XL Fossil Display

Table of Contents

Summary

This small project covers my process of converting commercially available, extra deep, shadow-boxes to display boxes capable of supporting large and heavy fossils. The particular fossils used are from a recent fossil hunting trip to The Ernst Quarries¹, aka Sharktooth Hill, near Bakersfield, CA on May 2, 2020! The motivation for this project comes from the fact that some of those fossils (such as the whale vertebrae) were too large to fit into normal sized, wall-mounted, shadow-boxes.

Materials

1. black acrylic paint²
2. one $\frac{3}{16}$"x3"x36” balsa slat³
3. cyanoacrylate glue
4. two extra deep shadow-boxes⁴
5. one adhesive black foam sheet⁵
6. foam paint brush⁶
7. Razor Saw⁷
8. High grit sanding block or paper (>= 220)
9. 30lb Hangers⁸

Below you’ll find pictures with captions (if clicked) detailing the salient features of each step in the build process.

Happy hunting!

Gallery