Once in the lab the restoration process begins with the removal of the fossil from its plaster encasement. After all the packaging has been removed preparators work to remove the remaining matrix from the bone. If the fossil bone is surrounded by a hard rock matrix, just getting down to the level of the bone can prove a time and labor intensive task. The next stage in bone restoration involves the fine scale "cleaning" of the residual matrix from the bone. Bristol City Museum Geologist Roger Vaughan estimates the fine scale cleaning of fossil bone the size of a soft drink can represent a week's work! To undertake this clearly time consuming process a variety of tools and techniques can be employed, such as:
| FOSSILISATION | PROSPECTING | COLLECTION |
| RESTORATION | ASSEMBLAGE | MUSCULATURE |
| ANIMATION | REFERENCES | MUSEUM LINKS |
