Need assistance with mounting and labeling

[Starboy]

I need the assistance of any of you kind folks familiar with proper mounting and display of small paleontological exhibits.

I recently acquired a 12" resin cast of a Megaraptor claw



and a 7" cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex tooth, that I would like to display in as attractive and legitimate a manner as possible in my office with my other dinosaur memorabilia.



(images not of my actual items, included for approximate reference)

I purchased a 2" deep shadow box with hinged front and have verified that the two casts fit inside with plenty of room for labels.



My two tasks are to label and mount them. I would like the mounts to be non-permanent, so that the items can be easily removed from the case for closer examination.

Are there resources available that explain proper and/or standard mounting and labeling techniques or materials? What information should be included on the labels? Is there anything I haven't mentioned that I should also consider? I'd like the display to be tasteful while adhering to standard exhibit practices.

[amargasaurus cazaui]

For me the obvious thing the label should include is the fact they are both replicas. Atributing them to specimen they were cast from is a good idea as well.....and then of course, formation found in, time period, location and general idea how many MYA or million years ago.Other useful information might be stating the scale of the replica...ie 1/1, and what it might be made from.

[Halichoeres]

Is the backing of the shadow box cork? It's hard to tell from the photo. If so, it would be easy enough to fix some plastic brackets in it that should support your casts.

[Newt]

As far as mounting, I think something as simple as hot glue would work well. It can be easily removed and will not stain or damage the resin. Lables printed on cardstock would be fine, of course, but for extra pop you could have them engraved on metal or plastic tags.

[Starboy]

Is the backing of the shadow box cork? It's hard to tell from the photo. If so, it would be easy enough to fix some plastic brackets in it that should support your casts.

Yes, it's got a cork backing behind the burlap for pushpins and such. I like your suggestion of using plastic brackets. Maybe I could screw into them through the backing. I've got some 1/8" acrylic stock I could cut with a scroll saw.

[Starboy]

For me the obvious thing the label should include is the fact they are both replicas. Atributing them to specimen they were cast from is a good idea as well.....and then of course, formation found in, time period, location and general idea how many MYA or million years ago.Other useful information might be stating the scale of the replica...ie 1/1, and what it might be made from.

Excellent tips, thanks! Have you ever seen any images of real museum labels? I'd like to get the font, design, styling and such as "standard" as possible.

[Newt]

Do you mean a display museum or a research collection? The labels in research museums, in my experience at least, tend to use an unimaginative font such as Courier or Times New Roman and left-justify everything. There's usually a header with the collection name. Something like this:

UNIVERSITY MUSEUM OF PALEONTOLOGY

SPECIMEN NO. UMP-1992-033-4B
FAMILY: Tyrannosauridae
GENUS: Tyrannosaurus
SPECIES: rex
COLLECTION LOCALITY: 14 air miles NNE of Upper Armpit, East Dakota, USA
FORMATION: Armpit Sandstone Member
LATITUDE: N 55^o 13' 25.6"
LONGITUDE: W 121^o 47' 0.1"
COLLECTOR: Bubba Diggington
DATE OF COLLECTION: 2016/02/12

[Starboy]

Do you mean a display museum or a research collection?

No, I was thinking more along the lines of a public-facing exhibit you'd see at a science museum. In addition, these are just cast replicas and not original specimens, so I'm not sure tagging it like you'd see in a collections drawer would even be appropriate.

[Lanthanotus]

Personally I wouldn't use any sort of glue for non permanently mounting a synthetic showpiece, as most glues don't hold synthetics/plastics/resins too well for a long time and under strain when the glued surfaces could not be correctly prepared. Also, glueing synthetics bears the risk of developing discoloration and stain over time.

I'd recommend to rest the pieces freely onto some pieces of acrylic glass, fixed to the back and have the hinged front locked or to fix the pieces with thin wire (available in differnt colors/materials) directly to the back of the boxes. For sure, those methods are not totally invisible as glueing/cementing would be.

