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UPDATE 3/9/19 - Basilosaurus reconstruction/repair/restoration - DIY


fossilized6s

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I purchased a unsightly Franken-Basilosaurus tooth a few weeks ago for pretty cheap. Seeing as though i don't have $400-700+ to spend on a nice basilosaurus tooth i saw potential and a fun project in this cheap ugly duckling. Yes, it's Moroccan. 

 

It came with the typical glue/sand mix covering it, filling all cracks, voids and roughing out transitions of deceptive franken composites.

 

How it came:

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Ok, first things first. Clean it. I used acetone, a razor, a needle, a tooth brush and my engraver.

 

Hours of delicate work later i finally see what i'm working with. 

 

After cleaning:

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Yeesh, this might be more work than i thought......

 

And someone composited a incisor or canine tooth tip on the top of my premolar!! Bwahahaha!! 

 

Ok, composites need to go. Bye, bye

 

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Next i noticed this was not lined up correctly when it was glued back together. So i grab my trusty dremel tool and proceed to carefully saw this baby in half. Then i removed most of the epoxy/sand glue from each side. 

 

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Continued.........

  • I found this Informative 2

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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Next i grabbed my favorite fossil reconstruction epoxy, Magic Sculpt. I added just enough to hold both sides in place and let that fully cure.

 

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Next sculpting. Magic Sculpt is a two part epoxy that you mix together in even ratios. It will start to firm up in about 15-20 minutes, so you need to work kinda fast. And if you don't have enough time, just work in sections. It also takes about 4-5 hours to cure. Magic Sculpt can be smoothed out using water for an almost seamless transition. It also sands very well when fully cured. I tend to sand mine for a smooth uniform look. 

 

If you noticed, i added some cracks and imperfections to add to the "character". Too perfect is a big no no in reconstruction (in my opinion). 

 

Also when sculpting make sure to look at ALL of your angles to make sure everything is lining up and looking proportional. 

 

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Continued.......

  • I found this Informative 6

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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I'm enjoying this reconstruction :popcorn:

 

You should reconstruct another basilosaur tooth using that composite part you took out!

If you're a fossil nut from Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Redondo Beach, or Torrance, feel free to shoot me a PM!

 

 

Mosasaurus_hoffmannii_skull_schematic.png

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Lastly, the paint. I tried as best i could given my colorblindness. Looks ok in my eyes. Lol

 

I finished it off with a gloss acrylic clear coat you can purchase at any craft store. 

 

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Hopefully you guys got some good hints and inspiration to try this yourself. Thanks for looking. 

  • I found this Informative 11

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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12 minutes ago, Macrophyseter said:

I'm enjoying this reconstruction :popcorn:

 

You should reconstruct another basilosaur tooth using that composite part you took out!

 

Haha, that would be more epoxy than tooth! Lol

 

I think i'll give it to my son for his collection. He loves his sea monsters. 

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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Fantastic job, nicely sculpted and you have  matched the colour and texture   . Congratulations 

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That is an amazing job, it is very hard to tell its been restored which is a credit in it's self.

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You are truly an artist, Charlie! :blink:

This is professional work. :) 

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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Very well done you have a pretty good skill set.  Like that you included the tiny black wear facet in the tip.:dinothumb:

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Wow! If somebody showed this to me as an unrestored tooth I would believe them. This is flawless work. You should keep working with your talent. 

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Colorblind?!  So that's why your avatar is black and white. ;)

Well it certainly doesn't show on this piece. Your color matching is amazing and the way you included the crazing and imperfections in the enamel is protection in itself. Truly a magnificent job!

 

 

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Wow, for some reason it went to the last photo when I pressed this thread and I thought it was real for a second! Very nice job!

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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7 hours ago, Bobby Rico said:

Fantastic job, nicely sculpted and you have  matched the colour and texture   . Congratulations 

 

6 hours ago, Haravex said:

That is an amazing job, it is very hard to tell its been restored which is a credit in it's self.

 

5 hours ago, LordTrilobite said:

That looks great! Much improved indeed.

 

4 hours ago, Fossildude19 said:

You are truly an artist, Charlie! :blink:

This is professional work. :) 

 

3 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said:

Very nicely done! 

 

3 hours ago, Troodon said:

Very well done you have a pretty good skill set.  Like that you included the tiny black wear facet in the tip.:dinothumb:

 

3 hours ago, Bone guy said:

Wow! If somebody showed this to me as an unrestored tooth I would believe them. This is flawless work. You should keep working with your talent. 

 

3 hours ago, TyBoy said:

Wow very nice job

 

2 hours ago, caldigger said:

Colorblind?!  So that's why your avatar is black and white. ;)

Well it certainly doesn't show on this piece. Your color matching is amazing and the way you included the crazing and imperfections in the enamel is protection in itself. Truly a magnificent job!

Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate the kind words. It was a fun little project. 

  • I found this Informative 1

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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5 minutes ago, WhodamanHD said:

Wow, for some reason it went to the last photo when I pressed this thread and I thought it was real! Very nice job!

 Huh....

 

Thanks. The devil's in the details. It's not perfect, but passable. 

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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29 minutes ago, Sagebrush Steve said:

Outstanding work!  You’ve done a whale of a job!

Thank you. Very punny, sir. Lol

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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5 hours ago, jcbshark said:

awesome work Charlie:fistbump:

Thanks Jeff! 

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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I was generously given this tooth from STH by fellow member @digit (Ken). It had a busted root and he said "it had my name on it". I told him i'd fix it for him, but he said to keep it after i was done. Since i'm in the resto mood, might as well do it now. Thanks Ken! It's such a beautiful tooth, the colors from STH never disappoint. 

 

Here she is. She's not perfect, but still turned out pretty nice. 

 

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  • I found this Informative 1

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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Nice! What’s the size on that tooth?

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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4 minutes ago, WhodamanHD said:

Nice! What’s the size on that tooth?

Thanks. The Mako is 1 7/8" about 47mm. 

  • I found this Informative 1

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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Sweet restoration job!!! :fistbump:

 

I knew that you were the man for that job. If you look closely, I do believe it did have your name on it. ;)

 

Still out on a roadtrip in the Carolinas on the backside of a trip out to the Meg Ledges. I've got a few other really interesting teeth that might find their way into your mailbox. They are really nice but need a bit of TLC.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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