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I know next to nothing about radioactivity-- enough to know licking fossils is inadvisable, although I'll admit that wasn't terribly disappointing news. What I'm wondering is whether specimens not radioactive enough to endanger a person are capable of damaging other specimens. Is there a need to segregate displays here, or am I just confused about the mechanics of this? My specific reason for asking is that at the moment I'm planning for my current favorite mineral specimen (which I am babying forever), an almandine garnet from Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, to share a small shelf area with a tooth from the phosphate deposits in Oulad Abdoun Basin, Morocco and a few dinosaur bone pieces from the Hell Creek Formation of Montana (one from Dawson County) and Lance Creek Formation of Niobrara County, Wyoming. The shelf is not enclosed, by the way. Thanks for your help!

Finally got the display ready for a large pliosaurus jaw section and tooth fragment (pliosaurus kevani) from Kimmeridgian Clay, Weymouth Bay, Dorset UK Smaller tooth fragment in individual case is Pliosaurus Ferox from Oxford Clay, Peterborough UK 160 million years ago attached close up pictures below thanks for looking! Happy collecting!

I have searched the site and had a read of a few threads regarding Riker boxes in the UK dating back to 2017. I have dealt with Just in case for a few years now and they have decided to call it a day since the increase in shipping costs recently. They might start up again if the costs come down. So this leaves me a problem as I sell all my fossil teeth etc in Riker boxes, I bought all his remaining stock but that wont last long! Did anyone in the UK have any luck with finding a supplier? I might end up going down the import route, if so I will have an ask around on here to see if I can get sizes that would be helpful to UK people on here and see if it might be viable to help everyone out at cost price. I have spoken to Riker direct and they pointed me to their online site for overseas but on their online it comes out to roughly £9 for a small one (120, 4x3 inches)which is stupidly high, so I will see what I can work out!

I have a mini fossil display setup at my workplace. This little display brings lots of attention from other employees. Most didn't know this area was under water in the past.

I am not sure how niche of a topic this will end up being and if anyone other than myself will really post on here, but I thought that it still might be worth a try. I really enjoy 3D modeling and printing as a hobby and find that it often comes in handy when dealing with certain problems around collecting, organizing, displaying of fossils. Some of these designs I have come up with myself while others have been heavily inspired by other people's projects and I thought that creating a single place to share all my 3D prints related to this may be helpful or inspiring to others. So here are some of the models I've created and found quite useful for my collection, as always any forum members are free to message me and I will be happy to share any of these files with you: Microfossil slides, I think outside of some simple stands these may have been the first items like this I designed and printed. These have been quite useful as I can print these whenever I am sorting through some micromatrix and always have room for my micros instead of having to buy expensive slides and waiting for them to ship. This is my most recent print and it's a small universal stand for all my slides to keep them organized, it works with the printed ones, metal ones, injection molded plastic and just glass thin sections. Scale cubes, probably the most useful of all of these as I take many pictures of my fossils and having this as a reference with both metric and imperial units is great. and here are some of these mounts and hooks I designed. I just got some new shelving for my collection and each shelf this sort of beam behind it, this was a great way to mount some of my riker displays and larger flat specimens to reduce the space they take up on the shelf itself. If anyone has any other designs like this they have made with 3D printing, or other similar technologies like CNC that you'd like to share, it would be great to see some of them here to learn and get ideas or inspiration for our own projects. Thanks for looking!

The first (and only- for now) Oreodont skull I prepped was in remarkably good condition and required virtually no reconstruction, just a thorough and careful cleaning + a little stabilizing. Afterwards I was looking for a good way to display this little skull in a manner where it wouldn't just be sitting on a flat surface. I'm not great at bending metal to create an elevated cradle so I came up with this: I laid a sheet of plastic wrap on the underside of the skull and gently pressed Apoxie sculpt on top of the plastic so it molded to the contours of the skull. I then pressed a metal rod bent in two 90 degree angles into the Apoxie making sure it was straight. After setting for a little while- still soft enough to pull it away from the skull without getting stuck, but firm enough to hold its shape- I pulled the mold out and allowed it to dry. Once fully hardened I lightly sanded to smooth out some of the rougher contours and reduce the overall size so it wouldn't be as visible with the skull resting on it. A bit of tweaking here and there and I got it so that the skull could gently 'clip' in and out of the mold. Attached are a couple shots of the original piece with matrix, and the finished fossil and stand. I am really happy with the end result and plan on using this in the future- I hope you find it interesting and useful as well!

