Titantothere Teeth Repair

[Ometz Vikoach]

Hi, I recently purchased some fossil titanothere teeth on eBay. I don't think the seller had ever sold or shipped a fossil before, when it arrived and I picked up the box it became immediately clear that it hadn't been packed well. When I opened it my worst fears were immediately confirmed. Lying there in a single piece of bubble wrap was my fossil in pieces . I'm hoping to repair it and I was thinking of using some plaster and paint certain parts black to repair it but people here are much more experienced than me and usually have better ideas then I do.

 

Here are some photos:

Edited October 16, 2016 by Ometz Vikoach
Adding Photos

[Troodon]

Sorry that happened

I would use a Cyanoacrylate glue to bond the pieces together and use something like Durham rock hard water putty to fill the cracks.  It let's you work the fill.   I'm not an expert but would stay away from plaster, hardens too quickly.

 

[Ometz Vikoach]

Thanks for you're advice Troodon.

Also here is what is looked like before it broke.

photos:

 

 

[Fruitbat]

How well do the pieces fit back together?  If they fit reasonably well (there is enough contact), I agree with troodon. Cyanoacrylate adhesives ('Super Glue') work well as long as there is enough contact between the pieces you're trying to join together.  Otherwise, I've had some success doing repairs with 'epoxy' type glues.

 

-Joe

[Ometz Vikoach]

4 minutes ago, Fruitbat said:

How well do the pieces fit back together?  If they fit reasonably well (there is enough contact), I agree with troodon. Cyanoacrylate adhesives ('Super Glue') work well as long as there is enough contact between the pieces you're trying to join together.  Otherwise, I've had some success doing repairs with 'epoxy' type glues.

 

-Joe

Thanks for replying Joe and Troodon, It's a bit different with each of the pieces. The two biggest chunks contain most of the teeth. One of them had one tooth (the biggest) and the other one has the two smaller ones. The two chunks fit together okay but there is some space in between them in some places and I think that in order to perfectly align them I'll need to hold them up in the air. The medium chunck fits a little less well because it seems like there is some missing but I can definitely tell where it fits in. With the small fragments which contain some of the smallest tooth I can tell where one of them fits in but the rest I can't really and even so a little bit of it is to far gone and I think I'll have to fully remold/remodel (whatever the right word is) it. I'm curious also what material I should use for that part and then maybe if should paint it black a little bit?

[RJB]

Hey ometz.  When I have to repair/rebuild/fill cracks, I usually use a 2 part putty and try to get it close the the color I want before I start applying.  You can get powdered colorants at any store that sells bricks, paving stones, cinder block and shales.  I wish the best of luck

 

RB

[Ometz Vikoach]

Thanks for that response. I'll try you're suggestions and I'll post updates here. It might be a little bit before the first one though because I have to go buy all this stuff.

[Ptychodus04]

Apoxie Sculpt is a great 2 part product. It accepts a plethora of dry colorants and is easy to work with. Just knead equal parts together well. Then add color and continue to knead. once the color is where you want it, you can let it sit for 20 minutes and it will have a modeling clay-like texture. If you start applying right away, it is much softer. You have about 2 hours of working time. Apoxie Sculpt can be smoothed with a wet finger (I wear latex gloves to reduce fingerprints) before it is set. Otherwise, it can be sanded when set.

 

You can also use a thicker super glue gel if the cracks fit close but not perfectly.

[Ridgehiker]

It depends what your goal is.  A scientific specimen or a nice piece of artwork?

 

In the lab we would always do the reverse...make sure that any restoration is NOT blended in. Real fossil is always ditinguished from repair.

 

Also, even when a piece is artwork, I prefer the specimen when it shows the restoration.  It adds a more museum feel to it.  I have Titanothere jaw sections collected back in the 1980s and pieced them together using white plaster. I prefer the 'as is' look to the artificial look of trying to make restored bits and repairs  look 'real'.

 

 

 

 

[Ptychodus04]

I may have given the wrong impression. I don't support coloring the restoration to the point that it can't be identified when inspected. I color the restoration so it is not obvious to the casual viewer but clear to the keen observer.

[Ridgehiker]

10 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said:

I may have given the wrong impression. I don't support coloring the restoration to the point that it can't be identified when inspected. I color the restoration so it is not obvious to the casual viewer but clear to the keen observer.

 

There's nothing wrong with colour restoration on something like a 

Titanothere section or similar common fossils.  Nothing is being lost to the scientific community. I just prefer that my personal museum has a Victorian museum look to it and not a gift shop feel.

