Ears

[Jackjr]

What method do you guys and gals use for you ears.  Ear liners, bondo method, or something else?

[Houndhunter]

i havnt done them, but from when i watch my uncle he uses fiber glass. i dont know exactly what bondo is made of but it sounds like its similar to fiber glass

[boneaddict]

I mix bondo with chopped fiberglass for my ears.  I've tried paper and plastic ear liners and I like the bondo method best.

[Houndhunter]

is bondo just a type of resin?

[bucklucky]

I use both earliners and bondo , fiberglass chop, and resin mixture. I prefer the earliners for competition work though. Not sure if I like the bondo method, I started taxidermy using bondo and used it for a few years then I went to earliners. I have been using liners for 5-6 years now. they are really thin just like a real deer ear and absolutely no drumming. Now Bondo I have a hard time liking as much. I love how easy it is to use , you dont have to peal the cartlage out which is a pain sometimes. You do have to prep the ear correctly though. I use laquer thinner to get all the oils off the leather I can then I will use a blow drier and drie the ear pretty good, then I use a rougher and rugh up the cartlage and then invert and work the bondo in and make sure I knead it around real well so it gets a good coat on the leather and cartleagd for adhesion. I can get them pretty thin but not quite as thin as the liners. I see alot of taxidermists that use bondo that dont shape the ear correctly though. I hate ear tips that are bent forward. I never seen a deer or elk ear that the tips were bent forward on my referance photos. The have a gradual light sweep back if that makes sence.

[Michelle_Nelson]

I use bondo on most of my stuff.  I like using earliners on larger eared animals. 

Bucklucky I have a few photos of deer with their ears cupped.   The tips are not quite pointed forward.  Hard to explain.  I will also have to find the buggeres.  Most of my referance photos are still packed from the move. 

[Hunting Cowboy]

I use both. I think plastic earliners are more work, so I prefer to use bondo and polyester resin mixed 50/50 with chopped glass. I also make sure that the tanning oils are completely cleaned using lacquer thinner. I  do my best to clean and prepare the ears in order to prevent ear drumming. I use earliners on bear, couger, coyote and raccoon and occassionally on elk & deer. I do like using the bondo method though.

[boneaddict]

bondo can be messy if you blowout an ear or get a hole in it, and sometimes isn't the easiest to get out of hair if you miss it.  Its also easy to not get the ear split all the way to where you are supposed to.  That was one of my big errors on my last deer.  I thought I was good to go, but wasn't.  Earliners kind of help with that mistake a bit.  I think you also have to pay closer to attention with getting your earliners the correct size.  If its too big, the ears will drum on you or split as it dries and shrinks.  Too small, and I suppose you have the same problem as the begining withthe bondo......don't know, haven't done that one yet.  You watch all the taxidermy vids and they say cut out the cartiledge and compare the size to the earliner......well I have never in my life got one whole ear cartiledge out in one piece.  They are improving the glues or adhesives TONS with earliners, so there is much less problem with drumming as there used to be.

[bucklucky]

I just put a thread on Taxidermy.net to see what the y say about the ear tips. I looked through the referance photos and never seem them cupped forward..I dont know , but I am researching that so I know positively.  Looks like most of the pics have the slight bend backward at the tip with a few that are straight but not cupped forward from what I see.  Well see..

[Michelle_Nelson]

Mojority of deer have that slight bend back and the ends of the ears.  I have or had a hunting magazie with a picture in it with the ears slightly bent forward.  I believe I still have another picture of the same thing. 

I've had deer brought to me with old and new (what looked like) tick damage on their ears and fighting damage that the tips did not bend back.  It all depends on the animal.

[Black Ghost]

beauty is in the eye of the beholder

[Michelle_Nelson]

Here is an ear I did last night with bondo and chop fiber glass.



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