fossilized6s Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Im looking to restore a few of my very delicate Mazon Creek fossils and im looking for something that can be sculpted but will harden over time without baking. I'm trying to fill small cracks, tiny voids and sculpt very detailed missing parts. I'll post some pics a bit later of what pieces im talking about, so you can get some insight of what im trying to do. Thanks, Charlie ~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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilselachian Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Check out Magic Sculpt.This is commonly used in fossil restoration. Easy to find on the internet and some stores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted December 4, 2014 Author Share Posted December 4, 2014 (edited) Check out Magic Sculpt.This is commonly used in fossil restoration. Easy to find on the internet and some stores.Thank you. I'll check it out.Here's one piece i would like to restore. The fern's details are preserved on a very thin layer (about 1mm) coating the mineralized form. It reminds me of an M&M. And being that thin, im wondering if the clay would adhere safely and not flake off when drying. Edited December 4, 2014 by fossilized6s ~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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 I also would recommend Magic Sculpt. Another similar product by Paleobond is PaleoSculpt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Magic Sculpt comes in beige, brown, or black. It is a two-part epoxy putty. It mixes by hand-kneading to a pliable putty that is easy to tool. It hardens without shrinkage over a period of hours. It binds well to clean surfaces. It does not slump. If necessary, it can be trimmed with your rotary grinder after it hardens. I think I would use the brown putty for your Mazon Creek nodules. I would support the nodule in a sand box (covered with a length of SaranWrap), and apply tiny strings and dabs of putty with dental tools, gently forcing the putty into the cracks and crevices. Scrape away any excess putty, and smooth the putty with a wet fingertip or other tool. Texture the uncured putty with an old tooth brush. I use rubbing alcohol, followed by soap and water, to remove the putty from my fingers when finished. 2 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MgTattooer86 Posted December 4, 2014 Share Posted December 4, 2014 Paleosculpt from Paleobond came highly recommended by another member a while ago. it's something like 20 bucks for a pound, and they have several colors available. I need to order some myself. Mike If you show them a transitional, they'll ask for two more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted December 4, 2014 Author Share Posted December 4, 2014 Thanks guys! I really appreciate it! Magic sculpt, here i come! ~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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted December 4, 2014 Author Share Posted December 4, 2014 Thanks Harry for the play by play process. Im sure it will help a lot. ~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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Thanks Harry for the play by play process. Im sure it will help a lot. You're welcome. Please show us the before and after images of your nodules. http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted December 5, 2014 Author Share Posted December 5, 2014 I will. It should be a nice little project. Im still up in the air about whether i should leave the natural color of the clay/epoxy to show the restoration or to color match paint it..... ~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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 I think museum standards for vertebrates might require some recognizable color difference between a patch and the native material. I don't like a stark difference in my preparations, especially where the repair is not part of a diagnostic feature. The collector standard favors a color match. There may be differences in the standards between vertebrate and invertebrate fossils. I am uncertain as to what those differences are, beyond no repairs are best. When I recommended brown Magic Sculpt in my earlier post, that was to provide a small color difference in the repair -- a gesture toward the museum standard. But, that's my vertebrate bias. (Besides, it's not easy to get a perfect color match!) If you asked me now, having thought about it some more, I might recommend the black Magic Sculpt for a better match to the nodule. You can scuff the cured putty with sandpaper to give it a charcoal-gray appearance close to the matrix color. 1 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 Harry's description is very good. The one thing I would dis that be sure to clean your hands with a scrub brush. I know people who have developed allergies to epoxy from using too much of this stuff. I also vote for leaving the fix a slightly different color, but as Harry said, that may also be my vertebrate bias. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 (edited) If you asked me now, having thought about it some more, I might recommend the black Magic Sculpt for a better match to the nodule. You can scuff the cured putty with sandpaper to give it a charcoal-gray appearance close to the matrix color. You could also mix a bit of white color into it to give it a better match. Edited December 5, 2014 by Ludwigia Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stocksdale Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 By the way... do you have an ID on that one. Just curious what it is. Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.–Carl Sagan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted December 6, 2014 Author Share Posted December 6, 2014 By the way... do you have an ID on that one. Just curious what it is. I believe it to be a Alethopteris sullivanti. ~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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stocksdale Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 I believe it to be a Alethopteris sullivanti. Thanks. Very nice. I haven't come across one of those yet. Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.–Carl Sagan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sseth Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 We would love to see the finished product. _____________________________________ Seth www.fossilshack.com www.americanfossil.com www.fishdig.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grampa dino Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 I have used two part epoxy putty from the hardware store It works great for me, it's paintable and cheap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 I have to recommend Magic Sculpt as well. I use it on vert and invert fossils alike with great success. One other note, you can wet your fingers and smooth it just like natural clay. This works VERY well when patching small cracks. I also use it as a backing to support delicate specimens on thin slabs of matrix. It paints easily. I use a close color match. This allows for better casual viewing but still allowing a closer inspection to reveal the restoration. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 Thanks guys for all of the helpful input and hints. I'll post some pics when i start it. This color match thing will be very interesting considering im color blind.....ahhhh! I'll use someone else's eyes. WANTED: Colourblind artist seeking eye donor. I can pay with fossils and gray scale realistic drawings. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted December 24, 2014 Author Share Posted December 24, 2014 Well i just ordered some grey Magic Sculpt. So hopefully I'll start this little project sometime early "next year". I'll keep you guys up to date with photos. Thanks again for all of your help. ~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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 Just an update for this thread. I finished it. See here http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/51517-i-finished-my-first-restoration-job-i-need-to-dull-my-painthow/ ~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 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