I paint a ton of fish in my studio, and have the best airbrushes available. after years of frustration, I wanted to try finding a more realistic way to finish bills and feet, not only saving a ton of time from color cup cleaning, but to also have a more intimate connection between finishing and application of some different mediums. I thank my good friend Rick Krane for sharing some of his methods and techniques for finishing fish, and I used those methods and applied them to finishing birds. so, I would like to share some of that hear for those that might find it helpful. this is my method to finish a Drake Surf Scoter. hope all will enjoy
Some of the materials I use for finishing bills and feet:
Derwant Water Color Pencils, Pan Pastels, Folk Art Paint, Water Based Paint, Fine Powdered Charcoal, Woman’s Make up, Hair Spray, Scrubber Brushes, Rubber tipped brushes, rattle can primers and Matte Clear rattle can final finish. besides your local Dollar and hardware store, here are good places to find the art supplies: http://www.dickblick.com and http://www.jerrysartsarama.com
pic #1 shows some of the materials I use and the Derwant Water Color Pencils
pic#2 shows some of the Woman’s Make up
pic#3 shows some of the other materials listed
I usually finish the lower bill first, but do block in any defined black areas on the whole bill with Folk Art water based paint. the best color for this is the color called Licorice. I then block in the jaw on the lower bill as well with water based paint and a brush. these are then sealed down with Ultra Cover Matte Clear and allowed to dry. you can speed that up with a hair dryer
I then move to finishing the lower bill that has been blocked in with the natural flesh water based paint.
the soft tissue between the lower jaw is blended with Pan Powders. Titanium White and Permanent Red Tint I then start to blend the lower bill itself, still with Pan Powders. here I use the colors Diarylide Yellow shade and Yellow Ocrhe
I then high light still with Pan Pastels the end of the bill. Orange Shade, Permanent Red and Red Iron Oxide. I forgot to mention in my previous post, that I seal down the powders between each color with hair spray if you don’t want to blend. if you want to blend between two powder colors, do not seal. the hair spray locks down your colors without building up a finish that can take the detail away from the bill, like many finishes can. Mod Podge is, IMO, is the worst medium to use on bills and feet
I then finish shading with both powders and watercolor pencils. you can go over your sealed work to adjust the colors and intensity. this gives you the opportunity to put in some contrast on you bills like you will see on live ducks. everything is not blended in nature.
here I did some more high lighting, and finished with burnt umber, raw umber and burnt sienna. it was then sealed with hair spray, and the whole lower bill was dusted with Pan Powder Titanium White. this will pull all the colors together and give you a more natural, and blended tone to your finished work. once satisfied with the end result, I lock it all in with lacquer based rattle can MatteClear
the under bill completed. upper bill next
not to be redundant, the upper bill finish has all the same colors, materials and application as the lower bill. I do however use a small amount of woman’s makeup at the start, and is sealed down
the same color sequence is applied to the upper bill. starting with the yellow powders listed above, then moving to adding in the red detail
once you are satisfied, and your color detail is finished and sealed with Matte Clear, I go back over, and detail the black patch with Folk Art Licorice. your done! I hope this might be helpful for all forum members!
finished Drake Surf Scoter bill: top, side and bottom
Every now and then you take in a specimen that you have never mounted before, right? I mean no one person can say that they have mounted every single bird, fish, mammal or reptile on earth. If so, I haven’t met them. Well that happened to me recently, a local client and his young son had been to Texas on a Whitetail hunt. After they had filled their deer tags they had a day left before they had to catch their flight home. The guide, who sounded to be a very generous man, gave them the opportunity to do a little Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit hunting. Needless to say the young boy had a blast; He killed three rabbits total before they had to leave. When they arrived back home I get a phone call asking could I do a Jack Rabbit, and of course I said sure.
Now mind you, being in North Carolina we don’t have Jack Rabbits, hell, I had never even seen one in person before. So, thinking this is pretty cool, I post this very picture on Facebook with the caption “This Should Be Interesting”. Well it wasn’t long, here come all the naysayers; “Freeze Dry”, “You Have to Freeze Dry It”, “It’s The Only Way” etc. So I got to looking and there were manikins for Jack Rabbits on the market, limited yes, but available so I questioned back in a reply “Why Do They Make Jack Rabbit Forms If They Can’t Be Mounted?” and I get a “Well Let Me Know When You Get It Together…LOL”. Well, me being me, I made up my mind right then I was going to skin, tan and mount this rabbit .