[Starboy]

Personally I wouldn't use any sort of glue for non permanently mounting a synthetic showpiece, as most glues don't hold synthetics/plastics/resins too well for a long time and under strain when the glued surfaces could not be correctly prepared. Also, glueing synthetics bears the risk of developing discoloration and stain over time.

I'd recommend to rest the pieces freely onto some pieces of acrylic glass, fixed to the back and have the hinged front locked or to fix the pieces with thin wire (available in differnt colors/materials) directly to the back of the boxes. For sure, those methods are not totally invisible as glueing/cementing would be.

Yeah, I think you're totally right about using adhesives. Plus I want to be able to take them out easily. I don't mind a bit of clear acrylic showing as long as it's not real intrusive.

[tyrantqueen]

I learned a long time ago not to rely on adhesives. It will inevitably fail you if it is subjected to stress, no matter what brand or type it is. Super glue being one of the worst culprits. I prefer to rely on pinning and the friction from a tight join. I use glue as a final method to secure the pieces, but I would not rely on it by itself. Super glue is only really useful for tiny, light pieces (like Kaiyodo Dinotales figures).

[Doug Watson]

I used to make brackets and other mounts for specimens when I worked at the museum and I have a couple fairly easy ways to mount them.
Since you say you want to be able to remove them easily my first suggestion would be the best. I used this method to mount a whole lot of fossils where the museum did not want brackets made that would obscure any of the fossil. You need some white polyethylene foam that is thick enough to fit in your case. Cut it to fit then place your cast on the surface to trace out the shape. Then grind out a depression in the foam that the cast will sit in (use a dremel or foredom with grinding bits) The foam comes in different densities so if you get a soft enough one like 2 lb you could stop there and display it against the white background of the foam. For the museum I covered the foam with felt and stapled it to the wood panel behind. In your case you could glue it behind the foam. I also stapled around the inner surface of the depression through to the wood panel to pull the felt tight. Since your backing is cork if you use long enough staples you can bend the tips over that come through the cork to keep them from backing out. You can also used spray adhesive, just don't use too much or it will bleed through the felt. If you use foam thick enough you can have the cast right at the glass and that will help keep it in place.
Here are a couple shots of a test piece I did for the museum. Leave some foam in behind as a cushion for your cast. The staples will sink in deeper and won't contact the cast.
Carved depression with felt covering

Fossil seated in the depression.


Another very easy way is to tie the casts down with monofilament but then the cast will not be easy to remove. I did some travelling exhibits where I used wire that you would pass through the backing and then either solder or crimp an eyelet on the ends that you could screw to the back. If you leave lots of slack you can unscrew them and then slip the cast free. To protect the cast from the wire before you crimp or solder the eyelet on slip some small diameter clear medical tubing or clear heat shrink tubing over the area that contacts the cast. Since it is cork you may also want to glue in a piece of wood on the back to screw to.

Another more complicated option would be to make various brackets from either flat stock metal bent into hooks or plexi stock cut, heated and bent but your metal should have foam or felt lining where it contacts the cast. These can then be bolted through the back. Since it is cork you will need to sandwich the cork with a washer or more flat stock.

P.S. Another way to do the foam depression without the need for a dremel or foredom is to get two thicknesses of foam one thicker one thinner then just cut the outline of the cast out of the thicker one and glue the two pieces together.

