If your profession requires you to prepare fossils for inspection under a microscope, you have to be armed with the necessary tools and equipments to do the job. Of course, the first and foremost requirement would be adequate amount of knowledge essential to perform the task.

But as far as tools are concerned, the microscope is the most important instrument. More specifically, a digital boom microscope is required. Digital boom microscopes are special microscopes that are mounted on a stand. As such, it doesn’t look much like the traditional microscope used in schools. Digital boom stand microscopes are compact microscopes, with its whole body suspended on a horizontal bar.

Boom stand microscopes are popular in industrial applications. This is because they have special lenses and a structure that allows for sample manipulation that is important in almost all industrial tasks. And all these are required in fossil preparation as well. When preparing fossils, users has to be equipped with microscopes that provide optimum working distance as well as magnification level that provides for the proper magnification of the insect or fossil sample.

The specific tools needed in fossil preparation are the ones below:

1.  Pneumatic Pen

The pneumatic pen for fossil preparation has extended carbide pointed tip. It is created that way so that it can easily be seen even when used very closely under the microscope. It is also the preparation tool preferred when deep work on the fossil is required. The main role of this pen is basically to serve as an engraving or writing tool on hard metals or rock, where the fossil is to be mounted.

2. Air abrading units

The air abrading units are the devices from which the abrading pens are connected to produce enough air to blow into the surface of the fossil, freeing it from dusts and unwanted elements. Most of the fossil preparation pens, which come in different types and sizes, have to be connected to an air-abrading unit for it to work. This means that the pens to be used should be compatible with the air-abrading unit that it is going to work with.

3. Fine Grinder

Small, pen-like fine grinders are the ones mostly used for fossil preparation. The job of this tool is to grind and smooth the sample being prepared. The actual size of the fine grinder may depend upon the extremity of the fossil sample to be prepared. However, if it merely a microscopic sample, the smallest versions would suffice. Fine grinders are usually made of diamond burrs and tungsten carbide.

4. Bonding glue

There are instances that the fossil broken during preparation due to too much pressure. The solution is not to tag the fossil as damaged and start all over again. Doing this is unthinkable, especially if the fossil is of a very high value. What you should do instead is to use a fossil bonding glue, such as PaleoBond, so that the sample will go back to its original form even after it had been broken apart. Breaking the fossil is very common when preparing samples for viewing under the fine lenses of the microscope.

5. Cutting Saw

When preparing enormous samples, diamond saws and hand-held saws are the one commonly used. But if the sample is rather small, like that of an insect, a cutter should be sufficient. The role of the cutting saw is to shape the fossil in such a way it fits in a microscope with all the important points and details intact. Ordinary cutters should work, provided they can efficiently cut through the fossil. Cutters are available in all hardware stores.

6. Rock splitter

This is another important tool, but only for huge rock samples. Smaller rock samples may have no need for this. But you never know. There might just be a requirement for this in one way or another. Better settle for the smallest ones though, especially if your main concern is to develop fossil samples for observation under a microscope.

7. Special acrylic sprays

Don’t use just any type of acrylic spray on your fossils. Most acrylic sprays work effectively on monocot plants and wood. Organic fossils benefit best from Krylon acrylic. The main job of acrylics is to preserve the fossil being prepared. It should be applied immediately after producing the fossil sample. Always stick to the clear acrylic variants.

These are the different tools needed to prepare fossils for viewing under a microscope. To know more about fossil preparation microscopes and its features, feel free to log on to www.digitalboommicroscopes.com. The site contains all relevant information users may need to know about digital boom microscopes and all other microscopes under its category.