Taxidermy Question - Protecting Bear tooth from splitting / sealing surface

ceriksson

ceriksson

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I received a full tooth from a bear a few days ago as a gift. Unfortunately part of the root had split due to dryness.

I tried an experiment to lightly add moisture back into the ivory by putting it in a ziploc bag with a lightly damp towel. It actually worked better than expected and the tooth has puffed back up a little and the crack has closed up. It is still there of course but it is a hairline crack now.

I am thinking I should seal the tooth with some type of epoxy or some material that will stabilize the tooth and prevent it from splitting again.

Is this an appropriate course of action or am I out to lunch? If sealing it or protecting it in some way is the right thing to do, any recommendations on product and methodology?

I do not have a photo of the tooth I have due to not having a camera here but it looks like this:

variants_large_3455.jpg


The crack is along the root down the front of the root to the base of the tooth enamel itself. I'd like to keep the crack closed and it protected from further degradation.
 
the liquid type super glue will seep into cracks very well. dries hard and clear. I've used it to fill the very porous ends of antler on small projects. To seal the tooth I would touch the crack to the tip of a super glue applicator. It will draw CA in via capillary action. Once dried, mount the tooth somehow, perhaps pushed into playdoh or something similar and using a small paint brush, paint the top portion of the tooth. After it is well dried, mount it the opposite way and paint the bottom. A small brush and quick strokes will leave a very thin layer. CA can be buffed afterward if required.

For elephant ivory, a regular rubbing with mineral oil will help prevent checking due to low humidity.
 
I wish I had known about these ways before, I have a cougar skull from a Tom I shot quite a few years ago that has all the teeth split decision falling apart. I still got the mount of the cat but it would have been nice to know how to take care of the skull. I didn't think I would have had to take care of the skull after the taxi had finished with it. He never mentioned to me about it drying out, Live and learn the hard way sometimes. Thanks for the input, good thread.
 
Sure. Let it soak in the glue mixture and then remove and let it dry off. The glue is water soluble. Once the water evaporates, the glue sets up and prevents any more shrinkage and the resulting cracks.The glue dries clear. I have to add a caveat....I have not used this specifically on teeth but I see no reason why it wouldn't seal and preserve your bear tooth. It works well on skulls. Check out the Weldond website if you need more information.
 
Stabilize it, same as for wood burls, bone, and antler used for knife handles. Send it to a company that does this and it will be done well, buff and polish yourself at home.
 
I've had hippo teeth crack from stabilizing. I'm not sure but I think the extreme vacuum may have contributed.
 
powdermaker said:
Sure. Let it soak in the glue mixture and then remove and let it dry off. The glue is water soluble. Once the water evaporates, the glue sets up and prevents any more shrinkage and the resulting cracks.The glue dries clear. I have to add a caveat....I have not used this specifically on teeth but I see no reason why it wouldn't seal and preserve your bear tooth. It works well on skulls. Check out the Weldond website if you need more information.
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OK thanks. Ran to Cdn Tire and picked some up. It is sitting in the solution now. Will let it soak in really well before taking it out.
 
NatureNutEmmy said:
Did this work out okay? If so how long did you let it soak and how did you position it to dry off. Thanks so much for the feedback!!
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It did work great. Noting that this is a necro thread from 2016 but nearly 10 years later and the tooth hasn't changed one bit since completing the treatment..

I'm going off vague recollection as it was a while ago but I didn't soak it for very long each time and I think I dipped it and dried it perhaps 4 times to ensure I had a good coating. I may have left it in longer the first time but I can't remember for how long, perhaps 15min to 1hr or something.

I'll see if I can find it and take a pic this evening.

On the positioning, I can't remember exactly unfortunately but I must have done it in a manner that minimized flat spots from forming. the mixture is very light given the amount of water, just seems wet, not viscous at all.
 
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I've used super glue for cracking teeth with success. I've brushed it on my last skull and so far so good but it can take a couple years for teeth to crack.
 
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