Xiphactinus Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 It's been a 5-year labor of love, but I'm getting close and have to share a picture. My family found a 17-foot Xiphactinus that was complete and articulated except for the skull (of course) which was eroding out. Luckily, I was able to get my hands on a cast of a like-size skull, and am additing it to the skeleton. The skeleton is in 6 large pieces (This is the largest - 8 feet long) and now my challenge will be putting the large slabs together into one piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Wow thats gonna be an awesome display piece, you will have to keep us updated on your progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rain1950 Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Fantastic; a true labor of love Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cris Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Wow......... Amazing... You've been holding out on all of us Xiphactinus!! Thanks for posting pics.. Make sure and keep us updated on your progress with this.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 What a beautiful fossil. I just heard Mike Everhart speak on this past Wednesday night, reminds me of some of his stuff..Most cool! Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 What a beautiful fossil.I just heard Mike Everhart speak on this past Wednesday night, reminds me of some of his stuff..Most cool! Roz - where did you hear Mike speak? He's a great guy (been to the house to see progress on this guy). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 He spoke at the Dallas Paleo Society Meeting at Brookhaven College near Dallas last Wednesday night. The slide show and talk were just great. You mean you have seen his collection? Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 That is an amazing find!!! Keep us updated with lots of photos! I can't wait to see the finished result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 He spoke at the Dallas Paleo Society Meeting at Brookhaven College near Dallas last Wednesday night.The slide show and talk were just great. You mean you have seen his collection? No....he's seen mine and we've gone collecting together. I hope to see his collection some day. Should be fantastic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 HOLY COW!!! Ive seen lots of fossil projects before, but this is super awsome! Can I ask how you went about prepping it? How hard is the matrix? What kind of problems you ran into? RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 HOLY COW!!! Ive seen lots of fossil projects before, but this is super awsome! Can I ask how you went about prepping it? How hard is the matrix? What kind of problems you ran into? RB The matrix is chalk, so it is pretty soft. I've done all the prepping with dental tools. Once I get the bone pretty clean, I finish it off with water and a toothbrush. When really, really dry, I harden the bone with dilute Vinac. The main problem I ran into was the long (almost a foot long) spines along the back. They are about 1/8" in diameter and very fragile. They want to break all over the place. Many, many of the X-fish in museums are missing these since they slow down the prep so much, but I was determined to make sure mine was complete. Where they were shattered beyond repair, I reconstructed them with epoxy putty. Another challenge was the damage caused by scavenging by Squalicorax sharks. Several teeth are in the skeleton -- they were all left where they fell. But I did repair the ends of the ribs. The sharks bit off the last 3-6 inches of a lot of the ribs, and I reconstructed them after extensive photo documentation of the fossil "as preserved". My main concern will be how to hang the darn thing. It's going to be HEAVY. I have to work out some of the engineering still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 that is so awsome hope to see the finished project!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 The matrix is chalk, so it is pretty soft. I've done all the prepping with dental tools. Once I get the bone pretty clean, I finish it off with water and a toothbrush. When really, really dry, I harden the bone with dilute Vinac.The main problem I ran into was the long (almost a foot long) spines along the back. They are about 1/8" in diameter and very fragile. They want to break all over the place. Many, many of the X-fish in museums are missing these since they slow down the prep so much, but I was determined to make sure mine was complete. Where they were shattered beyond repair, I reconstructed them with epoxy putty. Another challenge was the damage caused by scavenging by Squalicorax sharks. Several teeth are in the skeleton -- they were all left where they fell. But I did repair the ends of the ribs. The sharks bit off the last 3-6 inches of a lot of the ribs, and I reconstructed them after extensive photo documentation of the fossil "as preserved". My main concern will be how to hang the darn thing. It's going to be HEAVY. I have to work out some of the engineering still. Hey Xiphactinus. I can see how nice for prepping it would be to have that nice soft rock, but I can also see where it would also be nice to have it in a harder rock too. Its amazing that you are rebuilding the missing pieces! Its also cool that there are sharks teeth around. Are you keeping the sharks teeth were they fell? Also, I dont envy you in trying to figure out how to structuraly hang that thing!!! Thats going to be another big job for you. but you will be able to enjoy it more than anyone with all the work you are putting into it. Im sure im not the only one who would like to come for a visit and sit around this big beautiful fossil and sip wiskey and talk fossils!!! You truly have a museum piece. Good job man. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 Hey Xiphactinus. I can see how nice for prepping it would be to have that nice soft rock, but I can also see where it would also be nice to have it in a harder rock too. Its amazing that you are rebuilding the missing pieces! Its also cool that there are sharks teeth around. Are you keeping the sharks teeth were they fell? Also, I dont envy you in trying to figure out how to structuraly hang that thing!!! Thats going to be another big job for you. but you will be able to enjoy it more than anyone with all the work you are putting into it. Im sure im not the only one who would like to come for a visit and sit around this big beautiful fossil and sip wiskey and talk fossils!!! You truly have a museum piece. Good job man. RB Thanks, RB! I am leaving the teeth exactly where they are in the fossil. It's pretty obvious the sharks eviscerated (sp?) the fish...there's one big Squalicorax tooth lying in between the upper and lower ribs - so the shark was inside the fish's belly. (Nice soft stuff there!) I'm going to make a gallery of the discovery from excavation, through prep and final display. I look forward to lots of fossil folk coming by and bending an elbow and talking fossils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimInAugusta Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 http://www.oceansofkansas.com/xiphac.html I like the fish in a fish. I am considering one for over my mantel. I will of course need a bigger house. