Isle Of Wight

Morning Fellow Fossil collectors

I have been a member of this site for awhile now, but I have never had time to join the forum and really get involved.

I have recently been emailing Craig about my fossil finds on the Isle Of Wight and he has recommended I post a few pictures on here, I been collecting on the Isle of Wight for the last two years now.. and built up a nice collection. So I thought it would nice to share

Ammonite
Ammonite Section=
Fern Cone
Fern Cones
Coniferalean Log
Turtle Shell Segments
Crocodilian Tooth
Iguanodon Hindlimb Bone
Iguanodon Vertebre's

Please any questions i would be happy to answer them.

Amazing! That first ammonite and the bones are my favourites. The limb bone and verts are beautiful. Let alone the cones!

Question: What have you coated the log in to stop it oxidising?
Question: Can I have some?

would you believe it...........Standard PVA glue, it's had two really good coats and it seems to have worked a treat!!

This is only a small part of my collection and ive only been doing this two years, If you get the timing right on the Isle Of Wight you can find loads of stuff.

We had some really high winds last night, I hit the beach early this morning and came home with a really nice lump of bone and few shells.

mattyb82 wrote:would you believe it...........Standard PVA glue, it's had two really good coats and it seems to have worked a treat!!

PVA, thats what I also used on my IOW wood. I had about 6 coats and mine is doing fine too.
I have 4 more bags of wood in the shed which need doing but I never have the time. Your wood from Brighstone?

Kosmos wrote:

mattyb82 wrote:would you believe it...........Standard PVA glue, it's had two really good coats and it seems to have worked a treat!!

PVA, thats what I also used on my IOW wood. I had about 6 coats and mine is doing fine too.
I have 4 more bags of wood in the shed which need doing but I never have the time. Your wood from Brighstone?

My Piece came from Brook, I let it completely dry out before coating with PVA seems to have done the trick. I will keep an eye on it might have to do it again next year just in-case.

Back in February I stumbled across this, I wanted to take that home but I couldn't lift it.. Would of taken a lot of PVA

Nice find. A link to the big piece I found but could not take home. http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2dtamwx&s=6

Kosmos wrote:Nice find. A link to the big piece I found but could not take home. http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2dtamwx&s=6

Was that on the island?? I have found a really nice piece recently which you see the growth ring within. Im going to try and remove it.......... get it cleaned up and cut flush....it might polish.

That was Brighstone in 2010. The big growth ring one looks good, it should turn out nice if it does polish.

Amazing finds Matt
I want them haha
Craig

loving the finds wish i had some of those fern cones

Oh wow!! some stonkers, im going IOW this summer you have whet my appetite... I can only hope tho. Well done mattyb.

Thank for you comments guys, I will try and take some more pictures of my collection.

[quote="mattyb82"]Thank for you comments guys, I will try and take some more pictures of my collection.

Mean While
Does anyone have idea's how I can preserve my small fern cone's. I have tired PVA Glue, It helps hold the shape but it distorts the detail???

mattyb82 wrote:
Mean While
Does anyone have idea's how I can preserve my small fern cone's. I have tired PVA Glue, It helps hold the shape but it distorts the detail???

Matt varnish may work. If all else fails, store them in oil, no oxygen there.

Kosmos wrote:Nice find. A link to the big piece I found but could not take home. http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2dtamwx&s=6

Nice one kosmos... looks like you tried though. I picked up the most exquisitely preserved piece of drift wood from the eocene on sunday... altho a plant fossil collector I dont usually pick up much drift wood but the preservation on this is beyond belief... also looking for the best way to preserve it I dont want to distort its natural hue and texture which some methods entail. (picture within the week I promise)

Spleain wrote:

Kosmos wrote:Nice find. A link to the big piece I found but could not take home. http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2dtamwx&s=6

Nice one kosmos... looks like you tried though. I picked up the most exquisitely preserved piece of drift wood from the eocene on sunday... altho a plant fossil collector I dont usually pick up much drift wood but the preservation on this is beyond belief... also looking for the best way to preserve it I dont want to distort its natural hue and texture which some methods entail. (picture within the week I promise)

I did try but it was too big. I got some smaller pieces though about a quater of the size, I am preserving them right now in glue and varnish.

Thats a nice piece too, I can feel it through the screen for sure.

Where is that piece of wood from?
I really need to go there!

@Matty, where abouts are the fern cones and the croc. tooth from? The croc and turtle usually comes from Bouldner but it's always washed up bits and pieces, where did you find it in situ?

I found a croc tooth at Bouldnor once, but I think you can find them in rocks at Yaverland and Brook but not sure.

macrocephale wrote:@Matty, where abouts are the fern cones and the croc. tooth from? The croc and turtle usually comes from Bouldner but it's always washed up bits and pieces, where did you find it in situ?

My Croc tooth came from a plant bed near brook so did the larger fern cone with the darker matrix. My small fern cone came from Grange Chine, The other fern cone with sandy colour matrix came form Yaverland

My Turtle Shell came from from somewhere completely un-expected along with these little gems

Kosmos wrote:

mattyb82 wrote:
Mean While
Does anyone have idea's how I can preserve my small fern cone's. I have tired PVA Glue, It helps hold the shape but it distorts the detail???

Matt varnish may work. If all else fails, store them in oil, no oxygen there.

I have my Small one's in oil at the moment it seems to be working!

With pyrite, it reacts a lot more with moisture in the air, so if you get rid of the water and air, it cannot really react and turn to dust. They can stay preserved in there forever.
I do not like pyrite fossils myself because of this. Not only can a prized fossil disintegrate, but the label can go bad and even a wooden drawer can discolour.