Hi everyone, I've been struggling to find a way to display three associated Desmatosuchus sp. spikes from the Bull Canyon Formation, New Mexico. I decided to try using polymer clay but the block was very tough to manipulate. I'm also not 100% sure that it's safe to use in direct contact with a fossil due to the oil nature of it but I'm assuming once hardened it should be fine. My next concern is to ensure any accidental jostling doesn't cause the fossils to fall out. I've had mixed results with sticky tact; it eventually melts into some goo over time. Does anyone have any recommendations for a light, non-damaging adhesive? Or better yet, a more visually appealing display because this is kind of ugly In case anyone is curious, the other two fossils are non-associated skull fragments also from a Desmatosuchus species in Bull Canyon. And yes, I actually had to bend the primary spikes in the correct orientation on the Schleich model and sadly it's the best the figurine world has to over thus far on the enigmatic aetosaurs. I also think it's pretty cool that a set of elongated, curved back primary shoulder spikes evolved convergently at least three separate times in Desmatosuchus, the ankylosaur Sauropelta and the stegosaurian Kentrosaurus (I think there's another one that looks more like this but the name eludes me). I wonder if there's an obscure fossil turtle with some out there? Any help or suggestions are much appreciated as always! Cheers, Marcus

Hey guys! As some of you may know I run a paleontology education program. I take real fossils to schools and libraries. I've been over the years collecting things to make a mobile pop up museum. All that being said... I've been wanting to make a display of fossils from really weird animals that we can find fossils of. So far I have an edestus tooth and finally got myself a Tully Monster today. I am having trouble coming up with ideas, and as I have dealt mostly with dinosaur fossils, I am hoping to have the help of some of my fellow forum members who have a broader knowledge base than I. It doesn't have to be something that you have for sale or trade, but I'm simply looking for ideas of actually obtainable fossils I can be on the lookout for. I'm starting to look for trilobites but am in over my head here too lol. Any ideas on anything would be an IMMENSE help. Thanks y'all!

Hi everyone, So, I am moving soon and I was able to get a wonderful cabinet curio with a display case. I have a few fossils that I want to display in there as somewhat of a "mini museum". I know that there are fossil stands for ammonites and shark teeth but I cant for the life of me think of a way to display a few large Pleistocene material that I have, such as a mammoth tooth and bison horn core seen below: Would anyone have any suggestions? thank you!

In my collection, I'm starting to focus more on dinosaur teeth. Right now they're just laying on top of my bookshelf that I display my fossils in. I'm thinking of maybe doing floating frame display cases or riker cases. Does anybody have any suggestions about how to display them?

Does anyone worry that their greatest "treasures" will get stolen if they are displayed openly in your house, and you go away on vacation? So far, I have not been willing to set the few fossils I have out on our furniture. What do you do when you are away from home? Does anyone have a security-type display case with shatterproof glass to deter thieves? Just wondering.

Been awhile since I posted my collection. It has grown quite a bit over the years, what do you guys think?

Hello all. I’m wondering if anyone knows of a source in the US for sheets or rolls of soft EVA foam that I can cut to size for the bottoms of various small plastic specimen containers. I’m looking for something no more than about 6mm in thickness (not “foam paper” or “foam core”). Althor used to sell exactly what I need, but the minimum order is now $100, and I won’t use that much foam in the rest of my life. Thanks much for any help or leads. Wendell

After the summer end Clean

So i got some display cabinets but i'm not sure how to display it. I have many bought fossils and found. I got shark teeth mostly, But also amber, Fish, Dino, Reptiles and more. So i wonder how you guys display your fossils? Maybe post some pictures? So i can get some inspiration.

