Molding class: Day 1

The group in the classroom mounting the specimens in clay. 

Yesterday saw the completion of the first day of a fairly informal molding class held at VPL. It was organized and mostly conducted by Dr. Sterling Nesbitt, with a little bit of help from me. The class was made up of a mix of volunteers and staff from both VPL and our neighbors NPL (the Non-vertebrate Paleontology Lab), undergraduates and UT VP grad students. The day started in the classroom with a safety briefing, followed by an introduction to different types of molds, an explanation of what we were molding and why, and conversation about ensuring that one has permission to make a mold before proceeding. Then Sterling gave a brief overview of the methods that he has been using to create molds for his research program, using pre-completed examples of the distinct steps in the process. The students next selected specimens and jumped into the process, first laying several bones up in clay, then applying Aeromarine AM 128 RTV silicone. Clay work was done in the classroom for the table space, and then rubber was poured in the prep lab. Due to a previous mishap with our vacuum chamber, the rubber was not evacuated before pouring, but a small amount was poured slowly and brushed over the surface of the bones. Then, a light amount of compressed air was directed at the bone surface to spread out and thin the rubber, the stretching and popping many air bubbles. The first halves of the molds were allowed to cure overnight, and next Friday the group will return to pour side two.

Weighing and mixing silicone

This served as a pretty good test of the lab design, which is geared towards teaching medium sized groups of students paleo lab methods in a hands-on fashion. The classroom has two large tables and space for about a dozen comfortably, a projector, and blackboard, and is directly adjacent to the prep lab. The lab space is currently divided up into two rooms, the large main prep area, and small work space with a fume hood and separate sink for acid work and casting and molding. Two more lab spaces are currently under renovation from an office and storeroom, becoming a histology lab and rock saw/air abrasive lab. I feel that the setup worked out pretty well, it has been functioning as a research preparation lab quite effectively for two years, with a large number of undergraduate volunteers and grad students having been trained one-on-one already.

[Edited 6/19] To spell Sterling's last name correctly, def Nesbitt, not Nestbitt. Sorry dude!

Painting and pouring silicone