“Never Let Someone Tell You That It Can’t Be Done”…..that goes for anything in life, not just taxidermy. So I did a little research, got some good reference material and ordered my supplies.
Now we are going to show all these “Negative Nancys” how to MOUNT a Jack rabbit using John Schmidt’s JKR-600 from Van Dykes.
Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit
Skinning and Prepping
You are going to start the skinning process by using a ventral incision. Cutting from the vent down to the foot on both legs, this will be the only incision made, the front legs will be cased out completely down to the toes. Once you get the skin started it is fairly simple to remove, rabbit skin is actually pretty tough when pulling on it. DO NOT PULL ON THE HAIR, it will come out.
Once you have the skin off, split the eyes, lips and nose as you would on any other mammal. When turning the ears be extra careful, while they separate very easily they are paper thin and will tear. Skin the toes out all the way to the claw, much like you would a Squirrel. On these small critters I choose to leave the toe bones in after turning, this will give you shape for the toes without having to force tiny amounts of clay down into the toe skin itself.
Ok, preserving the skin can be done several different ways. At this point you can Dry Preserve or powder it, in house tan it yourself or salt dry it and send it to a commercial tannery. I chose to tan this one in house using Lutan-FN, and here is why. DP is not a good option in my opinion when leaving the toe bones in it. I feel the tan will preserve them better and narrow the chances of insect infestation. This skin is way too fragile to be sending off and being handled excessively in a commercial atmosphere.
If you do decide to tan it in house, DO NOT put it in an acid pickle; You will stand a very good chance of having rabbit soup if you do. Go straight into the tan with it, by pass the pickle bath altogether. The skin is so thin the tan will preserve it without it being plumped for shaving/thinning purposes. Once it has been in tan a couple of days and all flesh and membrane have been removed give it a quick neutralizing. Lutan-FN has a fairly high pH as far as tans go so five to ten minutes max will do the job, anything over that, you take a chance of really loosening up the fur.
Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit
The Mounting Process
Now let’s mount the Jack Rabbit up. Prepping the form is fairly simple. Start by making any relief cuts needed, on this particular form they were all on the back legs. Next with a saw remove the front legs completely. With a sharp knife remove the lower part of the leg foam which would be the foot, you will replace this with clay so you can shape it and position it to where it needs to be. Do not cut the leg wire; It will help give you support and strength where the clay will be.
I actually found that McKenzie had celastic/fabric earliners for Jack Rabbits (Not sure how they are used in freeze drying). So I decided to use them for mounting purposes because these ears are so thin and it was a young client’s mount. I wanted them to be as strong as possible. If you decide to go this route remove the cartilage just like you would on a deer. You will need to Dremel out a recess at the location for the ear canals for the liner butts to sit in.
Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit
Next pop the eyes in making sure they are symmetrical. Remember humans make these forms so they are never perfect, make any adjustments needed per your references. Also at this time Dremel out an area for your whisker bed. Test fit the face to make sure you get it in the correct location. You will fill this area with clay. Cut your lip slot and nostril openings as well.
Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit
Now do any clay work such as around the eyes, whisker beds, ear butts and feet. Sew up any bullet or skinner holes in the skin and glue in your earliners. Next you are going to add a liberal coat of hide glue to the two front legs and slide them up and into the leg skins. Once the front legs are roughly adjusted into place, apply glue to the head and neck area and slide the head end of the form into the skin.
Once the head is semi mounted and the ears are in place finish applying glue to the form. Make sure to get glue on the surface where the legs were removed as well. Pull the skin up into place, working it toward the tail end of the form being extremely careful to keep the glue out of the fur. With several T-Pins, temporarily pin the front legs into position through the skin. Pull the back leg skins and tail into position, insert the tail wire into the tail skin and sew up you incision.
Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit
Now you are going to need to secure the front legs permanently into place; Using a sharp knife or scalpel make a small incision into both shoulders. Insert a 2 ½” wood screw through the leg and into the body of the manikin. Counter sink the screw heads just enough to cover with a bit of clay and pop in a stitch or two to close the incision. You can now remove your T-Pins so you can taxi the skin into place.
