EarthForce America, Summerville, S.C., is the marketing 12voltautoheater headquarters for Superstav in North America. All machines are sold in North America 12voltautoheater under the EarthForce brand nameKubota Tractor Corp. USA, an American affiliate of Kubota Corp. in Japan, offers two models of mini-backhoe loaders, the B21 and L35. The company is second in the marketplace and imports its machines from Japan. KTC, which started selling machines in the U.S. market in 1972, is headquartered in Torrance, Calif. The company''s B21 machine is rated 21 hp and features hydrostatic drive, while the L35 is rated 35 hp and has a mechanical Glide Shift transmission for clutchless shifting. The bigger machine has a 9 ft. digging depth. Ingersoll Equipment (not to be confused with Ingersoll-Rand Co.) is located in Winneconne, Wis. The company started producing small backhoe loaders in 1983. Current models include 18 hp and 20 hp machines and a larger addition is being discussed for 2001. Both the 6018 BH and 6020 BH loaders have a digging depth of 7.5 ft. and both machines are very light at less than 3000 lb.

Air ScribesPneumatic air scribes were developed as powerful industrial engraving tools. Basically, the air scribe is a small, hand-held air hammer that is operated by compressed air at about 90 pounds of pressure per square inch (psi). Under this high pressure, a piston within the unit drives a hardened bit at blurring speed against whatever object it is pressed. In engraving, the bit can scribe into the toughest of steel alloys; and in fossil preparation, the reciprocating action of this bit can rapidly disassemble the hardest rock. With a little practice and a light touch, matrix rapidly turns to grit and falls away from the fossil. Under magnification (a binocular 4x lens headband-type magnifier is good) the matrix looks as if it is melting. In reality, in addition to a powerful but tiny hammer-chisel action, a harmonic vibration is established, and grains of cemented rock are vibrated apart by waves of energy. These energy waves, of course, also travel through the fossils, and it is the difference in density between the rock and the fossil that allows the fossil to remain intact, at least most of the time.

A year ago, biologist E. O. Wilson and 100 other scientists co-signed a letter calling for a moratorium on chip mills until a federal study is completed. Their main concerns were disappearing hardwood forests, impacts on wildlife and waterways, and clearcutting.

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