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The use of thermoplastic to create a reversible mount for an Ichthyosaur fossil at the Milton Keynes Museum, UK.

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Title: The use of thermoplastic to create a reversible mount for an Ichthyosaur fossil at the Milton Keynes Museum, UK.
Authors: Barton, Tabatha1 (AUTHOR) conservation@mkmuseum.org.uk
Source: Journal of the Institute of Conservation. Feb2026, Vol. 49 Issue 1, p83-96. 14p.
Subject Terms: *Thermoplastics, Fossil reptiles, Fossilization, Museum exhibits, Museums
Geographic Terms: Milton Keynes (England), United Kingdom
Abstract (English): In 1982, an Ichthyosaur fossil was found in Caldecotte Lake in Milton Keynes in England. It was planned to be displayed in the Milton Keynes Museum but pending a suitable gallery being available it was kept at the Milton Keynes main library. In 2024 the Ichthyosaur became the centrepiece of the Jurassic section for the museum's newly opened Ancient Gallery. The move from the library involved conservation, restoration and a complete re-display of the fossil. The goal of the re-display work was to create a reversible supporting insert for the Ichthyosaur which allowed for its fragments to be easily examined and accessed, without being fixed in the case. A thermoplastic, Worbla's TranspArt, was used to achieve this re-display. In this article we document the process involved including the removal of the fossil from the wall in the library, transporting it to the museum, its reassembly and its final placement in a custom-built case in the new gallery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Abstract (French): "El uso de materiales termoplásticos para crear una pieza reversible de fijación para un fósil de ictiosaurio en el Museo Milton Keynes, Reino Unido" En 1982, un fósil de ictiosaurio fue encontrado en el lago Caldecotte, en Milton Keynes, Inglaterra. Estaba previsto exhibirlo en el Museo Milton Keynes, pero, a la espera de disponer de una galería adecuada, se guardó en la biblioteca principal de Milton Keynes. En 2024, el ictiosaurio se convirtió en la pieza central de la sección jurásica de la recién inaugurada Galería Antigua del museo. El traslado desde la biblioteca implicó la conservación, restauración y una completa reexposición del fósil. El objetivo del trabajo de reexposición era crear una pieza reversible de fijación para el ictiosaurio que permitiera examinarlo y acceder fácilmente a sus fragmentos, sin fijarlos en la vitrina. Para lograr esta nueva exposición se utilizó un termoplástico, Worbla's TranspArt. En este artículo documentamos el proceso, incluyendo la retirada del fósil de la pared de la biblioteca, su transporte al museo, su reensamblaje y su colocación final en una vitrina hecha a medida en la nueva galería. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Abstract (Portuguese): "O uso de termoplástico para criar uma montagem reversível para um fóssil de Ichthyosaur no Museu Milton Keynes, no Reino Unido" Em 1982, um fóssil de Ichthyosaur foi encontrado em Caldecotte Lake em Milton Keynes, na Inglaterra. Estava planejado para ficar exposto no Museu Milton Keynes, mas enquanto não havia uma galeria adequada disponível, foi mantido na biblioteca principal de Milton Keynes. Em 2024 o Ichthyosaur tornou-se a peça principal da seção Jurássica da Ancient Gallery, aberta recentemente no Museu. A mudança da biblioteca envolveu conservação, restauração e uma nova instalação completa do fóssil. O objetivo do trabalho da nova montagem era criar um encaixe de apoio reversível para o Ichthyosaur que permitisse que seus fragmentos pudessem ser examinados e acessados facilmente, sem estarem fixos dentro da vitrine. Um termoplástico, Worbla's TranspArt, foi utilizado para obter essa nova montagem. Nesse artigo nós documentamos o processo envolvido, inclusive a remoção do fóssil da parede na biblioteca, seu transporte para o Museu, sua remontagem e sua disposição final em uma vitrine customizada na nova galeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Abstract (Chinese): "利用热塑材料为英国米尔顿凯恩斯博物馆的鱼龙化石制作可逆支架" 1982年，在英国米尔顿凯恩斯的卡尔德科特湖发现了一具鱼龙化石。该化石原计划于米尔顿凯恩斯博物馆展出，但由于当时没有合适的展厅，因此暂时存放在了米尔顿凯恩斯主图书馆。2024年，此鱼龙化石成为了博物馆新开放的古代展厅中侏罗纪展区的核心展品。将其从图书馆迁移至此的过程涉及到保护、修复和重新陈列的工作。重新陈列的目标是制作一个可逆的支撑嵌件，以便于观察和接触鱼龙化石碎片，而无需将其固定于展柜中。为此，我们使用了一种热塑材料——沃布拉的TranspArt来实现。本文记录了整个过程，包括将化石从图书馆墙上取下、运送至博物馆、重新组装，以及最终将其放置在新展厅的定制展柜中。 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of the Institute of Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: The use of thermoplastic to create a reversible mount for an Ichthyosaur fossil at the Milton Keynes Museum, UK.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Barton%2C+Tabatha%22">Barton, Tabatha</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> conservation@mkmuseum.org.uk</i>
– Name: TitleSource
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+the+Institute+of+Conservation%22">Journal of the Institute of Conservation</searchLink>. Feb2026, Vol. 49 Issue 1, p83-96. 14p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subject Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Thermoplastics%22">Thermoplastics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fossil+reptiles%22">Fossil reptiles</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fossilization%22">Fossilization</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Museum+exhibits%22">Museum exhibits</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Museums%22">Museums</searchLink>
