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Making a Museum Mount
Art, Science and Magic

When the Museum needed a unique mount for its Wandering Albatross skeleton, it turned to nationally-renowned mounting expert Terry Brown, of Museum Professionals, Inc. We asked him to pose the skeleton in flight, mounted inside a life-size bird model.

The special challenge of the Wandering Albatross was its wingspan, almost twelve (12) feet, the largest in the world.

A mount must display a specimen so that it can be seen by visitors and at the same time be protected from dust, heat, bugs, etc. This model needed a clear plastic underside to make the skeleton visible.

He created a remarkable piece of work.
For more information on theWandering Albatross, Click Here

This was the process he used to get ready to make the mold:

We articulated the skeleton in flight position here in the Museum lab.	Terry first constructed a model of the bird using fiber glass, wood and blocks of foam. Steel bars and wire mesh made the wings. Then he added a layer of fiberglass and resin.	Finally he applied 150 pounds of clay.	Which he then sculpted and carved into all the external details of the bird including every feather. Now he was ready make the mold for the external shell. Click here to move on.
	Click on thumbnails to see larger image