- Joined
- Dec 29, 2002
- Messages
- 285
After getting some ideas from that thread and doing a lot of experimenting I found out a feasible way to harden molt chelicerae for use on necklaces or whatever. I decided on using the resin as I already have tons of the stuff and I knew how it worked (you mix a heating chemical with a tree sap like chemical that hardens it like amber).
On the first try I nearly smashed the chelicerae in half by making a small hole (there like a paper thin eggshell SUPER FRAGILE!). Then I wondered how I was going to make the chelicerae hard without bonding it to a surface. Took a while but I thought of using my already large and nasty hole to carefully insert a flexible wire and make a closed loop out of the wire with the chelicerae on it. After that I dipped the chelicerae in the epoxy resin just as the chemical reaction that makes it get hot started. This was very important because it was a state that the stuff didn’t have a gum like texture and could be quickly hardened. After a quick dip and making sure the cavities where full I waited until the resin took a bubblegum like texture and put the loop on a string and hung it to dry. Right now its drying and I shall soon have a T.blondi fang with chelicerae .
On the first try I nearly smashed the chelicerae in half by making a small hole (there like a paper thin eggshell SUPER FRAGILE!). Then I wondered how I was going to make the chelicerae hard without bonding it to a surface. Took a while but I thought of using my already large and nasty hole to carefully insert a flexible wire and make a closed loop out of the wire with the chelicerae on it. After that I dipped the chelicerae in the epoxy resin just as the chemical reaction that makes it get hot started. This was very important because it was a state that the stuff didn’t have a gum like texture and could be quickly hardened. After a quick dip and making sure the cavities where full I waited until the resin took a bubblegum like texture and put the loop on a string and hung it to dry. Right now its drying and I shall soon have a T.blondi fang with chelicerae .