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  Label: Geographic Terms
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Milton+Keynes+%28England%29%22">Milton Keynes (England)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+Kingdom%22">United Kingdom</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract (English)
  Group: Ab
  Data: In 1982, an Ichthyosaur fossil was found in Caldecotte Lake in Milton Keynes in England. It was planned to be displayed in the Milton Keynes Museum but pending a suitable gallery being available it was kept at the Milton Keynes main library. In 2024 the Ichthyosaur became the centrepiece of the Jurassic section for the museum's newly opened Ancient Gallery. The move from the library involved conservation, restoration and a complete re-display of the fossil. The goal of the re-display work was to create a reversible supporting insert for the Ichthyosaur which allowed for its fragments to be easily examined and accessed, without being fixed in the case. A thermoplastic, Worbla's TranspArt, was used to achieve this re-display. In this article we document the process involved including the removal of the fossil from the wall in the library, transporting it to the museum, its reassembly and its final placement in a custom-built case in the new gallery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract (French)
  Group: Ab
  Data: "El uso de materiales termoplásticos para crear una pieza reversible de fijación para un fósil de ictiosaurio en el Museo Milton Keynes, Reino Unido" En 1982, un fósil de ictiosaurio fue encontrado en el lago Caldecotte, en Milton Keynes, Inglaterra. Estaba previsto exhibirlo en el Museo Milton Keynes, pero, a la espera de disponer de una galería adecuada, se guardó en la biblioteca principal de Milton Keynes. En 2024, el ictiosaurio se convirtió en la pieza central de la sección jurásica de la recién inaugurada Galería Antigua del museo. El traslado desde la biblioteca implicó la conservación, restauración y una completa reexposición del fósil. El objetivo del trabajo de reexposición era crear una pieza reversible de fijación para el ictiosaurio que permitiera examinarlo y acceder fácilmente a sus fragmentos, sin fijarlos en la vitrina. Para lograr esta nueva exposición se utilizó un termoplástico, Worbla's TranspArt. En este artículo documentamos el proceso, incluyendo la retirada del fósil de la pared de la biblioteca, su transporte al museo, su reensamblaje y su colocación final en una vitrina hecha a medida en la nueva galería. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract (Portuguese)
  Group: Ab
  Data: "O uso de termoplástico para criar uma montagem reversível para um fóssil de Ichthyosaur no Museu Milton Keynes, no Reino Unido" Em 1982, um fóssil de Ichthyosaur foi encontrado em Caldecotte Lake em Milton Keynes, na Inglaterra. Estava planejado para ficar exposto no Museu Milton Keynes, mas enquanto não havia uma galeria adequada disponível, foi mantido na biblioteca principal de Milton Keynes. Em 2024 o Ichthyosaur tornou-se a peça principal da seção Jurássica da Ancient Gallery, aberta recentemente no Museu. A mudança da biblioteca envolveu conservação, restauração e uma nova instalação completa do fóssil. O objetivo do trabalho da nova montagem era criar um encaixe de apoio reversível para o Ichthyosaur que permitisse que seus fragmentos pudessem ser examinados e acessados facilmente, sem estarem fixos dentro da vitrine. Um termoplástico, Worbla's TranspArt, foi utilizado para obter essa nova montagem. Nesse artigo nós documentamos o processo envolvido, inclusive a remoção do fóssil da parede na biblioteca, seu transporte para o Museu, sua remontagem e sua disposição final em uma vitrine customizada na nova galeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract (Chinese)
  Group: Ab
  Data: "利用热塑材料为英国米尔顿凯恩斯博物馆的鱼龙化石制作可逆支架" 1982年，在英国米尔顿凯恩斯的卡尔德科特湖发现了一具鱼龙化石。该化石原计划于米尔顿凯恩斯博物馆展出，但由于当时没有合适的展厅，因此暂时存放在了米尔顿凯恩斯主图书馆。2024年，此鱼龙化石成为了博物馆新开放的古代展厅中侏罗纪展区的核心展品。将其从图书馆迁移至此的过程涉及到保护、修复和重新陈列的工作。重新陈列的目标是制作一个可逆的支撑嵌件，以便于观察和接触鱼龙化石碎片，而无需将其固定于展柜中。为此，我们使用了一种热塑材料——沃布拉的TranspArt来实现。本文记录了整个过程，包括将化石从图书馆墙上取下、运送至博物馆、重新组装，以及最终将其放置在新展厅的定制展柜中。 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of the Institute of Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/19455224.2025.2602931
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 14
        StartPage: 83
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Thermoplastics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fossil reptiles
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fossilization
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Museum exhibits
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Museums
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Milton Keynes (England)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: United Kingdom
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: The use of thermoplastic to create a reversible mount for an Ichthyosaur fossil at the Milton Keynes Museum, UK.
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            – D: 01
              M: 02
              Text: Feb2026
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              Y: 2026
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