dhart Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I have a question pertaining to the attachment of fossils to a wall or flat, verticle similar surface. Basically, I guess another way to word this is: how do museums attach small, usually flat pieces (as an example, a 5" x 8" piece with a weight of 1/2 lb to 1 lb.) to a display cabinet or wall. I have heard about something called "bent frame" which appears to be small, metal rods "hugging" the piece, and I have heard about attachment with strong adhesives. Do any of you fine folks care to weigh in? This old, retired art prof. would like to thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkchaser Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 "Bent frames" have the benefit of not physically affecting the actual piece. RAWR! I am zeee dead bobcat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhart Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 "Bent frames" have the benefit of not physically affecting the actual piece. It seems that this method would require some careful craftsmanship as to not let the support frame interfere with the aesthetics (or appearance) of the piece...do you know of people who would share this technique? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HumboldtMike Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 It seems that this method would require some careful craftsmanship as to not let the support frame interfere with the aesthetics (or appearance) of the piece...do you know of people who would share this technique? Howdy. I made a "Tree of Life" display with fossils we had found, which required some bent frame-type attachments. For larger rocks -- up to maybe 3 pounds -- I used coat hanger wire that I dipped in some plastic coating stuff from the hardware store. I used tie wire dipped in the plastic for small things. I attached the wire to a plywood backing using copper strap tie down stuff and wood screws. I had the display up for about five years and everything stayed in place -- including during a few minor earthquakes (Northern California). I also used the copper strap stuff dipped in plastic by itself to hold a few of the flat pieces. There was a little bit of a learning curve getting things bent right and screwed in, but it was pretty easy once I got the hang of it. The pictures show it being built and before I got it all labeled. Hopefully the resolution is good enough to see a couple of examples. The detail shot is of the holder for the larger ammonite at the bottom. Also, the plastic stuff didn't affect the fossils -- didn't goo them up or anything -- but I don't remember what it was called. I think it was for making grips for metal hand tools. Hope this helps. Please let me know if you have specific questions. Later. Mike (I have to add "oregon plesiosaur" so that this will come up on my friend HudspethGreg's Google alert.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Bent frame is def the way to go if you can do it. Another suggestion is to cover your board with fabric that velcro "likes" and put pieces of the hook side of the velcro on your fossil. You can place your fossils anywhere on the board and remove them later (and the velcro is easy to remove later if you desire). Another benefit of this method is you can make very professional signs/labels on foamcore and velcro them under your fossils as well. Makes a very clean, professional display. And no, I haven't done it this way, so I don't have any pictures, but I have seen it done and it looks great! Just keep in mind this works only with lightweight fossils. Anything under 1 or 1/2 pounds should be OK depending on how much surface you can velcro to the wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhart Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 Bent frame is def the way to go if you can do it. Another suggestion is to cover your board with fabric that velcro "likes" and put pieces of the hook side of the velcro on your fossil. You can place your fossils anywhere on the board and remove them later (and the velcro is easy to remove later if you desire). Another benefit of this method is you can make very professional signs/labels on foamcore and velcro them under your fossils as well. Makes a very clean, professional display. And no, I haven't done it this way, so I don't have any pictures, but I have seen it done and it looks great! Just keep in mind this works only with lightweight fossils. Anything under 1 or 1/2 pounds should be OK depending on how much surface you can velcro to the wall. Thanks Mike, Xi, and everyone for the comments so far...very good ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinG Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Plasti dip is the stuff I have seen in the hardware stores and it may be yellow in color. If the diameter of coat hanger wire is too large then you may be able to find piano wire which is much finer and harder. It is very "springy" and you would be able to make a snap-in type of fixture. If at all possible make a three point support in the design of a peace sign with the center being the attachment point with an eye for a screw. Kevin Goto, Lafayette,CA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilover Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Hi dhart, I actually set up some of my fossils and sea shells in shadow boxes. I use hot glue to set them in place. If you do it correctly, all you need to do is gently twist the fossil to remove it - the fossil will pop right off of the glue. Put a small dot of glue on whatever you want to attach the fossil to. Let it cool for a moment. Then, while the glue is still tacky gently press the fossil onto the glue it will only take a few seconds at that point to set, so make sure you have it in the position you need. With a larger object I put 2 small dots of glue to the area I will be attaching it to, one for the top of the fossil and one for the bottom. A few words of caution, don't press the fossil hard into the glue, or the glue will be really hard to get off the fossil when needed. Also, I have not tried this on really delicate fossils so I wouldn't recommend it for that. Also, do not press the fossil into the glue as soon as you apply the glue because again it will make it harder to get the glue off in the future. Lastly, do NOT use this method for any porous materials or fossils, otherwise you will have a very hard if not impossible time of getting the glue off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhart Posted April 18, 2009 Author Share Posted April 18, 2009 Hi dhart, I actually set up some of my fossils and sea shells in shadow boxes. I use hot glue to set them in place. If you do it correctly, all you need to do is gently twist the fossil to remove it - the fossil will pop right off of the glue. Put a small dot of glue on whatever you want to attach the fossil to. Let it cool for a moment. Then, while the glue is still tacky gently press the fossil onto the glue it will only take a few seconds at that point to set, so make sure you have it in the position you need. With a larger object I put 2 small dots of glue to the area I will be attaching it to, one for the top of the fossil and one for the bottom. A few words of caution, don't press the fossil hard into the glue, or the glue will be really hard to get off the fossil when needed. Also, I have not tried this on really delicate fossils so I wouldn't recommend it for that. Also, do not press the fossil into the glue as soon as you apply the glue because again it will make it harder to get the glue off in the future. Lastly, do NOT use this method for any porous materials or fossils, otherwise you will have a very hard if not impossible time of getting the glue off. Thanks Kevin, and Fossilover for your strong imput; both very good suggestions and very much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 For thin slabs, how about those spring-loaded plate hangers? They should be easy to modify as needed. "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...
fossilover Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 You are welcome dhart. And Auspex, that's a good idea about the plate hangers. I have a few hanging above my computer and all you would need to do is bend the prongs with pliers to fit the object. And mine already have rubber covers on the tips to prevent scratching and sliding. They usually come with easy to install hanging hardware too so that would be another thing you wouldn't need to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 For thin slabs, how about those spring-loaded plate hangers? They should be easy to modify as needed. I have a thin slab of shale from Utah with several Agnostid trilobites on it and that's how I have it hanging on my wall. Cheap, easy to find and does the job. There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhart Posted April 20, 2009 Author Share Posted April 20, 2009 You are welcome dhart. And Auspex, that's a good idea about the plate hangers. I have a few hanging above my computer and all you would need to do is bend the prongs with pliers to fit the object. And mine already have rubber covers on the tips to prevent scratching and sliding. They usually come with easy to install hanging hardware too so that would be another thing you wouldn't need to worry about. I agree, Fossilover. Thanks Northern and Auspex...indeed, something that makes lots of sense...much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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