3
6
4
Excavating
3. Start your excavation in any square that
you like. First soak the sponge with
water in the bowl. Then place the
sponge on a square and carefully
squeeze out the water.
6. Once you have dug up all the fossils,
clean off any plaster still clinging to
them. Rinse them one by one under
running water while rubbing their
surfaces with the sponge. It’s best to put
the stopper in the drain so you don’t lose
anything. Finally, dry off your
discoveries with a piece of paper towel.
5. Next, continue step by step in the same
manner with the other squares — until
you have exposed all the fossils.
Note!
After excavating and cleaning y
our
minerals, wash your hands thor
oughly
and clean the work area. Dispos
e of the
newspaper along with any bits o
f plaster
in the household trash.
4. The water will turn the plaster in the
square quite soft, so you can easily
scrape off the surface with the chisel.
When you come to harder spots, keep
digging carefully with the hammer and
chisel. As soon as you come across a
fossil discovery, try digging gently all
around it. You may have to moisten the
layers of plaster again with the sponge.
