xonenine Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 I liked seeing a recent use of putty in ID'ing fossils.Is there something relatively inexpensive which won't muck up the specimens, or leave a residue on them? Thanks, Carmine. "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 I was looking a mould making on youtube a while back... they have a very fine oil spraycan they use as mould release... do they still make good old plasercine? ... I think there are various modelling puttys that set hard as well.... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davehunt Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 Hi Carmine. I used a material called "Sculpey". I got it at a chain arts and crafts store like "Ben Franklin". Couple nice things about sculpey are that it isn't oily (like plasicine used to be) and if you like what you got, you can bake it and permanently harden it. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted December 10, 2010 Author Share Posted December 10, 2010 Wow, that's awesome.I have one I need to bake today, hehe.TY Davehunt. "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davehunt Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 Show us some pix when you're done! Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palaeopix Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 I used to make latex casts of my trilobites back in the early 1990s. The process went something like this: 1. A diluted solution of Kodak Photo Flo was brushed on the specimen trying to avoid bubbles. Bubbles were removed with a fine tipped brush. 2. Several very thin layers of water soluble hobby grade latex (available at the nearest craft store) were applied allowing each layer to dry between coats. Bubbles were removed with a fine tipped brush. 3. After three or four thin layers of latex, a layer of tissue (or toilet) paper was added and soaked with another coat of latex then allowed to dry. This step was repeated several times. 4. Once completely dry the cast was peeled from the specimen. The result was a finely detailed cast of the specimen. The casts were then painted black and lightly coated with a sublimate of ammonium chloride in preparation for photography. The process was (and is) time consuming but the results were (are) amazing. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted December 11, 2010 Author Share Posted December 11, 2010 Thanks paleopix, This process, though involved, sounds kind of like what I would want to do w/ a greenops boothi pyg. cast i found with bumps all over the spine...good winter project. Carmine. "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWill Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 (edited) palaeopix pardon my usual confusion, but... Were the specimens you cast copies of, actually found as molds of the original trilobite ? Also how does the ammonium chloride impact the photo ? Bob Edited December 11, 2010 by BobWill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palaeopix Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 (edited) palaeopix pardon my usual confusion, but... Were the specimens you cast copies of, actually found as molds of the original trilobite ? Also how does the ammonium chloride impact the photo ? Bob Hey Bob, I've used the technique on both casts and molds. I should point out that the largest specimen I tried this on was only about three inches long. Without going into too much detail, sublimated ammonium chloride is used to coat the specimen thus giving it an overall uniform reflective quality which is easily photographed and highlights surface decoration. For more information on this technique you can check out these books: West Coast Fossils. By Rolf Ludvigsen and Graham Beard. Either the first or second editions will do. Paleobiology: A Synthesis. Edited by Derek Briggs and Peter Crowther. There's a great section on photographing fossils in the first edition. Handbook Of Paleontological Techniques. Edited by Bernard Kummel and David Raup. This is a classic work on all aspects of paleontological techniques. A similar result can be accomplished by coating the specimen with the smoke created by burning a magnesium strip. This method is not favoured much these days as it is rather hazardous!!! Hope that answers your questions. Dan Edit: Here's a link to download Paleobiology: A Synthesis as a series of PDFs all free of charge. http://www.earth-pages.com/paleobiology.asp Edited December 11, 2010 by palaeopix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 Hi Carmine. I used a material called "Sculpey". I got it at a chain arts and crafts store like "Ben Franklin". Couple nice things about sculpey are that it isn't oily (like plasicine used to be) and if you like what you got, you can bake it and permanently harden it. Have fun! Sculpey is is a very useful material, but be careful -- it does have oil in it. Paste a blob of it onto a sheet of paper and wait a couple minutes and you'll see a pretty clear oil stain. Like the instructions for just about everything, I would put some onto a hidden part of a specimen and see if it leaves a stain before using it as a molding medium. BTW, when I lived in Redmond, WA I used to go to Ben Franklin all the time. Great source for lots of obscure craft materials. “When you're riding in a time machine way far into the future, don't stick your elbow out the window, or it'll turn into a fossil.” - Jack Handy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotsofpets Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 I've used Sculpey for many things - like for necklaces, small sculptures, and occasionally for molds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 Beginning on page 23 on >this link< is a primer on applying ammonium chloride to fossils for photography. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palaeopix Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 Beginning on page 23 on >this link< is a primer on applying ammonium chloride to fossils for photography. Great link Chas, there's some really useful info in there! I 've added it to my ever growing PDF library. Thanks for posting it. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonenine Posted December 11, 2010 Author Share Posted December 11, 2010 Yes, I certainly saved that one too, thanks Auspex! "Your serpent of Egypt is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun; so is your crocodile." Lepidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWill Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 Yeah that link answered my question and some more I wouldn't have known to ask! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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