To get the fluffy look of a rabbit, you need to blow the fur as dry as you can possibly get it. If you let it dry naturally you will end up with a matted up psycho Hare.
Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit
Once you have the fur dry, do your face work, eyes, nose, lips and ear positioning. Using a small tipped modeling tool, slowly push the whisker roots into the clay. Start at the front and work your way back one at a time on both sides of the face. This will really make the whiskers pop out and give you a more realistic look than just letting them dry in place.
Black-Tailed Jack RabbitBlack-Tailed Jack Rabbit
Almost done! make sure to position the toes the way you would like them. You may want to use a good reference photo for this. Also, you need to work as many wrinkles out of the ears as possible, because they will show once dried. It is very important to watch both of these (the toes and ears) areas during the first day or so of drying, because shrinkage will cause them to move.
Black-Tailed Jack Rabbit
After the mount has dried thoroughly, the finish work should be minimal. Do any needed filler work around eyes and nostrils. Then all that is needed to do is airbrush a little color into the inner ears and on the face. Finally, attach the mount to your desired base and you are done. Aso, check out my Training Videos for more “How To’s” .
As we enter into the hunting seasons, the proverbial topic of setting prices comes up as sure as the leaves fall. I think it is time for some straight talk on the subject.
Before I begin, I need to set the stage for my perspective on the topic. I co own a national taxidermy business with my brother, Austin that has been in continuous, full time operation for over 40 years. Over that 40 year period our shop has produced 10’s of thousands of mounts for sportsmen, sporting good retailers, restaurant chains, sub contract for other taxidermists etc. We have been full time taxidermists our entire lives and pay all of our bills with money earned from taxidermy.
The question we always get is how do you do it ? The answer we formulate in our minds tends to be lengthy and complicated, but it is really very simple. We make it happen.
We refuse to let someone else’s actions dictate ours. We are aware of what our competition is doing but never set our prices based on what they are charging. What you do is more important then your price. Pricing should be the last thing the clients asks about. It is a privileged to have taxidermy work done by you, not a right.
Branding yourself and your business
Before you can even think about setting prices, you need to brand yourself and your business. Branding is much more then just a logo and high quality work. Everything you do has to be the best if you want to get top dollar. Your website has to be fast, modern , and not a cheap do- it- yourself type.A facebook page is great, but it is not a substitute for a web site. Have a professional looking shop and showroom that is always clean.You need to dress the part of a professional. Answer your phone during business hours! Be friendly and always answer with the business name.If you are behind on your work, still answer the phone . Deal with it and get caught up, and avoid falling behind in the first place.Drive a good vehicle . Answer your emails, facebook messages,and texts in a professional manner every time. Make sure you are putting out quality work. Be consistent ! People like to know what they will be dealing with and not be wondering what to expect next. If you have a weak area get training to clear it up.You will have to spend some money to make all this happen, but it is the only path to major success. If any of these areas are weak, your business will suffer because of it. When your business suffers, your brand is tarnished and becomes worthless over time. When a brand is worthless it is not worth any money, and you will not get what you want for pricing.
Want vs Need
We often focus on what we ” need ” to survive in business. We need to make at least ” this” amount to keep the doors open. We sit down and go through elaborate formulas to try to figure out exactly what we need to charge.The problem with this is it is too limiting. We put ourselves into a box and cap our potential. While it is critically important that you have a handle on your expense to make sure you are making a profit, don’t get so caught up in the numbers that you block out the bigger picture. Taking in work just for the sake of getting it away from your competitors is not good business.Ask yourself what do you want to be making. Wealthy people make tremendous amounts of money relative to the work they perform.. Why you ask ? Because their brand is strong and people think they are worth it. Make your brand strong and put yourself on the path to making the money you want, not just what you need.
See what sticks
Setting your prices in the want zone will not always work. No matter how powerful your brand is, some items just will not go at top end prices. There are a lot of factors that contribute to this…location, demographics,supply & demand etc etc. If you cannot get the price you want on one item, try changing the offering or pushing another item until you find one that sticks. When you get pricing in the want zone, run with it and push it hard…you just hit gold. It is perfectly fine to have some need pricing mixed with want pricing as you transition towards all want zone pricing .This is an ongoing process that continues in different forms throughout the life of your business.
