How do you hang or mount huge fossils on your walls/cabinets?

[-Andy-]

Hello everyone, I recently acquired a monstrously huge Mosasaurus beaugei skull which I would like to display in my house

 

The skull measures 170 cm / 67" and weights 85 kg /187 lbs

 

Does anyone have similar fossils which they mounted on their walls, or displayed in their cabinets?

 

Thank you.

[DPS Ammonite]

First you need hardware to mount the fossil. Talk to a member that is a blacksmith:  @Ptychodus04 .

 

Then you have to attach it to your wall. Do your walls have wood studs in them? If so you will have to attach the hardware into the studs with wood or deck screws.

 

 

[Ptychodus04]

@-Andy- I’ve mounted “largeish” specimens on the wall using steel rods shaped like an elongated “C” spanning the specimen vertically and welded to a horizontal bar. You can then use clips screwed into the wall studs or a french cleat to hang the specimen. For cabinet or floor display, I use steel rods shaped like a “J” welded to a base of plate steel to make a stand that the specimen rests on.

 

Both scenarios require a custom fabrication. Thankfully, as @DPS Ammonite noted, I’m also a blacksmith so, fabricating steel structures is relatively easy.

[-Andy-]

1 minute ago, Ptychodus04 said:

@-Andy- I’ve mounted “largeish” specimens on the wall using steel rods shaped like an elongated “C” spanning the specimen vertically and welded to a horizontal bar. You can then use clips screwed into the wall studs or a french cleat to hang the specimen. For cabinet or floor display, I use steel rods shaped like a “J” welded to a base of plate steel to make a stand that the specimen rests on.

 

Both scenarios require a custom fabrication. Thankfully, as @DPS Ammonite noted, I’m also a blacksmith so, fabricating steel structures is relatively easy.

 

Thanks for the info! Regarding cabinet or floor display, is this the type of metal stand you are referring to?

[Troodon]

Andy I have a very heavy Ankylosaurus tail club and wanted to mount it on a wall.  Decided against it just too risky to insure that I had the proper wall support.   I had someone build me an armature with a cabinet mount like you show in green.  It's the safest way to display your specimen.  

[hadrosauridae]

First, you need to figure out HOW you want it displayed.  If you want to have on a stand, its going to have to be a substantial stand for 187 pounds! If you want to hang it on a wall, first you will have to install a mounting board, which MUST be secured to the wall studs.  I dont know the building codes where you are, but you should be able to mount to at least 3 studs to distribute the weight.  The mounting board can have the large, steel "C" holders to support the fossil.  I would also suggest 3 or 4 holders to distribute the pressures.

[-Andy-]

2 hours ago, Troodon said:

Andy I have a very heavy Ankylosaurus tail club and wanted to mount it on a wall.  Decided against it just too risky to insure that I had the proper wall support.   I had someone build me an armature with a cabinet mount like you show in green.  It's the safest way to display your specimen.  

Hi Frank, may I see a photo of your Ankylosaurus tail club on its stand?

 

Can I also check how much it weights roughly?

[Troodon]

I'll have to take a photo of the base the best I can, will do it shortly   It has to be around +75 pounds, not near yours.  I would suggest given the weight of yours it should have at least two legs to the base not one.  Better balance and support.

[vietnamfossil]

Congrats with your new item! It wonderful . For the mound I think you should contact some metal workshop which they can do like your offer and need to stay in that place to follow them. For stand and also for wall mounted. But heavy item like this it should be better in the stand .

 

 

[Troodon]

The stand is two pieces. The base  is 12" x 27" with 3 upright posts (1/2" dia).  

 

 

 

 

The armature is made to fit the club and sits over the base struts with a locking bolt.

 

 

 

 

Its very rigid and not tipsy.  Let me know if you would like to see more

[Ptychodus04]

@-Andy- the stand you showed is along the same line as I was describing.

 

Using steel as your support structure, one would be surprised by how small you can go to support the weight. 200 pounds is nothing for a mount with a couple of smallish steel rods as vertical support and a modest horizontal brace.

[-Andy-]

1 minute ago, Troodon said:

The stand is two pieces. The base  is 12" x 27" with 3 upright posts (1/2" dia).  

 

The armature is made to fit the club and sits over the base struts with a locking bolt.

 

Its very rigid and not tipsy.  Let me know if you would like to see more

 

Thanks for the clear pics Frank! I will show this to metal workshop or factory, and specifically request for something larger, with 2 or 3 legs to support my much heavier fossil

[jpc]

where is @Xiphactinus?  He hasn't been here since June 2020.  He has a full sized Xiphactinus mounted on his basement wall.  

 

[Xiphactinus]

On 10/14/2022 at 10:16 AM, jpc said:

where is @Xiphactinus?  He hasn't been here since June 2020.  He has a full sized Xiphactinus mounted on his basement wall.  

 

Hello! Haven't been on the site for a while. Been following on Facebook and busy identifying fossil dinosaur eggs.

 

To hang the big X-fish....

• Have a very sturdy wall - I put metal brackets on the back side of the wall where the wall joists connect to the header.
• Make sure you bolt THROUGH those reinforced joists.
• I used concrete anchor bolts. The angled part of the bolt cradles the fossil and the threaded part gets bolted.
• I attached the fossil to 3/4" plywood with construction adhesive, screws through the back of the plywood into the fossil backing and then the anchor bolts.

So far so good. Several years hanging without a loud crash!

[Styles]

“How do you mount huge fossils on your walls”

 

…unfortunately not a problem I have yet :-(