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I don't know if you would be interested in this idea, but here goes.... what about building what looks like a huge fish tank and have your guy suspended inside like he lives there? Not sure if that is practical but it would be an amazing display. Also, if you have some smaller fossilized fish that lived at the same time, it could go in the tank too. Sorry, maybe I have had too much caffeine. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimInAugusta Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 The Smithsonian did something reasonably similar. What I really liked about their display was the lighting that made you feel you were underwater too. I am willing to be hired as a consultant on this project for the small fee of a full scale replica and a perhaps a beer around a campfire. I will bring the wood, beer and matches just to show I am earnest. You still gotta bring the replica. All 17 feet of it. Jim PS What do you think a full scale replica would cost. Seriously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 The Smithsonian did something reasonably similar. What I really liked about their display was the lighting that made you feel you were underwater too. I am willing to be hired as a consultant on this project for the small fee of a full scale replica and a perhaps a beer around a campfire. I will bring the wood, beer and matches just to show I am earnest. You still gotta bring the replica. All 17 feet of it.Jim PS What do you think a full scale replica would cost. Seriously. I appreciate the enthusiasm, guys. Roz, the fossil is def a 1-sided affair...it's cast right into plaster. That's how they've gotten them out of the ground for 100 years. I have several fish, but they are all wall-mount guys. Jim - I know what you are talking about with the Smithsonian. Treibold Paleontology sells a 17 foot replica. (That's where I got the cast for the skull of my fish). The 17 footer sells for $34,500. Given the amount of work that went into prepping and casting each bone, that's a very reasonable price. http://www.trieboldpaleontology.com/casts/...actinus_new.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimInAugusta Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Your breaking my heart. I understand the price. I build boats for fun and cannot get a fair price for my labor. Considering what you do is art/science/love swirled together it is of course essentially priceless. I am awed by your patience. I would actually hang that sucker on my wall if I could. We just need to get about a million people together who want a copy and knock that price down by a factor of ten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jared J Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 You gota love them biggie sized Niobrara chalk formation fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted February 20, 2008 Author Share Posted February 20, 2008 Your breaking my heart. I understand the price. I build boats for fun and cannot get a fair price for my labor. Considering what you do is art/science/love swirled together it is of course essentially priceless. I am awed by your patience. I would actually hang that sucker on my wall if I could. We just need to get about a million people together who want a copy and knock that price down by a factor of ten. That's not my fish! Same size, but they cast another one. They are in the business of casting fossils then selling the replicas. (I couldn't afford one of those either!) They do a tremendous job. Mine will be one of a kind - and yes, it will be hanging on the wall! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted February 20, 2008 Author Share Posted February 20, 2008 You gota love them biggie sized Niobrara chalk formation fish. Except when you are digging them out of a bluff and they just keep going and going and.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necrocanis Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 cool stuff. I keep live fish that can grow over 10' long, but this would be ridiculous. I've looked at those 3d mounted replicas before. Very impressive. Any updates on this one? Have any other fish skeletons that you can show us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted April 15, 2008 Author Share Posted April 15, 2008 cool stuff. I keep live fish that can grow over 10' long, but this would be ridiculous. I've looked at those 3d mounted replicas before. Very impressive. Any updates on this one? Have any other fish skeletons that you can show us? I haven't gotten too much more done. I'm in the process of taking the 3 jackets that comprise the tail and putting them together and reconstructing the damaged/missing pieces. I'll post a couple of updated pix later today. As far as other fish, here are some of our better fish. A Cimolichthys skeleton with stomach contents, a Xiphactinus skull wall mount (approx 4' x 4'), and a 3D Xiphactinus skull. The 3D skull was regurgitated by a shark...there are scratches all over the bone, stomach acid etching, and a broken tooth frag embedded in the upper jaw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necrocanis Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 That is bad a$$. Nice to see a 3d fossil. I hope to do something like that someday. I have done some pretty cool modern fish, but nothing like that one. You are a true inspiration to me who is just getting started in fossils. If you ever want anything modern, and you have any catfish, or good fish material for trade just let me know. I could do some nice comparison pieces to go with your fish there, or I can send them unarticulated so that you can do them yourself as I don't think it would be that hard for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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