Example :
-Whitetail Shoulder Mount Pricing-
Other taxidermists in your area charge ~ $ 450
Price you need to stay in business ~ $ 550
The price you want to get ~ $ 695
Strengthen your brand and push for the want price to build wealth
Dealing with competition
The best way to deal with lower priced competitors is to let them have the price shopping customers. Nothing will put them out of business faster than being overwhelmed with low end work and problem clients.
If you are doing this as a profession, do you really want customers bringing you the work because your price is low ? You are an artisan and a craftsman . Act like it and get clients who respect your work.
Seek sound advice
If you want to be successful in taxidermy , take advice from successful taxidermists.
Promo videos have become very popular with the advent of online streaming as a way for businesses to get across a message. One of the more popular video presentations within the promo video world are called explainer videos. Explainer videos often rely heavily on some form of animation.They hold the viewers attention and clearly convey a message. These types of videos are all over the internet and TV commercials, but you rarely see them used in the taxidermy world. We decided to change that ! The first explainer video we built was for our online video education web site, Taxidermy Insider®. These types of videos would work well for any type of business and I see many application for these within the taxidermy industry .
You can hire a company to make one of these videos for you, make them yourself, or do a combination of both. I chose to do a combo with this first video. I had two other people and myself working on it. I had a very talented artist make the animations for me, and a professional do the voice over work. I did the final editing, video production work and got it prepared for the web. It should be noted that I have my own video production equipment and video editing software. It is not necessary to invest in this to make a great explainer video, but I found it was easier for me to get the look I wanted dong some of the production work myself.
Step 1. Write a script for your video
The script is the voice behind the video. It is what everything is built around , including the animation. Most explainer videos are around 1 to 2 minutes and feature a simple and direct message. Use clear terms that explain your business to the customer. Remember the animation will also be telling a story at the same time, so it is not necessary to go into great detail with the voice over. You always want to build a video around the voice work, so laying down the voice over is your first step. You can do this yourself with a good mic. I have done that on a number of my videos, but I have found that hiring a pro is easier! You can find many voice over professionals on Fiverr who will lay down an explanier video track for around $ 25.00.
Step 2. Choose an animation type
There many different kinds of animations that are used in explainer videos . Some of the more popular types are whiteboard, motion graphic,kinetic typography ,cutout, live action+animation,cartoon,and info graphics animation. I decided to do a mix .To me, this is the most powerful way to get a point across,and the most interesting. If you are hiring a firm to do the entire project for you, it will cost less to have them just use one type of animation for the whole video. In any case, you will probably want to hire someone to do the animation work , then build your video around that. Whiteboard animation is the most popular and economical. It features someone drawing the video frame and keeps peoples attention focused on the video. I incorporated that into my video in a number of places.
An example of whiteboard animation I used in my explainer video.
Cartoon animation is an excellent way to hold peoples attention, but is also quite expensive to have made. I utilized some cartoon animation in my video , animating the whiteboard figure.
Animated cartoons are excellent at holding peoples attention.
I also incorporated info graphics into this video. I call them props. In the opening scene I needed to let the viewer know quickly that this is a taxidermy shop, so I added some tools and of course the turkey ! The turkey was the actual bird used in the course.The work bench was also real. The tools and the vac are cartoon drawings. As you can see, just adding a few images tells a story quickly.Mixing actual pictures with the cartoon drawings also adds some flavor to the video and keeps it real.These are also referred to as cut outs .
Part of the info graphics I employed was kinetic typography, or making words, letters, numbers, and sentences move in the video.
Big, bold moving text provides a simple but powerful way to get a point across.
The animation work will be the most expensive part of making your video. Depending on what you want and who makes it, the price can range from $ 50 to $5000. Expect to pay around $ 100 for simple , black and white whiteboard animation to $ 300 plus for a short cartoon animation. Fiverr is a good place to get started finding an artist.
Step 3. Mix in some pictures and videos
I added a lot of screen shots, video clips, and still pictures in my video. I think it really keeps people focused on our content and makes the video more interesting.
Video clips playing at the same time
An example of screen capture framed in a drawn monitor
Step 4. Video editing software
Now that you have all the piece, you have to put them together and make a great explainer video. I use adobe Premier Pro for my video editing. It is a powerful and flexible tool, but it does have a learning curve . Some of the lower cost editing software will work, but you will sacrifice some features.The other option is to hire someone to put it together for you.
