Blade-of-the-Moon's Art

[triceratops83]

Have you thought about using those rubber aquarium ornaments shaped like anenomes and coral? You know, like sticking to the sea bed and that rock wall you mentioned?

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Have you thought about using those rubber aquarium ornaments shaped like anenomes and coral? You know, like sticking to the sea bed and that rock wall you mentioned?

Yep and I do have a few of those laying around from my pirate exhibit I can use..but to coat an entire area like we have..it's around 10'x20' with the 8-13' grade it would take a LOT of them.  I know a guy who is working on a dino suit for us to advertise with, he sells these "mats" :

but they around 50.00 each, we would require quite a few of them.

You can see some of the other stuff he sells as well here : http://www.hallowskeepcreations.com/sea-creaturesnautical-gear.html

We just don't have the funds we need to do our best at the moment. Though I will make my own coral/seaweed and such, even sculpt barnacles with epoxy.

[reinier zwanink]

Isnt there a way you can recast parts of it to make your own?

[reinier zwanink]

I stumbled on this thing here and my firsts idea was


YOU

dinosaurus kop
Bieden
http://link.marktplaats.nl/m891253931

[DinoToyForum]

Painted plesiosaur looks great! Well done!  I'm tempted to commission one for myself 

[Doug Watson]

That's terrible. I always loved those pteranodons.

Hey Blade I just had a thought. If you would like your own copy of my Pteranodon for the park the guy who worked with me on the project has the mould for the one with the open beak. He has it at his shop in Quebec where we built them. He has been trying to sell it. To make it today would be around $10 K and he was trying to get a few thousand for it but at this point if you offered him a few hundred and figured out how to get it out of there and back to Tennessee (know anyone with a cube van) he would probably go for it. Just don't tell him I was the one who told you to offer a few hundred. I know you are usually bordering on broke and maybe this is wishful thinking on my part but I couldn't think of a better place for it. I know you don't like fibreglass so you would need someone to lay one up for you. Anyway just a thought, if you aren't interested maybe someone else on the forum would like to make their own 24 foot Pteranodon. I'll hold off on the contact info to give you first shot.

This is the mould you can see it breaks down into manageable  pieces.


The mould makes the one below with the Enchodus, he has the mould for it too.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Isnt there a way you can recast parts of it to make your own?

I'm not too much into casting..everything I make is a one off..never really got into it..but there are times I wish I had!

I stumbled on this thing here and my firsts idea was


YOU

dinosaurus kop
Bieden
http://link.marktplaats.nl/m891253931

Heh heh..thanks! Yeah I know that piece well. I was originally tempted by it for  a Jurassic Park styled Raptor, that's what it's based on, but didn't look exactly like one. The company makes a lot of neat fiberglass dinos..thing is most are too expensive for me. I do have their Hypsilophodon which Design Toscano helped us to get.

That's terrible. I always loved those pteranodons.

Hey Blade I just had a thought. If you would like your own copy of my Pteranodon for the park the guy who worked with me on the project has the mould for the one with the open beak. He has it at his shop in Quebec where we built them. He has been trying to sell it. To make it today would be around $10 K and he was trying to get a few thousand for it but at this point if you offered him a few hundred and figured out how to get it out of there and back to Tennessee (know anyone with a cube van) he would probably go for it. Just don't tell him I was the one who told you to offer a few hundred. I know you are usually bordering on broke and maybe this is wishful thinking on my part but I couldn't think of a better place for it. I know you don't like fibreglass so you would need someone to lay one up for you. Anyway just a thought, if you aren't interested maybe someone else on the forum would like to make their own 24 foot Pteranodon. I'll hold off on the contact info to give you first shot.

This is the mould you can see it breaks down into manageable  pieces.


The mould makes the one below with the Enchodus, he has the mould for it too.

Wow Doug..I really wish we could...this drool I have on my shirt is testament to that. I have no idea what it cost to get from there  to here. Is it heavy? I know most latex moulds are pretty weighty. I have an uncle who drives a tractor trailer and sometimes he crosses the border but where and when..and he charges me full price for anything I ask him to pick up. :/

It's not that I don't like fiberglass per se..I just tend to be very allergic to it..I get near the dust from cutting it and I start itching all over...heh  Actually the deal would be to get it to someone who would willing to cast it up for us for cost..maybe a bit more? ( it would be 10k in materials you think or labor counted as well?)  I'm not sure who I know that would be willing and able.  The ability to cast your own would be great, one could sell them as whole pieces or just head mounts even.  If someone were willing to " partner up" on it with me that might work.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Painted plesiosaur looks great! Well done!  I'm tempted to commission one for myself 

Thanks!  You were a great help! If you didn't have room for the whole critter the head would be a good way to go bud. Mount it near the skull version you know.

