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How To Hang A Large Slab


Voltaire

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OK, so I have a large Green River fish slab and I'd like to hang it up on my wall with the others, but it is fairly large (for me, anyway). It measures 14" X 15", which isn't too bad, but it's almost an inch and a half thick, making it very heavy. With my other Green River fish I've glued picture hanger tabs to the back and hung them up on a nail. That works fine for most, but this one is way too heavy for that. I've been tempted many times to take a chisel to it and see what's underneath, but I'm afraid of damaging the fossils on top... still, I'm dying to know if there's anything good in that inch and a half.

So what's the best way of hanging something of this weight?

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That's going to take some heavy-duty hardware; something like a plate hanger on steroids. Either that, or maybe you could glue it to a piece of 5/8" plywood (cut smaller than the slab of shale) with some construction adhesive; this will provide something to screw some heavy-duty picture wire to...

"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!

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Your fasteners need to be mechanical. Do not trust this to any sort of adhesive. You could make a steel version of those brass and spring plate holders they sell. Basically it would bend around the top and bottom edges at at least four points. Then mount screw eyes or hooks to the wall by either going directly into a stud or if the studs are not in the right spot use a toggle-type anchor.

Another method would be to make a cleat and screw that to the back of the slab using tapcon screws and some construction adhesive for good measure. You then screw a matching cleat to the wall. Again into the studs or secured with toggle anchors.

This may be overkill but I hang stuff in children's museums and it has to stay up and that is how I would approach this specimen. You don't want it to fall and shatter & you don't want it to fall and maim you or anyone else.

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i often drill a blind pilot hole in the back of the slab slightly larger than the minor diameter of the intended wood screw or sheet metal screw, then thread it into the back of the slab, then wick superglue into the threads to reinforce. make a loop of aluminum picture hanging wire wrapped under the head of the screw, then hang on the wall with a heavy duty hanger rater for 100 lbs so u have a large factor of safety. works like a champ. i have a huge green river slab hanging like this at my house.

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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Thank you guys for the replies. I'm not a very good handyman, so I'm going to have to Google a lot of these terms (sad, I know).

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If the slab is cut into a rectangle, you can buy a custom metal frame on-line with appropriate hanging hardware . . . no wires required. If it's a 'baroque' slab, you can mount the slab into a metal frame by bending some welding rod. Mount the hanging hardware to a plywood rectangle mounted in the frame. Here's how I did it.

post-42-0-53635200-1354250568_thumb.jpg

The fish frame is about 27.75" x 15.5" and is no lightweight. Mounting to wall studs is the best idea.

http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page

 

What seest thou else

In the dark backward and abysm of time?

---Shakespeare, The Tempest

 

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Easier, softer way... Mount a shelf securely on the wall (studs) and set it on the shelf. You could have the names of the fossils engraved on a metal plate, attach that to the shelf and now it is a true display shelf. Don't like the color of the wall against the fossil? Tap a small nail above the center of the fossil and drape a complementary fabric in back of and below the fossil--very sharp look with the right fabric :)

Did you notice the crab plaque that 4shot made? That could potentially hold your slab as well.

Good Luck!

Bev

The more I learn, I realize the less I know.

:wacko:
 
 

Go to my

Gallery for images of Fossil Jewelry, Sculpture & Crafts
 

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and if you really want to know if there is anything else in there, take it to yourlocal hospital for an x-ray. If they have the time, they usually love to x-ray something other than broken humans. For free. Now that most x-ray machines are digital, therte is not even any cost of film to them, BUT I just did one and the new digital machine does not have a "rock" setting. With the old machine we just turned up all the knobs (sorta) but it is a bit tougher with digital. Have fun.

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I made these little channel brackets out of flat brick wall ties I had hanging around in the garage... The bottom two are fixed with 2 holes drilled and plugged into the wall that takes the weight and the top one has a slot cut into it with one screw that allows adjustment up and down and therefore clamps the top of the ripple bed in position... Seems to work very well... Some brackets like these wouldnt cost much if you know a steel worker or phone a workshop to get them made...Discreet gallery look...

post-1630-0-97000100-1354276612_thumb.jpg

Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... :)

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Bolting an L bracket to the studs and setting your slab on top of it will hold perfectly. Carefully drill holes in your slab and screw into the slab. Put a couple of brackets on top and do the same. I've hung all the fossils in my fossil room this way (except the big one) and have had no problems.

http://www.thefossil...my-fossil-room/

post-98-0-71769500-1354282541_thumb.jpg

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Harry Pristis, That is a stunning Diplomystus. What is the length of the actual fossil? Guessing from the frame size provided, it appears to be at the upper end of the size range for that creature. Large size or not it's a beautiful display.

