Sunday Morning Questions (SMQ's) part 43

[Rick Krane]

SMQ’s 43

Good Sunday Morning! Week 43 – 9 weeks left to go and the Sunday Morning Questions!

Last week’s winner of the Fish reference CD is Mr. Chad See of Elkins WV! Congratulations!!!!!!!!

 I sure hope this week’s contribution of fish food for thought shares some entertainment and knowledge for you.

I thank you and WASCO for letting me share in my passion "FISH! As long as you keep answering the questions, I will keep writing them.

So with out further ado! Lets Get the morning stared to a new week with some fish taxidermy talk! The good people at WASCO give us the free opportunity here to share information so we can be better-informed taxidermist! So in the spirit of WASCO generosity we share freely with each other!

1. Out of all the salmon which one had the largest eye and which one has the smallest eye?

2. How do you reattach your fish fins back on your mount or reproduction?

3. What is the average size fish you take in a year?

4. What fish would you like to have to mount or mold for your own personal collection?

5. How do you go about determining eye size?

6. S- curves Concave or convex, which is the most common you will position for a customer?

7. What do you for a skin paste?

8. What do you do to fix the problems of missing scales after a fish is mounted?

9. How often do you practice (not actually paint a fish) airbrushing?

Bonus Question #10
What is this fish? Be the first one to give me the correct name and where it can be found and you will win a fish reference CD! Tell me some thing about this fish that would be of interest to the readers.

It is all because of you and your awesome replies this has become so successful!
From beginners to the seasoned pro's every one contributes and all benefit from your great experiences! Let see if I we can get more responses on the forum as well as in my email. I will give you some free fish reference photos for the asking just for contributing!
As always I just think your answers are so good more and more contribute on here for all see!

My Best and have fun with this!

Rick Krane
Anglers Artistry
312 Chesterfield Rd
Hinsdale, NH 03451
603.336.7296

[Mark V.]

1. Out of all the salmon which one had the largest eye and which one has the smallest eye? It seems like the silver salmon has the largest according to body size and the King salmon has the smallest according to size. not sure this may be correct or maybe I'm not understanding.

2. How do you reattach your fish fins back on your mount or reproduction? Hot melt glue gun or autobody filler

3. What is the average size fish you take in a year? Wild guess would maybe be 30 inches but we do such a mixed bag its hard to tell. Walleye,Northern pike,bass,Muskellunge etc.

4. What fish would you like to have to mount or mold for your own personal collection? Any and all trout and salmon species.

5. How do you go about determining eye size? usually by measuring the eye prior to mounting to give it a more exacting.

6. S- curves Concave or convex, which is the most common you will position for a customer? Convex

7. What do you for a skin paste? McKenzie paste

8. What do you do to fix the problems of missing scales after a fish is mounted? Take one out from the non show side and insert with super glue or use apoxie sculpt and model one in.

9. How often do you practice (not actually paint a fish) airbrushing? Never

Bonus Question #10
What is this fish? Be the first one to give me the correct name and where it can be found and you will win a fish reference CD! Tell me some thing about this fish that would be of interest to the readers. Probably wrong but I will say Atlantic Pollock

[Frank E. Kotula]

1. Out of all the salmon which one had the largest eye and which one has the smallest eye? King and then the Pink

2. How do you reattach your fish fins back on your mount or reproduction? Hot glue first then apoxie sculpt

3. What is the average size fish you take in a year? 18"

4. What fish would you like to have to mount or mold for your own personal collection? peacock bass

5. How do you go about determining eye size? Measure the iris only not the scleral band

6. S- curves Concave or convex, which is the most common you will position for a customer?Concave

7. What do you for a skin paste? clear acrylic silicone caulk

8. What do you do to fix the problems of missing scales after a fish is mounted? On large scaled fish I epoxy the are in and then with a rubber mold I will press in scale detail. On small scaled fish I will just paint in the scales.

9. How often do you practice (not actually paint a fish) airbrushing? 3% of the time and that's when I'm teaching students on how to do air brushing

Bonus Question #10
What is this fish? Be the first one to give me the correct name and where it can be found and you will win a fish reference CD! Tell me some thing about this fish that would be of interest to the readers.
Since I'm a lucky holder of one I'll leave this up for other folks.

[Chad See]

Another week has come and gone already.  Where does the time go?  Thanks again Rick for taking the time to post another round of questions.

