Taxidermist help (Fix it)

[boneaddict]

Some help would be good Michelle.

[boneaddict]

I managed to fix this drumming, for the most part. Painted it last night.

[Michelle_Nelson]

i have heard of people who did this and they refered to it as steaming an old leather hat....if you want to make it flexable and movable and be able to bend it then you use warmth as well as moisture........

Where did you hear this?  I have never heard anything like this befor.  Warm water yes, hot water NO. 

Some help would be good Michelle.

What I would do is but some of the Epo-Grip 2 part quick set epoxy. 

You can get it from McKenzie I know for fact.  Don't know if you can get it from Reasurch.  I will check and give you page numbers either way.  It's kinda spendy but you can use it on a LOT of different stuff.  The reason I say get the quick set is because it will cure befor the skin has time to dry and pull away from the eal liner.  Plus if some gets on the out side of the skin you can paint over it.

First off get as much paint out of those ears as possible.

Than get a wash cloth and get it wet with warm water.  Put the cloth inside the ear so it will rehydrate the inner ear skin.  Don't rehydrape the back skin.  this may take a day or so befor the skin is completely pliable.

Now mix up your epoxy glue and put some between the ear linner and the skin.  Put zap a gap along the edge of the skin and press it against the linner to seal in the glue.  leave a little open so you can work the air out while you spread the epoxy glue around.  Make sure you don't get to much in their.  Than wipe the excess glue off of the surface.  Card the ear for a little bit 3 - 4 days.  Giving the skin a chance to dry.

You can do any repair work with regular epoxy putty.






Deer eyes are not white.  They are brown.  I mix all my colores by sight so i can't give you my exact mixture recipie.  I would start with burnt unber and dilute 50% with laquer if you use laquer paints.  Lightly mist over the eyes.  USE LIVE DEER REFERACNE PHOTOS. 




You are using WAY to much white pain in the ears.  Get some light flesh colored paint and LIGHTLY paint that inside the ear with your airbrush.  Than apply bass belly white over the flesh.  I use Polytranspar paints.

I have to ask of all the deer you have seen how many have perfectly white ears?  At best they are a very light off white cream color.

[boneaddict]

First off, don't look at the eyes, haven't waxed them or epoxied them yet or painted either other than dusty pink, or light flesh.  Part of that might be the flash on my camera as that color is supposed to be light flesh from timberline.  I even added regular flesh or pink to it as I thought it was too white.  I see my initial thought was correct.  I've never even painted my ears before.  I usually leave them natural.  Mule deer won't be nearly as pink as your whitetails, at least to my experience in the field, but you  are correct.  I probably should have left them.  Like I said, first time painting them.

I will see what I can do with that bad ear.  I probably have what you are talking about already.  I think I bought some for soemthing else.  Thanks for the advice.  Like I said, just a mount for my garage.  The otehr one you are looking at has been hanging over a woodstove for 5 years.   It had been rained on, smoked, cooked, you name it.  Like I told Hunting Cowboy, more fun to see them on a mount than in a pile. 

[Michelle_Nelson]

Is that a mule deer in the pic?  If it is than the ears are still WAY to white.  Get a cream or bass belly white color.  If it is to off white you can always brighten with white.  Lightly misting to desited color.

[boneaddict]

Yeah its a muley.  I'd have to agree with you.  Glad I added pink or you'd have really wondered.  Wonder why they sell it as flesh.  Here is one without a paint job.  I almost like it better.  Funny

[Michelle_Nelson]

What did you add pink to?

[boneaddict]

I had the set of mammal paints from Timberline.  Comes With brown, black, white, Flesh and light flesh.  I was using the light flesh as the flesh color looks like the inside of a bears mouth per say.  The light flesh seemed oftly white to me so I added some flesh to it to get a little more pink.  I guess I should have added a touch more.

[Michelle_Nelson]

You got pic's of the ear you sprayd flesh in?

[boneaddict]

What do you like around the eyes etc?  Do you use wax.....epoxy sculpt....colored sculpt...all game???

[boneaddict]

Uhmmmmm Yeah, that one.  Thats what I mean, thats darker flesh than what they are selling as light flesh.  I'm guessing I should either go with medium flesh with them, or go to dusty pink with life tone, or try their flesh or add some more and see what I get.

[Michelle_Nelson]

Put some light flesh in a botle and add the darker stuff and make your own color! 

I use natural appoxie sculpt and mix burnt umber laquer polytranspar paint with it. 

I mix ALL my paints.  I make colors to match an individual animal.  Every animal is different and must be treated so.

[DeKuma]

You two are making this sound like a very fun undertaking.  Difficult and somewhat expensive, but fun.  Would love to do my own mount someday, but then what would the taxidermist do?  Can't put them out of work..........
Hopefully I will be sending one your way this year Michelle.  Needed a break after 04 and 05.  They get expensive........

[boneaddict]

Its all hobby Dekuma.  It is very fun.  I'm about to dive into a couple deer and an elk that will be much more important.

[boneaddict]

P.S.  I appreciate the insight and cander and expertise that Michelle offers on this site without anything in return.  One of the little things that makes this a great place.  If there are any oher taxidermists out there that want to dive into the conversation, feel free.