Fossil Preppin'

I collected quite a few fossil shells in matrix over the winter. Some were in nice, loose sand that I could just brush off when dry. This Miocene Chesapectin nefrens from NE Virginia was in a solid chunk of rock with only the edges showing. My usual light touch with dental picks and brushes didn't phase it, so I tried using the rotary tool for the first time. My luck, the shell material was chalky and got ground in a couple places even as I barely touched it with the bit. It took me over 3 hours with the rotary tool. This shell was probably heavily worn before it got buried and the calcium in the shell has dissolved a bit. Looks like I managed to preserve most of the details that were there. Overall, I'm happy with my first attempt.