kit to Byron

1/   where is/are your Local collecting area/s (Just a general area)? And what type of rock or deposit is this?A) Northern Pennine Ore fields – Mainly Silurian to Namurian age.

B) The Yorkshire Coast- Lower to Upper Lias- Early Jurassic.

2/ Do you collect, ROCKS, MINERALS, and OR FOSSILS?I collect both minerals and fossil’s but tend to focus on only one at a specific time. Last year I became interested in mineral replacement and zonal patterns.

3/ what is your basic kit for field work in your LOCAL hunting grounds?My basic kit is a seriously well padded backpack, Estwing 4lb crack hammer and 20 oz chisel end pick. Chisels size depending on what I’m collecting at the time, wrapping material, first aid kit, MRS pocket rocket stove ( cant beat a hot cuppa on the beach) and Camera which I need to use more.

4/ what do you use for prepping your finds when you get home?Minerals I generally only clean if required with a soft tooth brush and water. I use a range of chemicals if more specific cleaning is required. Fossils tend to be soaked, tagged, bagged and boxed up for ages before I get them prepped. Use an upgraded CP air pen and micro grinder.

5/ what is your favourite piece of kit?My 20oz Estwing chisel ended pick, well worth the money, I’ve had it now for around twelve years. Im now a big fan of geological maps when it comes to inland site's.

6/ Do you have an unusual tool/piece of kit?I’ve a miner’s cap lamp converted to UV but it’s seldom used. Probably my stove people tend to make comments when they see someone brewing up on the beach.

I pass the toolkit to: megladon

Thankyou Lee

1/   Where is/are your Local collecting area/s (Justa general area)?, and  What type of rock or deposit is this?

Locally Derbyshire and Clitheroe lower carb limestone and Lancashire Coal measures sites when available, Yorkshire coast Jurassic and anywhere I find myself going on a daytrip to.

2/ do you collect, ROCKS, MINERALS, and OR FOSSILS

Fossils

3/  What is your basic kit for field work in your LOCAL hunting grounds?

Estwing hammer, lump hammer, selection of chisels, gardening gloves to ease the pain of misaimed hammer blows, rucksack, newspaper and donated pillow cases to wrap finds, woolly hat to protect from the chill north sea breeze, butties

4/ What do you use for Prepping your finds when you get home?

HD Pen and ST Pen with compressor, pin for removing small loose bits of matrix, tooth brush for scrubbing finds clean under running water where appropriate, dremel tool for smoothing out tool marks, angle poise lamp with daylight bulb

5/ What is your favorite piece of kit?

The ever popular HD pen.

6/ Do you have an unusual tool/piece of kit?

Nothing specific

I pass the tool box to.........Moonmoth

1. My collecting area is Derbyshire caboniferous limestone

2. I collect brachs,corals and crinoids : fossils

3. my latest bit of equipment is a lump hammer(why didn't i buy one ages ago!)chisels,trowel,a passed down rock hammer,magifying field glass,camera and a good sized rucksack.

4 For prepping i use a penknife, electric engraver,a hand engraver(scriber),toothbrush and sometimes a buffing wheel and buffing soap(alum oxide).

5 at the moment the lump hammer!

7 A spring loaded centre pop

I pass the tool kit to............Fossil Magnet 

Cheers Geth,

1/   Where is/are your Local collecting area/s

Newhey, Besom Hill and Clitheroe. Although my brother lives on Sheppey, so I do a fair bit there too.

2/ do you collect, ROCKS, MINERALS, and OR FOSSILS

Fossils (and Napoleonic memorabilia)

3/  What is your basic kit for field work in your LOCAL hunting grounds?

Kneeling pads, take away boxes, kitchen paper, Good old fashioned hickory hammer, chisels, Woolworth's plastic box with adjustable compartments, work gloves, an old scrubbing brush and a red handled butter spreading knife for calyx extraction.( You don't need the hammer at Clitheroe)

4/ What do you use for Prepping your finds when you get home?

Scalpels, dental picks, tooth brushes, wire brushes a good heavy duty vice and a plentiful supply of plasters and TCP.

5/ What is your favorite piece of kit?

Afore mentioned red handled knife, just perfect for digging in soft mud.

6/ Do you have an unusual tool/piece of kit?

Not really, steel brushes for shoe repairs are useful to remove loosish carboniferous matrix without damaging crinoid plates.

I pass the Toolkit to...

Naze Dave

Cheers Dave, here goes.

1, Folkestone gault clay.  Isle of Sheppey London clay.  Thanet upper chalk. Are my local ,frequent collecting areas.

2, Mainly fossils, but i will pick up occassionaly odd/ strange shape stones. I,e muscat balls, etc.

3, Knee pads, pen knife, small containers, sealable bags, trowel, small chisels and a geo hammer for the chalk.

4, Stanley/ hobby knife, dental picks and a small wire brush.

5, Knee pads, my knees would be knackered without them, shingle scouring.

6, Hum unusuall piece of kit, No not really.

I pass the tool kit to..... llasa.