Step 5. The Build Out
Now the fun part, putting it all together ! I always start by adding my audio track first( voice over), then building the content to it. You want your images to match your voice over message.
A premier pro editing timeline
Step 6. BackgroundMusic ?
Many explainer videos have background music that helps to move the video along . I personally am not a huge fan of using it as I think it distracts from the voice over.
Step 7. Push it live
When your video is complete it is time to push it live and get people to watch it. Embedding it on your website and uploading it to You Tube are great ways to get attention.
The finished video:
Some other examples of promo videos we have made
The Stehling Brothers Productions Intro. This was a fun project we built completely in house using only Premier Pro. It takes info graphics to the edge of animation.
Promo video we made for www.fleshingmachines.com. This video features voice over, background music, info graphics, video clips and stills.This was made in house with Premier Pro .
The #1 question I get, time and time again on fleshing machines is how do you determine where to set the guards? I answer, there is no magic number, it is not necessarily 1/8” or ¼” it is a feel thing that is only learned with experience. That truly is the only way I can describe it. It is kind of like someone asking you how far do you press the gas pedal to go 60 MPH?
There are way too many variables to consider just like with the accelerator, such as are you going uphill or downhill, are you loaded with a heavy payload or driving a light weight compact car? With the fleshing machine, what size motor does it have as well as how thick of a skin are you working with? Is it a Whitetail cape or a Moose cape? How sharp is the blade, is it freshly ground or used and dull?
LET’S GET STARTED
Here are a few simple “Rules Of Thumb” I like to share with folks who ask me this question.
Proper Guard Setting
Very first thing, make sure both the right and left guards are installed on your machine. With the two guards in their proper location you can see that I have quite a bit of space between the blade and the guards. I have heard people say that they need to be as close as possible to the blade without touching it, this is “FALSE”. Without any clearance there is nowhere for the fleshings to fall and clear the work area.
Proper Guard Setting
One of two things will happen. Either the fleshings will pile up in front of the machine or they will bind up between the blade and guards and cause the blade to stop. Here is a close up of the same area.
Proper Guard Setting
SETTING THE CUTTING SIDE GUARD
Ok, on the left side of the machine you want to set your guard so that you are working with the middle to lower half of the blade. This will be much more comfortable for you. Also, this will help to control the skin better. If you get to high up on the blade it will tend to grab or snatch the skin. This could cause damages in the skin itself.
Proper Guard Setting
Here you can see a close up of the same area. Notice how shiny and worn the guard is in the area where I do my work. You can also see how much of the blade is exposed when I shave Whitetails.
Proper Guard Setting
SETTING THE BACK GUARD
On the right side or back side of the blade, I see or hear of people removing this guard. This is not a good idea, it protects you if you over reach when shaving. Also, it helps to protect the skin from being damaged. Here I have the bottom of the blade closed off with the guard. This keeps the skin from folding up and cutting a line or hole in it.
Proper Guard Setting
You can see here, once again, I am working in the middle to lower half of the blade. Also, here is one more close up as to how much blade I have showing when working with Whitetails.
Proper Guard SettingProper Guard Setting
IN CLOSING
I hope this helps to give you some answers on this commonly asked question. Also this information is available in my new online HD video series “Mastering the Fleshing Machine A-Z PLUS”. Over three hours of everything you need to know about fleshing as well as shaving skins on your machine. It can be accessed at www.fleshingmachines.com.
IMO, there is no cheaper or easier way to make a custom body, than wrapping your own. when I was taught how to do this, almost 40 years ago, if you didn’t wrap, you most likely did not do birds, since foam bodies were just starting to emerge for taxidermists. the materials needed were, and still are cheap, and are readily available. this method allows you to duplicate, right from the carcass, exactly what needs to be put back in, and allows you to pre shape for the pose you choose. if done properly, there is very little fill if any needed, wire anchoring is solid, and feather grooming is far easier than over a foam body. I am sure there are alternate ways to wrap, and I will share how I was taught and still use today.
