Oreodont Stand

[Sagebrush Steve]

I've been working on a stand for the Oreodont skull I picked up at the Tucson Fossil Show.  This one is an "antique" fossil that was dug back in the 1920s.  I wanted a simple stand with a wooden base and a way to raise the skull up off the stand.  I also wanted the mount to be as unobtrusive as possible so I didn't have wires sticking out all over the place.  And I didn't want to damage the skull in any way.  After trying several approaches I settled on this one using some red oak I had left over after building my fossil storage cabinet and some brass wire and bar I picked up at the local OSH hardware store for a few dollars.  Here's what the finished stand looks like (I still need to make the final label):

 

Here's what the stand looks like with the skull removed.  The wires are formed so that the skull is held in place without slipping while still allowing it to be easily removed.  I soldered them in place using Sn96 solder, a low-temperature solder that is reasonably strong.  I'm sure you could also use epoxy.  The vertical posts are brass tubing. I machined plugs to hold the bar to the posts and soldered everything together.  Again, you could use epoxy.

 

 

Looking from the underside, here's an overall view of how everything fits:

 

And here's what the underside looks like from the front.  The wires supporting the palate also prevent the skull from rotating or sliding around on its own.  I also decided to use some museum wax to further secure it.  End result is a stand that does a good job of holding the skull while still allowing it to be easily removed, looks reasonably nice, and should be stable enough to survive our typical California earthquakes.

 

[Kane]

That's some very good MacGyvering there! Your choice of the red oak seems to complement this piece quite well, too. Fantastic work.  

[snolly50]

Outstanding! It does a great piece justice in the presentation, and is attractive on its own.

[Troodon]

Very nice like the presentation.   I like the way you anchor the skull to the stand.

[caldigger]

Reading your thread, I was envisioning exactly what you had concocted. Great minds must think alike.

[ynot]

Nice!

[Phevo]

Very well executed

[Sagebrush Steve]

1 hour ago, caldigger said:

Reading your thread, I was envisioning exactly what you had concocted. Great minds must think alike.

Ha, ha, that’s not a status I’m often associated with.  Thanks for the compliment.

[Ptychodus04]

@Sagebrush Steve that is a beautiful stand! Well done.

[Peat Burns]

That looks great!  I love the vintage "Victorian" look that it has.  Well done.

[SULLY]

Beautiful job! That looks great!

[RJB]

Great job man!

 

RB