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See

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Some good ideas here! If I ever get a slab, I know where I'm getting my guidance for a display! :)

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.
-Albert Einstein

crabes-07.gif

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Here's what they look like:

post-42-0-91777300-1354303730_thumb.jpgpost-42-0-19349200-1354303769_thumb.jpg

Here's how I did the irregular slab:

post-42-0-38672000-1354303874_thumb.jpg

I used an appropriate sized piece of plywood for a backing. I mitred some wood trim around the edges of the plywood. I covered the plywood and trim with burlap (from a fabric store) soaked in dilute white glue.

I bent two lengths of welding rod (3.2mm, but I don't remember the guage) into a "W" configuration. I bent the two ends of each "W" into hooks that fit the slab in appropriate spots. (It's easier to bend the welding rod if you wait to trim any excess length until after the bending. In any event, you'll need pliers.)

With the two W's formed and fitted and trimmed, I bound the two W's together securely with picture hanger wire. These W's don't have to be perfect, but you can make yourself a wire-bending jig with three large nails in a piece of 2X6 wood. As Chas described it, this is a plate hanger on steroids.

When the burlap was dry, I drilled a hole where I wanted the center high point of the top "W" to be, then inserted a short "J" bolt through that hole. The hook slips under the springy welding rod "W". The hook and the slab is tightened down using a washer and nut. (This is a heavy-duty installation, and other hanger devices can be mounted to the plywood.)

I like the metal frames because they come with hardware to mount to wall studs, yet they hold the frame flush to the wall. These frames also have locks which require a special key to release them from their hanging position.

http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page

 

What seest thou else

In the dark backward and abysm of time?

---Shakespeare, The Tempest

 

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  • 5 years later...
On 11/30/2012 at 12:40 AM, jpc said:

and if you really want to know if there is anything else in there, take it to yourlocal hospital for an x-ray. If they have the time, they usually love to x-ray something other than broken humans. For free. Now that most x-ray machines are digital, therte is not even any cost of film to them, BUT I just did one and the new digital machine does not have a "rock" setting. With the old machine we just turned up all the knobs (sorta) but it is a bit tougher with digital. Have fun.

Wow, that's very useful, thanks for that bit of info!

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On 11/30/2012 at 3:09 PM, Harry Pristis said:

Here's what they look like:

 

 

post-42-0-91777300-1354303730_thumb.jpgpost-42-0-19349200-1354303769_thumb.jpg

 

 

Here's how I did the irregular slab:

 

 

post-42-0-38672000-1354303874_thumb.jpg

 

 

I used an appropriate sized piece of plywood for a backing. I mitred some wood trim around the edges of the plywood. I covered the plywood and trim with burlap (from a fabric store) soaked in dilute white glue.

I bent two lengths of welding rod (3.2mm, but I don't remember the guage) into a "W" configuration. I bent the two ends of each "W" into hooks that fit the slab in appropriate spots. (It's easier to bend the welding rod if you wait to trim any excess length until after the bending. In any event, you'll need pliers.)

With the two W's formed and fitted and trimmed, I bound the two W's together securely with picture hanger wire. These W's don't have to be perfect, but you can make yourself a wire-bending jig with three large nails in a piece of 2X6 wood. As Chas described it, this is a plate hanger on steroids.

When the burlap was dry, I drilled a hole where I wanted the center high point of the top "W" to be, then inserted a short "J" bolt through that hole. The hook slips under the springy welding rod "W". The hook and the slab is tightened down using a washer and nut. (This is a heavy-duty installation, and other hanger devices can be mounted to the plywood.)

I like the metal frames because they come with hardware to mount to wall studs, yet they hold the frame flush to the wall. These frames also have locks which require a special key to release them from their hanging position.

That last picture is a wall plate hanger, isn't it? That's what I got for mine, before I realized the weight limit is.....very much too weak:(

 

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Ive been actually looking up a lot of wall hangers, and there's plenty that will show nothing but the tiny bit of metal/rubber coated metal tips that curl around from underneath the slab. I'm about to look up clear wall hangers. I forgot to look at how old this thread is. I'll let you know if I find anything better, but if this is old, I'd be interested in knowing what you went with, afterall

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