Ramo Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 I have not been very frequent on here lately, so I thought I'd post a little something to let the old timers on here know I'm still around. First let me say I'm no professional when it comes to prep. If I found something completely crazy cool and in need of a professional I would send it there. However cool something is to me, most of the time there are bunches of these in museums already so I don't think I am causing any dis-service to science by trying my hand a prepping these myself. That said, I do my best, and take lots of pictures along the way. I figure it is better prepped by myself (however poorly) than crumbling in one of my drawers of my shop. The following are a few pictures of a fish (Pentanogmius) my wife found two summers ago, and I finally got prepped this summer. A large section of a chalk pyramid had collapsed, and this fish was found in the debris pile. Much of it had already weathered away. We picked it up in pieces and brought it home. I prepared a box to mount it in, and set the bones in plaster. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted February 8, 2017 Author Share Posted February 8, 2017 Here is a detail photo of the head and fin that sticks out in 3-D. The parasphenoid bones are all in place, but much of the skull is missing unfortunately. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted February 8, 2017 Author Share Posted February 8, 2017 Here I have started removing chalk down to the bone that was set in the plaster. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted February 8, 2017 Author Share Posted February 8, 2017 More of the head and pectoral fin exposed. The fin was tough, because it is so fragile, and sticks out from the body of the fish. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted February 8, 2017 Author Share Posted February 8, 2017 Here is the project with all the chalk removed with the exception of some below the fin to allow support. What you see here is just bone and plaster pretty much. Next step is to paint in the missing parts. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted February 8, 2017 Author Share Posted February 8, 2017 Here it is with the missing pieces added. There is a little "Artistic license" used for the missing stuff. I guess this could almost be listed in Paleo-reproductions! I wish the entire fish was here, but it's not. I feel that adding the missing parts gives this fossil the "wow-factor" it deserves. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 1 Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted February 8, 2017 Author Share Posted February 8, 2017 Here it is with a frame. It makes a lot better display than the pile of broken up chalk it was found in. I know it isn't near as good as if I had a pro fix it, but I'm happy with it. I used to be afraid to do much prep at all, worrying that I would destroy some priceless fossil. Over the years, I have decided that I like fossils much better looking like this, than sitting in a drawer. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 Looks good,Your Wife should be very happy! Tony Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted February 8, 2017 Author Share Posted February 8, 2017 I guess I should note, that there is no paint on the bone at all. Just PaleoBond glue to seal and protect the bones from moisture. The addition of the glue makes the bone appear darker, and it sticks out more. I took some plaster and chalk dust mixture and used a sponge around to fossil to give the plaster a more "chalk-like" appearance. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 Nice work. I have a special place in my paleo heart for Pentanogmius. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 Well done, Ramo! Looks great. Thanks for posting the process, here. Regards, Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 looks great! It displays quite nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castle Rock Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 That is an AMAZING transformation and you have, yet again, proven yourself to be quite the "paleo-artist"! Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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