material list is as follows:
fine grade excelsior
button and coat thread calipers
sharpie
butchers twine
leather mallet
post mortem needle
I dissolve in hot water, borax and Para Flakes (moth flakes)
soak the excelsior over night. I do a 5 gallon bucket at a time
you are now ready to start
from there, I remove my pre shaped and frozen carcass from the freezer for my actual reference. in this case a Drake Surf Scoter. this is going to be a dead mount of three scoter drakes, Black, Surf and White Wing. With that said, I want to elongate my body a tad, and over wrap somewhat the size to compensate for de fatting let out. I make two separate “flats” as I call them, and rough in the shape with the mallet, and bind these two core parts with thread. this is the heart of the body. the two photos show both the rough shaping, and the fine tuning of the 2 core pieces
I then marry together the two wedges, bending, and spreading them at the neck junction to form the neck pocket. excelsior filler is added along the back, and stuffed to spread the belly area. I use the mallet to beat the excelsior into a balanced and uniform core, this is the heart of the body
Ok, from here, I mark my connection points, chest and belly muscle, that now is added to the core. accuracy is very easy when you have the carcass right in front of you, and if you need to adjust the carcass its right there, and you can duplicate any changes in body shape and duplicate that onto your wrapped body
now it’s time to build up our core body. this is when I add the more excelsior to duplicate the natural muscle that shows from the carcass. I pre trim the excelsior with scissors as I apply to the core, and use the leather mallet to help in shaping as I wrap. bottom view, belly and chest done
when I am satisfied with the wrapping part of making a body, it’s time to do some fine tuning to areas that need more definition. this is where the butchers twine and post mortem needle are used. the twine is very strong, so you can put a lot of tension on it without it breaking. I just sew from one side of the body to the other, pulling tight to compress the body to define detail. I do this from the wing to body junction to the belly. done correctly, you now have a nice wing pocket
when I am satisfied, and after a test fit in the skin, I make any adjustments that are needed. you can beat this wrapped body into just about any pose with the leather mallet. time to chuck the carcass, and I now re soak and put it in the freezer till it’s time to mount. I do not mount on a dry body, but a damp one. that gives me more time to preen, as the bird dries. also note, that I mount with full wing bones as well as leg bones. this method offers a fully articulated replacement, without having to guess, like the foam and half leg technique. I am sure this is not for everyone, and I am sharing what I was taught, and still use today in all my bird mounts. hope this helps anyone interested in this old school method. finished body photos below
TTN-McKenzie Taxidermy Supply has purchased Knoblochs Chemicals, effective October 18th 2016. The products will be manufactured and shipped from McKenzie’s Granite Quarry North Carolina headquarters and stocked at their distribution centers across the country.
Here is a copy of McKenzie’s official press release :
McKenzie Taxidermy Supply is proud to announce that Knoblochs Chemicals is now part of the McKenzie family of companies effective October 18, 2016. Knoblochs Chemicals has been providing chemicals for use in the taxidermy and tanning industries since 1984. It is the second company that Rocky and Sharron Losasso, previous owners of Knoblochs, have trusted McKenzie with. In 2013, Rocky and Sharron sold Jonas Taxidermy Supply to McKenzie with the purpose of preserving the company that they described as their life’s work. As they trust us with another one of their companies, we will continue to grow and preserve the company that is best described as a pioneer in the taxidermy and tannery chemical business.
McKenzie will manufacture and ship the Knoblochs products from our McKenzie facility in Granite Quarry, North Carolina. In addition, many of them will be stocked in our regional distribution centers located in TX, UT, WI and PA. Chad Davis, General Manager of McKenzie’s said, “We are excited about being a part of a new chapter in Knoblochs’ history and combining the strengths of our companies to deliver an even broader line of products and services to the taxidermy and tanning industry.”
As we begin serving your Knoblochs Chemicals needs, we look forward to forming new relationships and building on those we are already a part of. If you have any questions concerning McKenzie or Knoblochs Chemicals, please don’t hesitate to call McKenzie at 800 279-7985.
I used to hate the forms that came with the two threaded rods sticking out. I found them very limiting and aggravating to get on and off. Especially for large mounts. I have tweaked my methods over the year’s and here’s my latest and most productive method so far.
