hi everybody
i wanted to know more about re-creations; does this wor deal only with the re-creations of specimens that already existed like dinosaurs for example, or can it be specimens that enevr existed (like some of you create animals out of actual skins of other animals?
and how mounts of dinosaurs are made ? i mean with what material ?
thanks all of you !
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Hi Yasmine.. I actually make dinosaur skeletons and 'fleshed out' versions for museums - so that part of your question really caught my attnetion. Many different materials can be used for making these displays and it varies from company to company. Most common are various polyester resins from 'gelcoats' which are brushed or sprayed in to the molds to capture detail. This is then followed up with fiberglass for light weight strength. Solid bones are often made from a product called WEP (Water Extended Polyester). Some places will cast their parts out of urethane resins or epoxy resins, and others still use urethane foams. The reproductions of skeletons either come from molds of actual fossil material, or from sculptors who sculpt bones based on measurements from fossil. Rarely is an entire dinosaur skeleton found so most of the time a sculptor is required to sculpt the missing bones. The skeletons you see in museums then are often fake plastic bones, with the pieces cast from molds that come from either real fossil or sculpted versions of them. The real fossil is often not on display and are kept in separate labs out of the public eye. 'Composite' skeletons also exist wherein real fossil is mounted on steel armatures, with sculpted missing bones filling in the blanks.
In taxidermy, 'recreation' is often used to describe making one type of animal out of another. This happens a lot with animals that cannot be readily obtained. For example in the US it is normally illegal for people to mount birds of prey for commercial applications or even their own use. By using feathers from turkeys, chickens and other legal birds however, 'recreations' of these protected birds can be made. 'Reproductions' on the the other hand are casts made from molds taken off of actual specimens. So birds like eagles made from turkey feathers are 'recreations' where plastic versions of snakes, frogs and fish are 'replicas' or 'reproductions'. Replicas and reproductions are my particular area of interest...
Hope that helps =)
now i know to whom i can ask my questions about re-creations lol if you do not mind of course lol
thanks again
No Problem at all.. just remember.. I'm not a taxidermist.. the only 'real' material I work with is bones. When I'm not doing reprroductions and replicas, I'm working on osteological stuff (skeletons and skulls). When it comes to using feathers n fur - LOL - I am NOT the guy to ask ;)
Again - glad I could help =)