quick way to patch a bullet hole

[Artie mags]

A hole that size I would sew.

[mike108]

I sew every hole regardless of size, although I do use the "football" cut before sewing it up.

[George Roof]

Well, I guess I tapdanced around this one initially, but it still grates at me.  Sorry, but this method is just pure damned laziness and shoddy work.  No other definitions apply.  This hole could and SHOULD have been repaired like all others just before the hide is put on the manikin.  You won't have to worry about glue oozing through or not being able to taxi the skin properly.  I don't care if you pin it, nail it, brad it or staple it, it's still sh1twork and if you take any pride in your work YOU SHOULD SEW IT UP.

[Roger E]

How do you REALLY feel about it, George?  You and I are too "old school", I guess...

[FreeSpirit (Wayne)]

I don't see what the problem is if everything is Taxied in to place its glued tattooed groomed done
I would make sure their s/s pins or galvanized brads or staples no rust
weather its old school or new school if it works why fix it

[George Roof]

Wayne, first off there is no such thing as "rust proof".  You're putting metal into a piece of hide that has been treated with acid.  Galvanizing will flake off very quickly.  Nickel plated pins rust quickly and stainless steel isn't.  Ask anyone with a boat that's used in salt water. Copper and brass plated  staples turn green.  Secondly, yes, it is old school simply because we were too dumb in that era to understand and to know better.  ANYONE who puts a hide on a form without first repairing the damages is simply lazy.  A careful football cut and whip stitching from the underside make a permanent repair that won't be effected by any of the chemical elements involved.  The method is simply antiquated and a half-ass attempt to cover what should have been done properly.

[FreeSpirit (Wayne)]

Well George when your on the fly or having one of those days your trying to get things done in a hurry
sometimes you miss or over look small holes it's a quick fix
and my air staples are coated so they won't rust or corrode from salt or acid
and I don't think you can call this lazy workmen ship

 want to see lazy have a look at your commercial housing see the corners they cut or the big
Industries or the car manufactures

so I don't think it's lazy its a quick fix for the mind lapse at the time

[kbcountry]

That's the same method Sallie Dahmes used in her book. The hole was bigger than that. I think she's done allright!

[George Roof]

kb, did you bother to check the copyright date on her book?  We've ALL changed dramatically since the time she wrote that book and no professional taxidermist should be buying off on that method now.  Wayne, I've never found a hole like that as I was mounting a hide.  Unless the taxidermy fairy came in at night and shot a hole it in after I'd prepped the hide, those holes, ALL OF THEM, are going to be repaired.

[Bill Dishman]

 Theres no way you should mount up your critter with a hole like that on purpose with the idea of "fixing" it later. Im gonna have to agree with George on this one.  
Where does one draw the line on these shortcuts?  
OK, say you accidently tear a hole like that taxi-ing the skin after the deer is mounted and stapled to the backboard. Then you could use that method as an emergency repair only.  When a customer asks me why i charge 550 for a deer shoulder mount when everyone else in the vicinity is a hundred bucks less, i tell them thats what i need to charge to do the job right without any SHORTCUTS.

[kbcountry]

George, If you'll remember, in Sallie's book the hole was the size of a dollar bill. She cut it in the cape after it was mounted. Mule deer I believe, in the white patch on the throat was slipping bad. I do agree about sewing if possible but in this case the cape was iffy to start with and this was only way to save it. I guess way back then they did'nt have access to replacement capes as easy as today.

[George Roof]

I think more than anything, Sallie was appealing to the necessity of being able to repair a hide and make it usable when it was questionable.    What she did was just the standard procedure in many commercial ventures of that time.  Lots of things have changed in that over 30 years since the tape came out.

[piatt]

i would sew a hole of that size as well, besides it would take me just as long to pin that stinking hide in place just right as it would for me to sew it up before i put it on the form. And on top of that i think it's a whole lot easier handling repairs before the cape is on the form...

[Artie mags]

I have to agree with George no way would I pin that hole.I understand about quicker ways.We all want to find quicker ways of doing things but some things should be left alone.It's like joining two pieces of wood to make one wide board.You can just find the straightest pieces and glue them.Or you can do it right by running the edges true through the jointer and then bisquit join them together.Sometimes there are no short cuts.

[michael p.]

I'm with Wayne 110% on this one!!!  I wouldn't consider sewing a hole that size, not laziness, preference. 

After mounting I will take as much time as is needed, close the hole, groom the hair & then cover it with a 1/8" piece of hardware cloth and let dry.  That hole with the amount of paste I use is not going to show or pull. 

This is one of those matters where it is not right or wrong, it is preference.

Next thing somebody is going to tell me I need to sew up a 2" split in the ear before I make them