[Doug Watson]

Wow Doug..I really wish we could...this drool I have on my shirt is testament to that. I have no idea what it cost to get from there  to here. Is it heavy? I know most latex moulds are pretty weighty. I have an uncle who drives a tractor trailer and sometimes he crosses the border but where and when..and he charges me full price for anything I ask him to pick up. :/

It's not that I don't like fiberglass per se..I just tend to be very allergic to it..I get near the dust from cutting it and I start itching all over...heh  Actually the deal would be to get it to someone who would willing to cast it up for us for cost..maybe a bit more? ( it would be 10k in materials you think or labor counted as well?)  I'm not sure who I know that would be willing and able.  The ability to cast your own would be great, one could sell them as whole pieces or just head mounts even.  If someone were willing to " partner up" on it with me that might work.

The mould is made of cheesecloth reinforced urethane rubber Polytek 74-30 so you don't have to worry about it breaking down over time like latex. It has a fibreglass reinforced support jacket with wooden strapping for added support. All the sections bolt together. I would guesstimate the weight at 400 lbs. The 10 K price was the price to make the mould at the time I would estimate the cost to do an unfinished cast at 6 K. If you thought you could raise that amount my buddy would be able to cast one for you and it is already at his shop. He isn't cheap but he might be willing to do it at that 6 K price. I would ask him how much for a cast and then talk him down if it is more. He could even put a steel structure in it like we did for suspending. You could even get him to do a cast and let him keep the mould. But then you would need a tractor trailer because the cast is 24 feet long. Another option is a local boat builder. They could probably spray one up but you would probably need to supply the inner frame. Let me know if you want his contact info and I will PM or e-mail you. Hopefully he hasn't already got rid of it and not told me.

Yes if you did get the mould you could sell the casts CMN washed their hands of it and yes the head and neck are a separate mould so you could do wall mounts. I have a cast downstairs that is on my project list to finish and put up in my house.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Wow Doug..I really wish we could...this drool I have on my shirt is testament to that. I have no idea what it cost to get from there  to here. Is it heavy? I know most latex moulds are pretty weighty. I have an uncle who drives a tractor trailer and sometimes he crosses the border but where and when..and he charges me full price for anything I ask him to pick up. :/

It's not that I don't like fiberglass per se..I just tend to be very allergic to it..I get near the dust from cutting it and I start itching all over...heh  Actually the deal would be to get it to someone who would willing to cast it up for us for cost..maybe a bit more? ( it would be 10k in materials you think or labor counted as well?)  I'm not sure who I know that would be willing and able.  The ability to cast your own would be great, one could sell them as whole pieces or just head mounts even.  If someone were willing to " partner up" on it with me that might work.

The mould is made of cheesecloth reinforced urethane rubber Polytek 74-30 so you don't have to worry about it breaking down over time like latex. It has a fibreglass reinforced support jacket with wooden strapping for added support. All the sections bolt together. I would guesstimate the weight at 400 lbs. The 10 K price was the price to make the mould at the time I would estimate the cost to do an unfinished cast at 6 K. If you thought you could raise that amount my buddy would be able to cast one for you and it is already at his shop. He isn't cheap but he might be willing to do it at that 6 K price. I would ask him how much for a cast and then talk him down if it is more. He could even put a steel structure in it like we did for suspending. You could even get him to do a cast and let him keep the mould. But then you would need a tractor trailer because the cast is 24 feet long. Another option is a local boat builder. They could probably spray one up but you would probably need to supply the inner frame. Let me know if you want his contact info and I will PM or e-mail you. Hopefully he hasn't already got rid of it and not told me.

Yes if you did get the mould you could sell the casts CMN washed their hands of it and yes the head and neck are a separate mould so you could do wall mounts. I have a cast downstairs that is on my project list to finish and put up in my house.