I like to use square tubing. I went to a local steel supply company to figure out what sizes would slide down in the other. I use the smaller to go in the mount and the larger in the base. I used to weld a couple pieces cross ways to the main shaft and trace it on the back of form and cut out with a reciprocating saw. And anchor it in with screws or threaded rod and bondo and foam the hole. My latest method now. I made an extra long drill bit. Mikey who works here welded an 1 3/8″ paddle bit in some 1/2″ square tubing. After making level marks on the form we turned it upside down leveling the marks up. And ran that mammoth size bit all the way through the bottom of the Cape Buffalo right out the top. Mikey welded a piece to one end and a brace as well. We then cut out for the steel to be countersunk in the foam. I ran several 5″ screws in around it to hold it in. I also ran some threaded rods across the top of it. I don’t worry a whole now about the tube being perfectly level as i can adjust that with the bottom piece. Then thinned some bondo so it would run down in around everything.
I also have some receivers made so I can stick them on my mounting stands.
This is by far not the only method but it’s the one I prefer. I love how they are so easily detachable.
Don’t forget to order with no rods!
Next i’ll talk about the base end.
All businesses need cash flow, and quick cash flow is always there if you just look for it and not turn it away just because it is a small job. If you simplify these jobs where you can knock them out quickly but still give a professional product to your client, you can really capitalize on these small projects and keep the cash flowing. Simplifying is not the same as cutting corners. We are not going to cut corners just to get work out the door and money in the bank. This will always come back to haunt you down the road.
One of these quick money makers are deer hooves for gun, coat and hat racks. A very simple job, but so many times I hear taxidermist say I don’t like doing them. Or even worse I DON’T do them because they are too much trouble to skin out, or they are a pain to sew up. Well, get over it, you are a taxidermist and this is easy money you are passing up. In this article, I am going to show you how to simplify and streamline your system to turn these out quick and efficiently.
Here we go! Start the skinning process by beginning just below the dew claws with a #11 scalpel blade and cutting all the way up the back side of the leg.
Deer Hoof Gun Rack
Then start separating the skin from the tendons, muscles and bone with your scalpel. Once down to the dew claws carefully cut around and through the knuckle until it is free from the skin. Continue to skin down towards the hooves as far as possible. Then cut through the ankle joint removing the lower leg bone from the knuckles. Now separate the two sets (inner and outer) of knuckles so that they are free from one another. Next using a bench vise as a third hand, place the end of the knuckle into the vise tightening down to hold it firmly. Now both of your hands are free to hold the skin and cut the knuckles loose down inside the hooves. Make sure you get all the way down to the quick of the hooves, leaving no bones.
Deer Hoof Gun Rack
Once you have all your hooves skinned out, you can tan/preserve them using your method of choice. I tanned these in this article using the methods in my Tanning 101 Video Series.
Deer Hoof Gun Rack
Okay, let’s move onto putting them back together. I prefer the deer hoof mannikins from Van Dykes for this process. 1, they are not over sculpted which makes them inexpensive. 2, they are made from light weight softer foam, making them easier to cut. 3, the threaded rod is actually bent and goes up into the hoof area, leaving a much stronger and rigid support for a heavy gun or jacket to hang on and doesn’t just stop at the bend like some on the market do.
Here is where a lot of people have problems, they can’t figure out how to get the skin to meet, let alone sew the skin up at the bend of the ankle. So let’s “SIMPLIFY” the process. First, using a band saw cut through the bend of the ankle at an angle. Roll the form as you cut making a complete circle, DO NOT CUT THROUGH THE THREADED ROD.
Deer Hoof Gun Rack
Discard the foam cut from the form, it will not be needed. Next go ahead and sew the leg skins up just past the dew claws. Do a quick test fit; the form should slide in effortlessly.
Now once you are satisfied with the fit, start replacing the knuckles with critter clay, building it all the way out to the dew claws because you are going to need to replace the foam you removed from the mannikin.
Deer Hoof Gun Rack
Insert the cut end of the form into the clay and push it up into the hoof. Work the clay to make a smooth transition from the clay to the foam.
Deer Hoof Gun Rack
Now you can lay the hoof out flat and finish sewing it up, don’t forget to add some hide glue. Be sure to leave a little over hang of skin at the end to allow for shrinkage.
Deer Hoof Gun Rack
Once the skin is sewn and hair patterns are aligned bend the hooves up into the desired position. Make sure the skin stays aligned and the clay to foam transition is nice and smooth. With a piece of thread, tie the hooves to the threaded rod to hold it all in place as they dry.
