Ugh....

[Bone guy]

56 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said:

The pen tip may clog with rock dust. You may have to clean it off regularly but that’s not the end of the world.

It's already a given that I have to clean it off because if I don't the excess glue will clog the bottle. So far it's working nicely, this glue is extremely thin so it bonds the small pieces together without much of a trace. I will just have to wait until it dries to see how it holds up. I will probably need a bigger bottle to glue the big crack back together lol. 

[caldigger]

I don't know buddy, it doesn't mention "Fossil Matrix". 

[Sagebrush Steve]

2 minutes ago, caldigger said:

I don't know buddy, it doesn't mention "Fossil Matrix". 

“And More!” Is the Greek phrase for “Fossil Matrix.” 

[Bone guy]

Just now, Sagebrush Steve said:

“And More!” Is the Greek phrase for “Fossil Matrix.” 

It's also the Greek phrase for skin haha

[Sagebrush Steve]

1 minute ago, Bone guy said:

It's also the Greek phrase for skin haha

As I recall, super glue was originally invented as a replacement for surgical stitches, which is why it sticks so well to skin.  Don’t know why it isn’t used that way.  Or maybe that’s just an old husband’s tale.

[Walt]

5 minutes ago, Sagebrush Steve said:

As I recall, super glue was originally invented as a replacement for surgical stitches, which is why it sticks so well to skin.  Don’t know why it isn’t used that way.  Or maybe that’s just an old husband’s tale.

because using it for stitches is not as profitable as selling it to someone like me who buys a bottle, uses it one time, and forgets where he put it so he goes and buys another one! 

[caldigger]

1 hour ago, Walt said:

because using it for stitches is not as profitable as selling it to someone like me who buys a bottle, uses it one time, and forgets where he put it so he goes and buys another one! 

Or it is hardened in the tip rendering it useless the next time you need it.

[Ptychodus04]

1 hour ago, Sagebrush Steve said:

As I recall, super glue was originally invented as a replacement for surgical stitches, which is why it sticks so well to skin.  Don’t know why it isn’t used that way.  Or maybe that’s just an old husband’s tale.

It was originally developed as part of an attempt to make clear gun sights in WWII. It didn’t work for that but stuck to everything so it was ignored for several years.

 

 

The explanation of why not use it for med purposes anymore is the fact that it can be toxic. There is a variety that is safe for med use.

 

It bonds to skin well because it uses trace amounts of moisture to catalyze the monomers. Your body has just the right amount of moisture for an instant bond.

 

This is why some fossils don’t bond well with it, they are too dry. Bones preserved with gypsum are really bad (I learned this prepping my Woodbine birds). 

[Bone guy]

I finished gluing back together the large section that broke off in the crack. The glue is holding but I won't test it...

 

Next I attached the chunk to one side of the broken heliobatis. I'm keeping the two pieces closely together with simple store bought clay. 

[Bone guy]

It's another day, and another step closer to this guy being fixed (it's a male because of the claspers ). I'm at the stage where I'm going to glue the two big pieces together. I have a clamp ready. 

 

I took a photo photo of the crack. I have the two pieces as snug as I could possibly get them, but there still is a visible crack. @Ptychodus04, is there any way I could make the crack less noticeable? 

[Ptychodus04]

5 minutes ago, Bone guy said:

It's another day, and another step closer to this guy being fixed (it's a male because of the claspers ). I'm at the stage where I'm going to glue the two big pieces together. I have a clamp ready. 

 

I took a photo photo of the crack. I have the two pieces as snug as I could possibly get them, but there still is a visible crack. @Ptychodus04, is there any way I could make the crack less noticeable? 

If you can get a good grip with your clamps, you can make a lot of that crack disappear. It’s not the cleanest crack. You will still see it but a bit of Apoxie Sculpt and some acrylic paint will make it go away completely.

[Bone guy]

12 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said:

If you can get a good grip with your clamps, you can make a lot of that crack disappear. It’s not the cleanest crack. You will still see it but a bit of Apoxie Sculpt and some acrylic paint will make it go away completely.

I can do that. Would you recommend making a paste with ground up matrix and glue? Just to fill in the bigger areas. 

[Ptychodus04]

42 minutes ago, Bone guy said:

I can do that. Would you recommend making a paste with ground up matrix and glue? Just to fill in the bigger areas. 

Yes, I like to use my consolidation mix for that. I’ll pulverize the matrix and pack the dust into the crack. Then, I dribble little drops of VERY thin mix onto it. Sometimes I’ll cut my 50:1 mix with another full part acetone to give a 100:1 ratio. This really soaks in easily. When that fully dries, repeat the process until you level out the crack. Once it is completely dry, give it a bit of a brushing with a grout brush or some other medium stiff brush. This will smooth out the repair and lighten it back up to the original color.

 

[Bone guy]

30 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said:

Yes, I like to use my consolidation mix for that. I’ll pulverize the matrix and pack the dust into the crack. Then, I dribble little drops of VERY thin mix onto it. Sometimes I’ll cut my 50:1 mix with another full part acetone to give a 100:1 ratio. This really soaks in easily. When that fully dries, repeat the process until you level out the crack. Once it is completely dry, give it a bit of a brushing with a grout brush or some other medium stiff brush. This will smooth out the repair and lighten it back up to the original color.

On second thought I don't think I want to do this. I'd be to afraid of ruining the whole piece, plus I want to keep it as natural and unrestored but as possible. I can live with the extra crack it kind of gives it a natural feel.