Wow(using that word a lot lately) , 6K is more than I have in my savings account.  My buddy here that helps me is from upper New York he was thinking he might know someone that could get it that far. Shipping would probably be a few hundred freight in the U.S. plus a little for his friend and gas. We'd be ball parking almost a 1,000 there( pretty close to what I could reasonably afford for any one thing) plus having it made..there are boat makers here and especially fiberglass re-coaters. 6k though blows my budget out of the water I'm afraid. Even if I could afford to have it shipped unpainted, that's about all I could afford. Sorry bud, I would have loved to have adopted it. 

[John]

I've gotta say,the two Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus you have are very impressive.
And I like the way the other models in your park are immediately identifiable at first glance,like the pics you put up of the snow covered Tyrannosaurus rex,Ankylosaurus magniventris and more.

[Doug Watson]

Wow(using that word a lot lately) , 6K is more than I have in my savings account.  My buddy here that helps me is from upper New York he was thinking he might know someone that could get it that far. Shipping would probably be a few hundred freight in the U.S. plus a little for his friend and gas. We'd be ball parking almost a 1,000 there( pretty close to what I could reasonably afford for any one thing) plus having it made..there are boat makers here and especially fiberglass re-coaters. 6k though blows my budget out of the water I'm afraid. Even if I could afford to have it shipped unpainted, that's about all I could afford. Sorry bud, I would have loved to have adopted it. 

Yes but if you wanted just the mould like I said he is so tired of having it around you might be able to get that for a few hundred or five hundred not sure. 6 K would be for a cast. But no problem either way it was just a thought.

[E.D.G.E. (PainterRex)]

Wow Doug..I really wish we could...this drool I have on my shirt is testament to that. I have no idea what it cost to get from there  to here. Is it heavy? I know most latex moulds are pretty weighty. I have an uncle who drives a tractor trailer and sometimes he crosses the border but where and when..and he charges me full price for anything I ask him to pick up. :/

It's not that I don't like fiberglass per se..I just tend to be very allergic to it..I get near the dust from cutting it and I start itching all over...heh  Actually the deal would be to get it to someone who would willing to cast it up for us for cost..maybe a bit more? ( it would be 10k in materials you think or labor counted as well?)  I'm not sure who I know that would be willing and able.  The ability to cast your own would be great, one could sell them as whole pieces or just head mounts even.  If someone were willing to " partner up" on it with me that might work.

The mould is made of cheesecloth reinforced urethane rubber Polytek 74-30 so you don't have to worry about it breaking down over time like latex. It has a fibreglass reinforced support jacket with wooden strapping for added support. All the sections bolt together. I would guesstimate the weight at 400 lbs. The 10 K price was the price to make the mould at the time I would estimate the cost to do an unfinished cast at 6 K. If you thought you could raise that amount my buddy would be able to cast one for you and it is already at his shop. He isn't cheap but he might be willing to do it at that 6 K price. I would ask him how much for a cast and then talk him down if it is more. He could even put a steel structure in it like we did for suspending. You could even get him to do a cast and let him keep the mould. But then you would need a tractor trailer because the cast is 24 feet long. Another option is a local boat builder. They could probably spray one up but you would probably need to supply the inner frame. Let me know if you want his contact info and I will PM or e-mail you. Hopefully he hasn't already got rid of it and not told me.

Yes if you did get the mould you could sell the casts CMN washed their hands of it and yes the head and neck are a separate mould so you could do wall mounts. I have a cast downstairs that is on my project list to finish and put up in my house.

Wow(using that word a lot lately) , 6K is more than I have in my savings account.  My buddy here that helps me is from upper New York he was thinking he might know someone that could get it that far. Shipping would probably be a few hundred freight in the U.S. plus a little for his friend and gas. We'd be ball parking almost a 1,000 there( pretty close to what I could reasonably afford for any one thing) plus having it made..there are boat makers here and especially fiberglass re-coaters. 6k though blows my budget out of the water I'm afraid. Even if I could afford to have it shipped unpainted, that's about all I could afford. Sorry bud, I would have loved to have adopted it. 

Perhaps you could still get the mould for the encodus? Doug stated that was available as well, wouldn't that help for large amounts of fish for your aquarium?

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I've gotta say,the two Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus you have are very impressive.
And I like the way the other models in your park are immediately identifiable at first glance,like the pics you put up of the snow covered Tyrannosaurus rex,Ankylosaurus magniventris and more.