 

re colouring and restoration.  If done, it needs to be done right. Incorrect colour match up or poor sculpture work makes a specimen look funny (like the Moroccan Mosasaur jaws).

[Ometz Vikoach]

Wow thanks for all the replies guys. The first thing I'm going to do is try to get the main two chunks back together, speaking of which the seller got back to me and when I told him I wanted to try and repair it he recommended a site called paleobond now that does seem like a good site to try out to get some of the things needed especially since it is mentioned in other threads in this part of the forum, but there are a lot of different options and I'm not sure what is best for me, could you guys recommend specific ones? also once I do start repairing it I would like to start posting updates here in this thread.

 

I only really intend for this fossil to be used to start conversations with guests at my house, I very much enjoy learning about prehistoric animals (especially mammals) and then talking about it to other people and I find people are more interested in talking about said animals if they can see examples in front of them. I would like for people to be able to tell what the repair is maybe by a slight difference in color on the black parts of the teeth and for the glue and/or epoxy I used to put the pieces back together to be visible but I still want it to look good an mostly like the original.

[Ptychodus04]

Paleobond is great. Many of us use it for our repairs. The penetrant and stabilizer gets deep into the bone but be careful as it is about as thick as water and spreads out as easily!

 

It is great for breaks that fit perfectly together. For the not so perfect, I apply the stabilizer to each piece and allow to set. Then, I use the thick stuff for the bond. Thick by itself will often only create a weak surface bond that will separate from the bone.

[Ometz Vikoach]

Hey thanks again to everybody who responded, I have ordered a starter kit from paleobond so I'll be able to start repairing it.

 

In the meanwhile here's a couple pictures of my new Woolly rhinoceros tooth, In one it's leaning on my mouse for stability purposes.

[Doctor Mud]

Good luck with the repair.

 

Just curious if you mentioned it to the seller that it wasn't packed well and was damaged.

If it was me in your situation I would politely point out that my fossil arrived in bad shape and see if they might offer to make things right.

 

I once received a $1500 meg from a well known seller wrapped in one layer of bubble wrap in a flimsy cardboard box. Everything was falling out the box when I recieved it. I was shocked.

 

[Barby]

Disappointing to get a broken item! I take pictures immediately, next to a newspaper with a visible date to send to the seller--it does help to establish the need for a resolution.

Titanothere teeth are really brittle, especially the roots; i've found the PALEO BOND PB 100X  adhesive to be the best for all my fossil repair--it adheres in 20 seconds.It does not need the activator, but you can use it if you want. Watch your fingers!

For repairs to  both the enamel and the roots, PALEO BOND Paleo Sculp Resin with the P.B. hardener work great.  If the root is beyond repair--( usually is!), I drill a small hole in the underside of the tooth, glue in a piece of stiff wire, then secure it with a bit of Paleo Sculp. when that dries hard, then I have a secure base on which to restore the missing root.

[Barby]

Hi!

I know what you mean about the shattered titanothere tooth-- the roots are especially bad. I've repaired many of them, and have had pretty good success ,learned following some pretty pathetic attempts. 

Here's what I do: clean (no grit or shards) off all pieces to be assembled, and assemble them on a surface in the order that you're going to put them together.I put my larger, more obvious fits together first . I use PaleoBond 100X glue on one surface , and lightly spray PaleoBond accelerator lightly onto the other surface. (make sure you're lined up exactly, as the 2 pieces will bond instantly.Then, there are always the small shards of with  enamel--you can see where they go, but you can't fit them in. If you put these shards in place before you attach the larger pieces, the larger ones won't go together nicely. I use a diamond bit on my Dremel to "shave" the smaller pieces just enough to insert them for a good fit.

The roots are really crumbly, and hard to work with.I always try to get a couple of good pictures of titanothere teeth with roots intact to use as a guide--( find the correct tooth,upper or lower.)

You will notice a bit of variation in the roots of identical teeth...take your pick.

I assemble as much of the root pieces as possible,  but hardly ever get a good representation. To work with what I do have, I drill a tiny hole in the underside of the tooth, insert a piece of stiff wire, apply glue and accelerator to hold it in position.

For reconstructing the roots, and for repairing the enamel, I use PaleoSculp resin and hardener. You can get it in colors ,which you can mix to the right shade, or you can add your own acrylic paint.With the roots,I find they look best if I just model a rough shape with an eye toward what I want it to look like, and insert the salvageable root pieces in the appropriate areas.

I never use plaster-- useless and messy for fossil repair. Durham's Rockhard is fine for filling large gaps, as it doesn't crack or shrink--but it is no good for reconstruction--PaleoBond is manufactured just for fossil work.

Hope this helps!

Barby