-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: Fixing fossils in place for digitization
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:25:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: Singleton, Michelle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
References: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Smithsonian likes Play-Doh because it is water based (safe for kids,
right), but I've found it to be completely useless for fixing the medium
to large skulls i work with.
Instead, I use a water-based sculpting clay (sorry, don't know the
brand) that I get at my local craft store. It stays soft, as long as you
don't bake it, but is not so soft that it will "flow" into foramina or
other narrow spaces. It leaves little or no residue, although (like
anything else) it will get caught in cracks/foramina if you really jam
it in there. Also, it does not upset bomb-sniffing machines at airport
security checks.
Best,
Michelle
Michelle Singleton, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Anatomy
Midwestern University
630-515-6137
-----Original Message-----
From: morphmet [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tue 9/16/2008 5:37 AM
To: morphmet
Subject: RE: Fixing fossils in place for digitization
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: Fixing fossils in place for digitization
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:18:24 -0700 (PDT)
From: Steven Wang <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
References: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Right... this is the same kind of clay, be it casting or sculpting. Gary
Sawyer at AMNH uses it for fossil facial reconstruction. But remember, this
is considered by some curators to be an oily clay, and they might not be
happy with it directly on... anything under their watch.
Steve
-----Original Message-----
From: morphmet [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2008 10:43 AM
To: morphmet
Subject: Re: Fixing fossils in place for digitization
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Fixing fossils in place for digitization
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:34:02 -0700 (PDT)
From: Matt Benoit <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]
Lindsay,
I'm not sure what the name of the stuff is, but when I've measured
fossil skulls (slightly larger and a bit more stable, but still, similar
problems) I've used casting clay. I don't know what other folks call
it, but they use it in our prep labs, and we had a big tub of it under a
heat lamp. I just grabbed a handful and then could mold it as I saw fit
for the skull. It didn't stick to the fossils or anything and it was
pretty helpful. It may be worth talking to your local prep lab and
seeing what they have.
I hope that vague response is helpful.
Good luck!
Matt Benoit
----- Original Message ----
From: morphmet <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: morphmet <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2008 3:32:07 AM
Subject: RE: Fixing fossils in place for digitization
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: Fixing fossils in place for digitization
Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:06:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: Lindsay Eaves-Johnson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: morphmet <[email protected]>
Hello all,
I'm looking for feedback concerning collecting 3D coordinate data from
fragile fossils using a MicroScribe. Two major problems presented
themselves to me on a recent research trip:
1. How to mark points without hurting the fossil?
2. How to fix the fossil in place without a) hurting the fossil or b)
sacrificing stability so that the specimen wobbles when you use a
stylus to collect the data (forget about using the
autoplot/autoscan feature!).
The first, as it turns out, can be accomplished by cutting small bits of
Glad Press n' Seal and placing them on the fossil and marking on the
wrap, not the fossil. I know this sounds really sketchy, but it's
actually awesome! Credit: Don Ortner, Anthropology, National Museum of
Natural History, Washington, D.C.
The second issue, however, has been more intractable and this is where
I'm asking for help. I work on human ribs, whose curvatures differ from
1-12 and so each rib sits differently on a surface and most don't lie
flat. To digitize just one demi-set (on side) of ribs, I need to find
24 stable positions in order to do both the cranial and caudal
surfaces. When working on modern ribs, I just use sticky-tack or the
silicone blobs that people use for ear-plugs. Unfortunately, curators
won't let me come within 10 feet of their fossil ribs if they think that
gunk might touch their treasures. Standard fixes for propping stuff up
for photography don't work, such as sand, bean-bags, legos, etc.,
because the pressure of the stylus causes the rib to wobble or recoil
slightly, screwing up the measures.
I know that a lot of you out there in Morphmet-land are digitizing
fossils, so please, PLEASE HELP! I know I can't be the first to
encounter these issues, and I'm frankly, not smart enough to reinvent
the wheel, so to speak.
Thanks in advance!!!!
Lindsay Eaves-Johnson
--
><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>
`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´
K. Lindsay Eaves-Johnson, MA
PhD Candidate
University of Iowa
Department of Anthropology
114 Macbride Hall
Iowa City, Iowa 52242
"I love fools' experiments. I am always making them." ~ Charles Darwin
"If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would
it?" ~ Albert Einstein
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