Thanks bud!  It helps to base them off actual specimens that there is enough info available on...sometimes that's difficult to do. lol

Wow(using that word a lot lately) , 6K is more than I have in my savings account.  My buddy here that helps me is from upper New York he was thinking he might know someone that could get it that far. Shipping would probably be a few hundred freight in the U.S. plus a little for his friend and gas. We'd be ball parking almost a 1,000 there( pretty close to what I could reasonably afford for any one thing) plus having it made..there are boat makers here and especially fiberglass re-coaters. 6k though blows my budget out of the water I'm afraid. Even if I could afford to have it shipped unpainted, that's about all I could afford. Sorry bud, I would have loved to have adopted it. 

Yes but if you wanted just the mould like I said he is so tired of having it around you might be able to get that for a few hundred or five hundred not sure. 6 K would be for a cast. But no problem either way it was just a thought.

It was  GOOD thought I only wish I had either the funds or the know how to make it really work.  If materials are 6K even if I bought the mould and had it shipped I don't know when we could afford to ave it made. Would he be interested in casting heads only? I'm not sure what they would cost either but we experimented last year with a Rhamphorynchus Malcolm gave us. It was a head/neck and tail, we made the body from wood/foam coated with our vinyl material and I sculpted the claws /fingers from epoxy.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Wow Doug..I really wish we could...this drool I have on my shirt is testament to that. I have no idea what it cost to get from there  to here. Is it heavy? I know most latex moulds are pretty weighty. I have an uncle who drives a tractor trailer and sometimes he crosses the border but where and when..and he charges me full price for anything I ask him to pick up. :/

It's not that I don't like fiberglass per se..I just tend to be very allergic to it..I get near the dust from cutting it and I start itching all over...heh  Actually the deal would be to get it to someone who would willing to cast it up for us for cost..maybe a bit more? ( it would be 10k in materials you think or labor counted as well?)  I'm not sure who I know that would be willing and able.  The ability to cast your own would be great, one could sell them as whole pieces or just head mounts even.  If someone were willing to " partner up" on it with me that might work.

The mould is made of cheesecloth reinforced urethane rubber Polytek 74-30 so you don't have to worry about it breaking down over time like latex. It has a fibreglass reinforced support jacket with wooden strapping for added support. All the sections bolt together. I would guesstimate the weight at 400 lbs. The 10 K price was the price to make the mould at the time I would estimate the cost to do an unfinished cast at 6 K. If you thought you could raise that amount my buddy would be able to cast one for you and it is already at his shop. He isn't cheap but he might be willing to do it at that 6 K price. I would ask him how much for a cast and then talk him down if it is more. He could even put a steel structure in it like we did for suspending. You could even get him to do a cast and let him keep the mould. But then you would need a tractor trailer because the cast is 24 feet long. Another option is a local boat builder. They could probably spray one up but you would probably need to supply the inner frame. Let me know if you want his contact info and I will PM or e-mail you. Hopefully he hasn't already got rid of it and not told me.

Yes if you did get the mould you could sell the casts CMN washed their hands of it and yes the head and neck are a separate mould so you could do wall mounts. I have a cast downstairs that is on my project list to finish and put up in my house.

Wow(using that word a lot lately) , 6K is more than I have in my savings account.  My buddy here that helps me is from upper New York he was thinking he might know someone that could get it that far. Shipping would probably be a few hundred freight in the U.S. plus a little for his friend and gas. We'd be ball parking almost a 1,000 there( pretty close to what I could reasonably afford for any one thing) plus having it made..there are boat makers here and especially fiberglass re-coaters. 6k though blows my budget out of the water I'm afraid. Even if I could afford to have it shipped unpainted, that's about all I could afford. Sorry bud, I would have loved to have adopted it. 

Perhaps you could still get the mould for the encodus? Doug stated that was available as well, wouldn't that help for large amounts of fish for your aquarium?

That might work..perhaps we could just purchase casts of them as well? Is it fiberglass or resin Doug?

[Doug Watson]

It was  GOOD thought I only wish I had either the funds or the know how to make it really work.  If materials are 6K even if I bought the mould and had it shipped I don't know when we could afford to ave it made. Would he be interested in casting heads only? I'm not sure what they would cost either but we experimented last year with a Rhamphorynchus Malcolm gave us. It was a head/neck and tail, we made the body from wood/foam coated with our vinyl material and I sculpted the claws /fingers from epoxy.