I'm not sure which category this would fit best in, so I'll put it here. @Bobby Rico in another thread got me thinking about labels directly on specimens, what with the appeal of old labels on specimens from historic collections and other considerations. I figured it couldn't hurt to attach labels directly onto some specimens (with more than the catalogue number that I put on all of my specimens) so that whoever ends up with them after I part with them, whether museum or private collector, would actually have to put some effort into scraping off the label to lose the provenance info! I have included the usual information: the name (if I know it), the geologic age, formation, location, date found, my initials, and the cat# even though it is duplicated elsewhere on the rock. More detailed info for each specimen can be found in my notebook, though that mainly consists of a more exact location. I had already done one label a few years back for another large specimen similar to this one which was displayed publicly at a fossil event. I decided to do a few more. So I dug out my old typewriter and made some labels for my largest self-found local pieces. Here is one result. This specimen has a handy flat fracture face to put the label on, as did the earlier one. I did find the old typewriter difficult to use. I've been spoiled by the easy-touch computer keyboard, and the ease of hitting 'backspace' to correct mistakes! But maybe my typewriter could use a new ribbon too, as it requires a heavy punch or a double punch to get more than a faint letter. The number of times I had to start over again was enough to send ya. (I don't really want to use whiteout on the labels.) The only other thing I don't like is the size of the type/spacing is a bit big. Maybe other typewriters have smaller fonts which would enable smaller labels. Or maybe I should just give in and use the computer printer to make my labels... Not sure if the printer ink will run when the label gets wet, though. Also I tried a couple different types of glue and find that the old white glue seems to work better than the Acryloid, though I haven't yet determined how much water is best to dilute it with. The water helps to soften the paper somewhat so that it conforms to the unevenness of the rock surface. But it's a bit messy, and it can be difficult to hold the heavy rock in such a position as to keep the label horizontal so the glue doesn't run off in one direction, while dabbing it off with TP, until it dries enough to put it down and let it continue drying. Anyway I like the results for the most part. Does anyone else do this with any of their pieces, and what method do they use, or do they think it marrs the look of the specimen? I guess it would depend on the piece. (I would generally put the label on the back/bottom so that it is not seen when displayed. It is more about keeping the info with the specimen. A loose label or notebook can easily be separated from the specimen or lost altogether.) But it is a bit of work which may not really be worth it in the end. I dunno. Of course not all specimens will accommodate a label easily or at all. I will only do this with the larger ones that aren't earmarked for immediate donation to science/museum but maybe it wouldn't hurt to attach labels on some of those also? I think the labels will be removable with acetone, if necessary, whether attached with white glue or Paraloid/Acryloid.

Hi! So I have been planning on adding some legs to this shelf (I use this shelf as a display because I can't afford anything better right now) because it is really short and it's not very nice to have to sit on the ground to look at your fossils. So I finally put some legs on it! It's not amazing looking and not very big and you do have to bend over a little bitt to look at the fossils up close but it will have to do. I also need some more fossils (I am saving up for a nice unprepared oreodont skull so I'm not going to be able to buy very many for the next few months). Ps. Do you like how I am lighting up the shelf ?

I was wondering what you all recommended for displaying your collection. My collection includes both rocks and fossils. One of my concerns is I have several pieces that weigh over 40 pounds so I needed something very sturdy. In addition, several of my pieces are about 16 inches in height so I need something with adjustable shelves. I prefer the style of an older looking antique bookcase. I have found many online but I am not sure if they are study enough without seeing it in person. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks!

I’ve been working on a display centred around dinosaur eggs and fossils of young dinosaurs. I’ve so far gained quite a bit and have some more fossils on the way for the display. I will work on getting photos of the individuals pieces for now I’ll leave everyone off with the whole display currently. I will update this as time goes on.

I had heard of these display options, but had yet to pony up and buy some. Found a deal on three 8 x 11's and I'm quite pleased! It was great fun to arrange the fossils in interesting patterns. I did one for my England Jurassic Coast finds, one for Florida Peace River and Venice finds and then a Texas Cretaceous Tiny Stuff. I like how they take up some nice space in my cabinet!

I bought some unprepared fossil fish and was wondering how I could display them. Also I am needing some suggestions on what to use to harden the fish and matrix around it.

I bought these brachiopods and didn't think about how they are so small that you could hardly see them when they are on dislpay in my shelf. If anyone knows how to build a magnifying display I would aprecciate it. I have know idea if this is possible but even if it's not I appreciate your responses.

Hi. Still waiting to get out and hunt. In the meantime I threw this together. It was inspired by other displays I saw on the forum. Enjoy for now can’t wait to be in a creek!

I have a questions on how to properly prep Fish fossils. I collected the attached fish from the green river formation near Kimmerer WY a few years ago. I have not done anything to the sample, I collected it, returned home and displayed it. How does one properly look for other fish in the matrix? I can see very small parts of other fish in the sample, but do not want to do anything to the sample until I get a better understanding on how to prep fish fossils. Thanks for the help