Deer Hoof Gun Rack
Once everything has dried, trim off the excess skin that was left for shrinkage purposes. Also make sure the threads of the rod are clean from glue and clay so the Tee Nut spins on smoothly. On this particular project I used solid wood panels from Walnut Creek Hardwood. Whichever panels you decide to use, mark your desired location. Drill a hole to receive the Tee Nut and hammer it into the backside of the panel.
Deer Hoof Gun Rack
I prefer to use ferrules to dress up the ends of the legs, the ones I am using in this article are simulated wood ferrules from Van Dykes. Again they are inexpensive but really make the final product pop. Slide the ferrules over the threaded rod and screw the rod through the front side of the panel into the Tee Nut. Be very careful not to over tighten. Always make sure to use heavy duty hangers. The last thing you want is for a client’s gun to fall off the wall due to a cheap hanger. Also, do your client a favor and place the hangers to align with two studs, 16” on center is the national standard for most residential walls.
Deer Hoof Gun Rack
This concludes this article; I hope you can take something away that will help you in your everyday work.
Here is a short tutorial on molding a catfish. Due to the oily nature and skin of catfish, molding and casting is a good way to go.
The pictures will do much of the talking.
Our fine specimen -A 13″ bullhead. As you can see, the fish is slightly dried out and shrunken in. This is common for catfish that have been frozen.
First step is to spray the fish off. If it has been frozen, this is all you need to do to prep for molding.
The biggest obstacle when molding catfish is to bring the fish back to a natural shape—in other words fill out the wrinkles and shrunken gut. Here is my method:
There are a number of methods you can use to plump or fill the gut back out. We will be using latex caulk. I have three main tools I use to inject the caulk into the shrunken cavities of the fish.
To start, I need to make a small incision under the gill cover to access the stomach cavity. I use a scalpel to make the cut and push it into the cavity and move it around a bit so I have a clear shot
Through this hole, I can now inject my caulking. I start with this set up
I push the tube end into the farthest reaches of the cavity. I am not trying to completely fill it at this point, just plump out the edges of the cavity.
After this is done, I insert the caulk gun into the cavity and fill it until the skin is smooth. Do not overfill .
Take a small amount of cotton and push it into the hole we made under the gill cover—this will contain the caulk so it doesn’t leak out .
I use this set up
To inject a small amount of caulking up the vent.
Now for the wrinkles near the tail and on the face. I use a needle and syringe to inject water under the skin. Always do this from the seam line.
I “swish” the needle back and forth under the skin with steady pressure until the wrinkle area is restored. Catfish have some natural muscle detail that looks like wrinkles—use reference when injecting.
Time to lay the fish up for molding. We will start by making a dam out of high fiber—–mix it thick, and make a ring bigger than the fish
Mix up a batch of “soupy” high fiber and fill the inside of the dam. You want the fish to fall into place—-you do not want to put s lot of pressure on it to get it bedded half way down. This is the KEY to molding catfish. Smooth the fiber out and add mold keys.
Do the same with the fins
Dry the fish with a hair dryer. You want it dry to the touch.
The next step is to add pva mold release. I brushed it on in this case.
Safety first. Be sure you are working in a well ventilated area and you have on eye and respiratory protection. Were gloves when handling chemicals.
After the pva has dried, mix up a batch of auto body filler mixed with resin. The mix should be like pancake batter. From a foot above the fish, pour a stream of the the mix onto the center of the fish, working from head to tail. Let it roll off from the center until covered.
After it has cured,Reinforce it with fiberglass.
Do the same with the fins.
After your glass has cured, flip the mold and clean off the high fiber. Re inject if necessary.
Put one coat of part all paste mold release on the mold edges. Put a coat of pva on the fish and mold edges. Let dry and repeat step your auto body /resin pour. After it cures, strengthen with more glass.
Do the same with the fins.
Time to demold the fish.
You may have to use a jig saw to cut around the edges of your mold. I use a screw driver, and work it under the edges and carefully pry up. Go slow on this step and don’t use to much horse power. Wash your mold out , and clean up an imperfections with a dremel and apoxie.
You can now cast your blank. I normally give the mold three coats of part all paste ( buffing between coats) and one coat of pva. I use white gelcoat first, and laminate fiberglass with resin to strengthen the gelcoat. Mix cabosil with resin to form a paste. Apply the paste to the seams of the blank and clamp shut.