6K for a cast is labour & material, mostly labour. I haven't priced polyester resin lately but it is one of the cheaper materials. The cloth will run you a bit. I couldn't even tell you how much it cost to cast ours in material because the museum got the raw materials donated. I do have a breakdown somewhere on how much material we used so it would just be a matter of getting up to date prices plus you need to befriend a fibreglass guy. If I was younger and hadn't already had my fill of it I would be your man.

The Enchodus mould is made of Polytek 74-30 urethane as well and the cast we did for the museum was hollow fibreglass reinforced polyester as well.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Ah okay, I had asked about materials and thought 6k was in reply to that. I know that takes up quite a bit. It's one reason we build our own dinosaurs but never sell them. The Apatosaurus for example is about a 1500.00 in materials but the man hours..we have months in her.

Everyone I've spoke with that works/worked in fiberglass have steered me away from it saying how much they disliked it.

It was  GOOD thought I only wish I had either the funds or the know how to make it really work.  If materials are 6K even if I bought the mould and had it shipped I don't know when we could afford to ave it made. Would he be interested in casting heads only? I'm not sure what they would cost either but we experimented last year with a Rhamphorynchus Malcolm gave us. It was a head/neck and tail, we made the body from wood/foam coated with our vinyl material and I sculpted the claws /fingers from epoxy.

6K for a cast is labour & material, mostly labour. I haven't priced polyester resin lately but it is one of the cheaper materials. The cloth will run you a bit. I couldn't even tell you how much it cost to cast ours in material because the museum got the raw materials donated. I do have a breakdown somewhere on how much material we used so it would just be a matter of getting up to date prices plus you need to befriend a fibreglass guy. If I was younger and hadn't already had my fill of it I would be your man.

The Enchodus mould is made of Polytek 74-30 urethane as well and the cast we did for the museum was hollow fibreglass reinforced polyester as well.

Let me talk to my friend and see what he was thinking..he has mentioned being nearby a spa supply company that might do fiberglass work, he's the guy who gets to go out and make friends..lol We'll see if we can work it out.

The Enchodus looks great on your site..a few of them would be awesome in this exhibit. Being indoors they don't need to quite as durable..can another material be used? Like with taxidermy fish?  As I mentioned, I'm all at sea when it comes to casting..heh

[Doug Watson]

The Enchodus looks great on your site..a few of them would be awesome in this exhibit. Being indoors they don't need to quite as durable..can another material be used? Like with taxidermy fish?  As I mentioned, I'm all at sea when it comes to casting..heh

You could ask him for unfinished fibreglass blanks that you could finish and paint, that would save a bunch. He might be able to cast them in taxidermy urethane foam but that could be tricky since the mould is urethane as well. I have never poured that foam in a urethane mould the release agent would be critical. You could be one and done. Those casts wouldn't be as sturdy as FRP casts.

[DinoToyForum]

Painted plesiosaur looks great! Well done!  I'm tempted to commission one for myself 

Thanks!  You were a great help! If you didn't have room for the whole critter the head would be a good way to go bud. Mount it near the skull version you know.

I'm thinking more for the museum where I work

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

The Enchodus looks great on your site..a few of them would be awesome in this exhibit. Being indoors they don't need to quite as durable..can another material be used? Like with taxidermy fish?  As I mentioned, I'm all at sea when it comes to casting..heh

You could ask him for unfinished fibreglass blanks that you could finish and paint, that would save a bunch. He might be able to cast them in taxidermy urethane foam but that could be tricky since the mould is urethane as well. I have never poured that foam in a urethane mould the release agent would be critical. You could be one and done. Those casts wouldn't be as sturdy as FRP casts.

Shoot me his contact info via PM or email and he'll see what he wants at least for the fish. I read they had fins made of plexiglass , taxidermy eyes and were the teeth individually cast? I've no idea myself how difficult it would be, I have friends that cast in latex and they've told me they couldn't do fiberglass from those moulds..just a different way it's done. FRP is the abbreviation for?

Painted plesiosaur looks great! Well done!  I'm tempted to commission one for myself 

Thanks!  You were a great help! If you didn't have room for the whole critter the head would be a good way to go bud. Mount it near the skull version you know.

I'm thinking more for the museum where I work

That could be cool. Just so long as a good time frame, I'll double check I kept the wood cut outs so I can use those again...otherwise it all be from scratch..again.