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Hey guys! Got a call from a close friend this afternoon. He caught an 8.20lb largemouth out of Table Rock and wants it mounted by me. I’ve never done a fish before, and he knows it, but he wants to say his buddy mounted it. I’m doing it for just cost of materials because I want the practice. I was wondering if any of you could reccomend specific videos or hints that would get me started. I’ve only done 3 mounts thus far… coyote, 2 coons, and I’m working on a beaver at the moment. So…. details videos about preserving, mounting, and painting are needed. The ENTIRE process in other words. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance guys, God Bless.
Dale Carson has two video’s on bass . One is mounting the other painting .
X2 on Dale Carson and Rick Krane on painting. Start out on a piece of copying paper (white) and just layer the colors as they do on the dvd, I will be posting a bass in a couple of weeks when i finish the habitat to go with it.
Thanks a lot guys, I’ll be ordering the videos today. Any reccomendations on paint?
I started using Grumbacher (tube oil paint), 8 colors that we mixed to get the color we wanted. Then ‘polytranspar’ paint system was available (first in laquer ) and this made the painting of fish much easier. I used the polytranspar paints for many years and never had a problem with them. I would use them again if I had to paint a fish.
Poly for me……. It seems to be a lil thinner than life tone, very lil to no thinning done with polytranspar. i have to use retarder in my paint,keeps from paint drying on the tip and causing splattering,,JMO!!!
I got videos from TTU the other day and watched the first video last night about mounting and finishing. I think I have a pretty good grasp about most of the process, but there were a few things the video wasnt very specific about. The most important one that I can remember right now is the “tanning” solution. He says that it is half and half alcohol to water… is this just rubbing alocohol? What do you guys use? Is there something better that may help with shrinkage?
OK, so I should have done this earlier, but I looked at a lot of the older posts on here and it seems a lot of people are a fan of the powdered borax and water instead of the DENATURED alcohol (which answers my earlier question). But… what kind of ratio should I aim for with the borax.. and I did see that adding a little concentrated lysol will help also. I’ll be mounting a largemouth so I assume an overnight soak should do the trick. Seems like crappie are the only “quick soak”.
I mix one cup per gallon of water . Add HQ degreaser. Mix well . Then I lay fish in incision side up . And pour more borax so it settles in fish . Over night is good . I left one in that same mix for weeks . Still turned out nice . Rinse fish real well or you’ll have a borax residue build up under scales gills and mandible .
September 26, 2011
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Like hackleback said, overnight is good. Powdered borax is the best, because it dissolves in the water column, but granulated will work. You can’t use too much borax, but I normally use approx 1/2 lb for every gallon of cold water.
I would avoid using Lysol. I can’t see a good reason to use it, especially on a bass.
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I really appreciate everybody’s help. I’m gathering a lot of my materials and here soon will make a big order for all my paints and a few fish specific tools. I’m really excited to start doing fish, at first I was pretty intimidated but after watching a few videos and doing some research I think this will come a little more naturally than the furrier projects I’ve taken on. BUT as always, I’m expecting it to be just like anything… practice makes perfect.