 

Im on to the clamping process. First I placed a paper towel down before I began gluing (I would hate to inadvertently glue this thing to my mom's decades old dining room table...). Glue was lathered to both sides of the crack to get the most coverage possible. After joining the two pieces together I secured them with a clamp, making the crack set securely. Now I will just wait. 

 

My next step will be placing a few more bits and pieces back into their rightful spots. 

[Ptychodus04]

Perfect. Leave it clamped for at least 36 hours. I typically leave mine for around 3 days for cyanoacrylate. It may set fast but the cure takes a bit of time.

 

As a side note, the GRF fish I’m prepping for @holdinghistory sat clamped for 2 weeks when I mounted it to its plywood backing.

[Bone guy]

 

7 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said:

Perfect. Leave it clamped for at least 36 hours. I typically leave mine for around 3 days for cyanoacrylate. It may set fast but the cure takes a bit of time.

 

As a side note, the GRF fish I’m prepping for @holdinghistory sat clamped for 2 weeks when I mounted it to its plywood backing.

Thank goodness you told me this, I took the clamp off this afternoon thinking it was dry. I just put it back on though so it's all good now.  The only thing I may need guidance on is the application of the apoxie sculpt which hopefully won't be too difficult.

 

thats crazy, it took two weeks for the fish to set to the plywood? Was it cyanoacrylate you were using or something else? 

[Ptychodus04]

11 hours ago, Bone guy said:

 

Thank goodness you told me this, I took the clamp off this afternoon thinking it was dry. I just put it back on though so it's all good now.  The only thing I may need guidance on is the application of the apoxie sculpt which hopefully won't be too difficult.

 

thats crazy, it took two weeks for the fish to set to the plywood? Was it cyanoacrylate you were using or something else? 

The Apoxie Sculpt is easy.  Holler when you’re ready. The fish was set using silicone adhesive. It typically takes a few hours to set and a thin layer takes a few days to fully cure (in my opinion). Since this was a large application, and I was trying to stop a crack that threatened to break the whole slab in 2, I wanted it to sit as long as possible without the ability to flex.

[RJB]

Wow!  This is a very interesting thread!!!   Wish you the very best of luck and looks like youve got a lot of some purty dang good help.  Would love to see this when its done.

 

RB

[Bone guy]

13 hours ago, RJB said:

Wow!  This is a very interesting thread!!!   Wish you the very best of luck and looks like youve got a lot of some purty dang good help.  Would love to see this when its done.

 

RB

Thanks Ron! I'm happy you find this thread informative. And I'm forever greatful for the help I've received from this forum. This is only the second prep project I've ever tackled (many more to come) so I definatly needed the help lol! 

 

On 8/5/2018 at 8:54 AM, Ptychodus04 said:

The Apoxie Sculpt is easy.  Holler when you’re ready. The fish was set using silicone adhesive. It typically takes a few hours to set and a thin layer takes a few days to fully cure (in my opinion). Since this was a large application, and I was trying to stop a crack that threatened to break the whole slab in 2, I wanted it to sit as long as possible without the ability to flex.

It's been atleast 48 hours since I clamped the piece. My next step will be relocating small bits and pieces into their rightful positions. I attached a picture I have taken this morning. My only question right now is should I be afraid to pick up and handle the piece? I would hate to have to do this whole gluing process over again.  

 

P.s I am now once again planning to make a paste with ground up matrix and glue to fill in large voids. The only thing I want to avoid is paint, I feel like the coolness of this specimen comes from the 0.000 restoration (no paint anywhere).

[Ptychodus04]

You should be able to handle it normally now. Just don't drop it.

 

Without painting the repairs with the bone color, I don't know that you are any better off by filling the cracks. You will still have an obvious area of repair.

[Bone guy]

8 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said:

You should be able to handle it normally now. Just don't drop it.

 

Without painting the repairs with the bone color, I don't know that you are any better off by filling the cracks. You will still have an obvious area of repair.

You're right about that. 

 

Ive been looking at different options of epoxy sculpt (yes color is important, I would not want a pink stingray )

 

Would you recommend this brand? It's a two part mixture, all together you get one pound of sculpt (which I'm not sure is enough), plus the color is light gray. 

[Ptychodus04]

@Bone guy That is the brand I use. I think you should go with the pink.

 

If you order white and brown, you can mix them and get a color that is VERY close to the matrix. If your glue joints are very solid, the epoxy may not even be needed for support.

[Bone guy]

25 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said:

@Bone guy That is the brand I use. I think you should go with the pink.

 

If you order white and brown, you can mix them and get a color that is VERY close to the matrix. If your glue joints are very solid, the epoxy may not even be needed for support.

I feel like the crack is pretty solid. It's been sitting on my display stand for atleast a day and nothing has happened...yet . But I'm not sure how I would test the solidness of the glue without breakage. 

 

I attached a picture of the rear of the fossil so you can see the rest of the fracture. Do you think it's strong enough to not require epoxy? 

[Ptychodus04]

4 hours ago, Bone guy said:

I feel like the crack is pretty solid. It's been sitting on my display stand for atleast a day and nothing has happened...yet . But I'm not sure how I would test the solidness of the glue without breakage. 

 

I attached a picture of the rear of the fossil so you can see the rest of the fracture. Do you think it's strong enough to not require epoxy? 

I would add a bit of glue to the crack on th back and call it good. I think your slab is thick enough to support itself. If you ever decide to ship it, the support would help then.

[Bone guy]

37 minutes ago, Ptychodus04 said:

I would add a bit of glue to the crack on th back and call it good. I think your slab is thick enough to support itself. If you ever decide to ship it, the support would help then.

Ok sounds good to me. This guy is sticking with me so it won't be getting shipped anytime soon