Hello Everyone! Its been a while. I e-mailed some pics of today's work to my Friend Matt showing him the procedure I used on a sandhill crane and he suggested posting it up, I don't know how usefull this will be to everyone BUT it may "trip someones trigger" so to speak LOL. I was mounting a VERY pinny Sept. Sandhill killed in MT. I wanted to use the clients real head BUT hate not using an artificial head on long necked birds especially with how much sandhill beaks vary in length and size, I ended up using the real beak by just attaching it to an artificial "skull" The following photos pretty much describe the process. These photos along with the reading of "wingtip" # 31 will help describe the method,... Basically cut the beak off the real skull, Cut the artificial head off in the same spot, Clean up the sinus cavity and meat on the beak, Wash as usuall, Then fill the sinus cavity with sculptall, run a wire down into the real beak, Loop that wire and bondo it into the fake head, superglue the lower mandible into the desired position, and then blend everything together with sculptall. On this particular head I also installed the tongue at the same time to save on finishwork later. The rest is basic bird taxidermy/fake head 101. The client wanted a dancing sandhill with a few specific request showing the wings off But overall for a Sept sandhill I think it came out OK.
As far as "future" wingtips I do have several photographed A couple upcoming topics requested are wingcurling primaries "revisited" for Tereza, A FAST new method
Simple eyesetting for Ludvik, tips on gassing of all things
And a "blend" of soaps LOL.........
The following photos explain the procedure, GOOD LUCK!!!!
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