1. Out of all the salmon which one had the largest eye and which one has the smallest eye?

1. Not sure on this one so I guess I will have to pass. 

2. How do you reattach your fish fins back on your mount or reproduction?

2. I always us a glue, be it hot, super, or epoxy.  I then finish them with apoxie sculpt.

3. What is the average size fish you take in a year?

3. I would say 18 inches is about average.

4. What fish would you like to have to mount or mold for your own personal collection?

4. I would love to have a fairly large tiger trout for my own collection. 

5. How do you go about determining eye size?

5. Measure the colored part of the eye, do not include the outer band.

6. S- curves Concave or convex, which is the most common you will position for a customer?

6. I get do a fair amount of S-curves.  

7. What do you for a skin paste?

7. I have been using dextrine for my fish paste, however I am not overly happy with the results.

8. What do you do to fix the problems of missing scales after a fish is mounted?

8. It depends on the fish.  Large scaled fish should be filled with apoxie sculpt, then I carve the scales back in by hand.  Smaller fish I do the same on some, but often times just paint the scales on later.  

9. How often do you practice (not actually paint a fish) airbrushing?

9. Not nearly enough! 

Bonus Question #10
What is this fish? Be the first one to give me the correct name and where it can be found and you will win a fish reference CD! Tell me some thing about this fish that would be of interest to the readers.

10. This is a tough one.  It looks like some sort of drum to me.  I am guessing a white bass which can be found in salt water around California.  As for something of interest, this fish can be very large and it isnt uncommon for divers to spearfish for them.  

[hunterray2002]

Not to sure on no.1 as well. So I am gonna pass on that one also.

2. I've always used hot glue and then feathered with apoxy sculpt.

3.In my area on average  being trout would run 20'' Bass would be roughly the same

4.My own personal best brown trout. One of these days I will finally get around to getting it mounted up. 24'' 5lbs

5.I measure  eye size by the actual fish and  an eye chart. entire eye is what I do . I fill alot of the outer eye over with sculpt .

6.s, curves and head up, tail up posses.

7.skiping ,and 8, No longer do skin mounts. I know my Bad. lol

9.As far as practicing goes with my air brush. Its not on a regular basis as in every single day. but more like a week a month depending how my work load is.
10.By the looks of i am gonna guess my best one on this. I'm guessing  a char.  wild guess tho. lol

[Fish-Man-Dan]

10. Looks like a weird looking Walleye to me.

[Rick Krane]

Great answers so far! Question #10 is  bit tough. I will say you have to look deep to find the answer. Maybe someone will have another picture of this fish.

Good Luck!!

Rick

[hunterray2002]

I give up. Rick. what is this thing ?lol thats missing it's lower jaw.

[fishwork]

Sorry...I have been "occupied" last couple of weeks...Thanks Rick and everybody have a great week. Ken


1. Out of all the salmon which one had the largest eye and which one has the smallest eye?
Chinook  largest
Pink  smallest

2. How do you reattach your fish fins back on your mount or reproduction?
Hot glue followed with Apoxie Sculpt

3. What is the average size fish you take in a year?
Average probably about 8-10 lbs.

4. What fish would you like to have to mount or mold for your own personal collection?
     Tarpon

5. How do you go about determining eye size?
I try to reference actual eye size  but the bottom line is that I want to be sure that I can create the sclera in a way that it creates a ball in socket look for the eye.

6. S- curves Concave or convex, which is the most common you will position for a customer?
     Concave

7. What do you for a skin paste?
Honestly, Im one of the caulk users.

8. What do you do to fix the problems of missing scales after a fish is mounted?
Usually rebuild with Apoxie of glue in actual scales…mainly on larger scaled fish.

9. How often do you practice (not actually paint a fish) airbrushing?
     Seldom…probably should.

Bonus Question #10
What is this fish? Be the first one to give me the correct name and where    it can be found and you will win a fish reference  CD! Tell me some thing about this fish that would be of interest to the readers.
Ling Cod...its ugly! I have made replicas of a couple of these guys...

[Old Fart]

!. I wouldn't have a clue here, I've only done King and chum salmon.
2. Apoxy Sculpt
3. The average fish I do is an eight pound, 28" walleye.
4. Panfish size tropical reef fish would be nice, otherwise crappie or smallmouth are my favorite fish.
5. I compare the actual fish eye before I skin the fish to my stock of eyes and pick the best one.
6. Virtually everything I do is a gentle s-curve mounted on driftwood.
7. White caulking.
8. Not a frequently encountered problem with the kind of fish that I do, paint will usually do the job, but occasionally Apoxy sculpt will have to be used.
9. Never, anymore.