[Starboy]

I used to make brackets and other mounts for specimens when I worked at the museum and I have a couple fairly easy ways to mount them.
Since you say you want to be able to remove them easily my first suggestion would be the best. I used this method to mount a whole lot of fossils where the museum did not want brackets made that would obscure any of the fossil. You need some white polyethylene foam that is thick enough to fit in your case. Cut it to fit then place your cast on the surface to trace out the shape. Then grind out a depression in the foam that the cast will sit in (use a dremel or foredom with grinding bits) The foam comes in different densities so if you get a soft enough one like 2 lb you could stop there and display it against the white background of the foam. For the museum I covered the foam with felt and stapled it to the wood panel behind. In your case you could glue it behind the foam. I also stapled around the inner surface of the depression through to the wood panel to pull the felt tight. Since your backing is cork if you use long enough staples you can bend the tips over that come through the cork to keep them from backing out. You can also used spray adhesive, just don't use too much or it will bleed through the felt. If you use foam thick enough you can have the cast right at the glass and that will help keep it in place.
Here are a couple shots of a test piece I did for the museum. Leave some foam in behind as a cushion for your cast. The staples will sink in deeper and won't contact the cast.

Carved depression with felt covering [image removed]

Fossil seated in the depression. [image removed]

Another very easy way is to tie the casts down with monofilament but then the cast will not be easy to remove. I did some travelling exhibits where I used wire that you would pass through the backing and then either solder or crimp an eyelet on the ends that you could screw to the back. If you leave lots of slack you can unscrew them and then slip the cast free. To protect the cast from the wire before you crimp or solder the eyelet on slip some small diameter clear medical tubing or clear heat shrink tubing over the area that contacts the cast. Since it is cork you may also want to glue in a piece of wood on the back to screw to.

Another more complicated option would be to make various brackets from either flat stock metal bent into hooks or plexi stock cut, heated and bent but your metal should have foam or felt lining where it contacts the cast. These can then be bolted through the back. Since it is cork you will need to sandwich the cork with a washer or more flat stock.

P.S. Another way to do the foam depression without the need for a dremel or foredom is to get two thicknesses of foam one thicker one thinner then just cut the outline of the cast out of the thicker one and glue the two pieces together.

Thanks, those are some fantastic suggestions! The first one, with the foam, I had never considered. Regarding that, if the foam comes pretty much right up to the glass, how do you present your labels? Are they mounted on foamcore as usual but countersunk into the foam as well or are they just paper thin, sitting on top of the foam? (When I say foam, I mean felt or fabric covered foam.)

I was about to go the cut-acrylic mounting bracket route but now I'm reconsidering given your ideas.

[Doug Watson]

Thanks, those are some fantastic suggestions! The first one, with the foam, I had never considered. Regarding that, if the foam comes pretty much right up to the glass, how do you present your labels? Are they mounted on foamcore as usual but countersunk into the foam as well or are they just paper thin, sitting on top of the foam? (When I say foam, I mean felt or fabric covered foam.)

I was about to go the cut-acrylic mounting bracket route but now I'm reconsidering given your ideas.

If you only sink the cast halfway and then bring the cast up to the glass that should give you enough room for foamcore. At the museum the labels were usually silkscreened on some white opaque plexi. In a lot of cases where there were multiple specimens there would be one text panel and with numbers and each specimen would have a small white square block beside it with that corresponding number. If you can't silk screen you can print up a clear label on your computer to apply to an opaque  piece of plexi or you could go old school and use letter transfers.
If you are afraid the cast may fall forward over time you could tie one thin piece of monofilament around the cast, poke or drill two holes tight to either side of the cast through the felt, foam and cork and tie it in the back. If you ever want to remove it it is easy enough to cut it in behind and replace it when done.

If you do decide to go with plexi brackets let me know if you want tips on polishing the edges.

P.S. every time I try to type plexi the spellcheck changes it to poleaxe.

[Starboy]

P.S. every time I try to type plexi the spellcheck changes it to poleaxe.

While you're in an edit window, if you right-click on the word "plexi" and select "Add to Dictionary" from the context menu, you'll never have to fight it again. 

[Doug Watson]

P.S. every time I try to type plexi the spellcheck changes it to poleaxe.

While you're in an edit window, if you right-click on the word "plexi" and select "Add to Dictionary" from the context menu, you'll never have to fight it again. 

Thanks, I was mainly amazed that it would come up with "poleaxe" of all things.