32fordboy Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 So the psittacosaurus mount has finally started. Due to the interest in the project, I am documenting how it is being done. First, a few things I've noticed about the skeleton. 1. Three neck verts and three basal tail verts are missing (many in the photo are from other animals and won't work for this project)-I have left room in the mount to add these verts (real or fake) later if I want. 2. Most of the ribs are composites and fit the skeleton horribly, so I might just use cast ribs on the dino. 3. This animal is missing one or two fingers per hand (depending on who you ask) and maybe missing one toe per foot. 4. The spinal sections are from the same animal. 5. If any of the bones were carved from other bones, it would be the claws. 6. One of the femurs got snapped, and there were crystals inside! Okay, so here are the steps. 1. I used the drawing in the supplied link (thanks to ebrocklds) to lay out the skeleton in a neat pose. One thing I had to consider was the curvature of the spine as fossilized. Here's the link: http://www.skeletaldrawing.com/psgallery/gallery.htm 2. Next I drew the layout on a piece of paper using measurements from the bones being used. Various references must be used to ensure accurate bone placement (which I will not guarantee on this little guy-since I have NO clue what I'm doing). 3. Next I had to decide what size of steel rod I wanted to use. The biggest thing to consider here is the weight of the skeleton. I chose to use 1/4" rod for the back and the leg that will mount into the base. For the tail, arms, and leg that is lifted, I am using 1/8" steel rod. There is really no reason to go any bigger here. 4. Using both the paper guide and the bones themselves, I bent and cut the metal as needed. 5. My little brother is a great welder and offered to do the job. So there we have it for now. Petrefied wood would make a nice base to set it on, but I'm not sure about finding the right piece. Pics attached and don't be surprised if it takes a while to get this updated. Nick www.nicksfossils.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irradiatus Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 truly truly fascinating. I look forward to following your work! "The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be. " - Douglas Adams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 You've got some work ahead of you. It will be very interesting to watch the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Thanks..... Id like to get my teeth stuck into something like that.......It will be great to see your progress.... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrocklds Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 nick, looking good. might i suggest that oyu bend the steel for the legs and arms to cradle the long bones. when you attach them they will be much more secure. it is a bit tedious but well worth it. also i would aquire the missing verts before you mount anyting . you would be surprised how easily they won't fit after the fact. i have tried to replace cast bones later and almost always have to redo that section of the mount. and finally keep in mind that the skull is pretty heavy and far from the single mounting leg post. it is likely that its weight will slowly bend the mount over without any other supports or larger steel. ( a support post under the chest hidden behind the arms is a good and unobtrusive way to remedy this) keep us posted Brock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32fordboy Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 I am getting the rods to hug the bones as closely as possible, and then to mount the bones to it,-I saw a pretty neat way of doing it that makes the bones removable and repositionable. As far as the skull weight goes, one of his arms will be touching the ground to support the torque at the leg-joint-rod. Nick www.nicksfossils.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32fordboy Posted August 2, 2009 Author Share Posted August 2, 2009 Here's a quick update. Right now the backbones are being test fitted. It's really difficult to get the bones to hug the frame and the process still isn't over. The wire-coil-clips seem to work pretty well for holding the bones and allow the bones to be removed and repositioned at will. All input is greatly appreciated. Nick www.nicksfossils.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32fordboy Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 Here's the final update. The only thing that needs to be done is the addition of "thumbs". Once the main frame was completed, a rest was made for the skull. Unfortunately, he looked weird with his hand on the ground, so a large metal rod had to be used to support the skeleton's weight. After the whole assembly was done, the bones were all test fitted. Once satisfactory (enough for me, anyway), the frame was painted grayish tan. The tan matches the bones well, and gray is a good camoflauge against any background (ever notice how fighter jets are gray?). Finally, everything went together. One of the femurs was left open to show the crystals inside. The wire clips were a neat idea, but are difficult to set up properly, so hot glue was used to hold the smaller bones. I'm not sure if hot glue is acceptable, but it's fossil-safe (at least for this guy), it's reversable, it's clean, and it's quick. When all is said and done, I think next time it would be a good idea to get the larger rods formed to the fossil better, as ebrocklds mentioned. I'd like to thank ebrocklds for all the help! Nick www.nicksfossils.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brachiomyback Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 :applause: Looks awesome Nick!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fig rocks Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Nice job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 I like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32fordboy Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 Thanks for the compliments! I might sell him and try to find a better one, but I'm not sure yet... Nick www.nicksfossils.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrocklds Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 that turned out very nice. i like the overall pose. the only things i would have done differently are minimal, 1- mount the head a bit closer to the first cervical, and i would have done the frame flat black. i have seen many dinosaurs where they have tryied to match the bone color and it distracts fromteh original fossils. your brain seems to automatically ignore balck and non shiney things. that is the way i do everything now. again great job. Brock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32fordboy Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 Thanks! I left the open space for some verts if I ever get around to making them. I'm feeling lazy now that the hard part is over Nick www.nicksfossils.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boogra Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Thanks! I left the open space for some verts if I ever get around to making them. I'm feeling lazy now that the hard part is over Nick Beautiful. That would make a nice piece for an office, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron E. Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Absolutely stunning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Great job! It was nice to watch the process. I'm very interested in doing one of these myself some day. Any fossil animal. When I first joined the forum I was very optimistic but unfortunately financial reality is putting this endeavor on hold for some years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now