[Dave Smith]

#4: I have been trying to get a bluegill over about a pound and a half for almost twenty years. Also, I big deep bodies spawning male brookie

[UFD]

1. Regarding eye size in comparative relation to the size of the head in adult Pacific Salmon, a Chinook has the smallest eye (almost appearing beady-eyed in larger fish) and the largest appearing eyes would be a toss-up between Sockeye (hence their name) and Chum Salmon.

2. I attach (or reattach) fish fins back onto skin mounts or reproductions with super glue, sometimes with the assistance of pins glued into the base of the fins.  Large gaps are filled with bondo and then the transitions are filled and sculpted with sculpting epoxy.

3. The bulk of fish that I do are Steelhead and Chinook Salmon with the Steelhead ranging between 36-42 inches and the Chinooks ranging from 43-50 inches.  My overall combined average size is just over 40 inches.

4. I’d really be smiling if I could get my hands on an African Tiger Fish, with second place going to a Nile Perch.

5. I determine eye size by measuring the iris or colored part of the eye.  With some species it is also important to pay attention to pupil size.  It is also helpful to know how a manufacturer measures their eyes so that you can cross-reference your measurements to theirs.

6. I’d say that a concave (head out, tail back) S-curve nudges out in popularity a convex S-curve for my clients.  However, the convex (head back, tail out) S-curve is very popular when my client and I decide that we want to give the optical illusion that the girth is bigger than it is.

7. I use Polytranspar Hide Paste as a skin paste for my carved bodies.

8. To fix a problem of a patch of missing scales, I will fill in the area with sculpting epoxy and allow it to harden.  Then I will scribe in the scale shape with a knife blade or moto-tool bit and then carve out the lowest area of the scale with a sharp craft knife blade.  Sometimes I will also use a tool to sculpt them into the epoxy before it sets.

9. On occasion I have been known to build a plastic kit of an armor or aircraft scale model when I should be sleeping, and I really enjoy the camouflage process using an airbrush.  It is kind of a cross-training approach I guess, but I can’t say I ever practice with an airbrush without it being a means to an end.

10.  My best “guesstimation” on this fish would be a Sablefish from the Anoplopomatidae family, which is also commonly known (somewhat incorrectly) as a Black Cod or scientifically as an Anoplopoma fimbria.  If indeed that is what it is, they are a bottom-dwelling saltwater fish from the North Pacific Rim that can frequent very deep depths, and are commercially viable as a food fish.

[fishwork]

Good call Dave...I would have to concur with your "guesstimation" . The picture is more characteristic of a Sablefish.

[Rick Krane]

Hey Ken Welcome back brother and brother dave I was going to send out smooke signals for you!

OK enough of that! So many great answers and invaluble information!!!!! You guys are the best for sure!

OK Mr. or should I say Dr. Campbell ( LOL) he shots he scores! Ok Dave a specail CD for you!!!!

Yes it is the Sable or the Black cod! Here is another picture of one of the hardest to catch fish complments Of Mr. Travis Peterson! Black Cod are long lined and capture alot of money in the Jampines market. Depths of over a thousand feet in not uncommon for this fish.

All is well in the world of Fish taxidermy!

My Best!

Rick

[Michelle Nelson's Taxidermy]

1. Out of all the salmon which one had the largest eye and which one has the smallest eye?

Have no clue

2. How do you reattach your fish fins back on your mount or reproduction?

So far I have used Hot Glue and blended in with Epoxy

3. What is the average size fish you take in a year?
 
Average size fish so far have been about 22"

4. What fish would you like to have to mount or mold for your own personal collection?

  If I had to pick one fish it would be Rainbow trout.  But I would like Salmon, Trout, or steelhead also.
5. How do you go about determining eye size?

I measure the colored part of the eye, not the outer band.

6. S- curves Concave or convex, which is the most common you will position for a customer?

  Most fish I do are LMB and I order the Matt Thompson Fish forms from McKenzie.  Left Turn or Right Turn

7. What do you for a skin paste?

30-06 White Lightning Caulking

8. What do you do to fix the problems of missing scales after a fish is mounted?

Depends on how big the scales are and how many are missing.  I usually use Epoxy sculpt and scult them back in.

9. How often do you practice (not actually paint a fish) airbrushing?

NOT ENOUGH

Bonus Question #10
What is this fish? Be the first one to give me the correct name and where it can be found and you will win a fish reference CD! Tell me some thing about this fish that would be of interest to the readers.


I wasn't sure exactly what kind of fish this was.  I was going to guess some kind of Cod.