New to the sport. A few random questions.

[cbrice89]

I posted this in the beginner section but i think it would get more attention here.... so ill repost it...

This forum is very informative and i wish i would have found it sooner! I mounted my first duck 2 years ago. It was a Wigeon hen and it turned out alright. The neck was a little long and i didnt fan out the tail feathers but i couldnt complain. I will attach photo later. I then mounted a scaup and it was terrible. I sent a blue winged teal and a green winged teal to the taxidermist today and seeing all of those birds made me want to try my luck on another one. I have a redhead that i have been saving to get mounted for about 2.5 years now but just dont have the money to get 3 birds done right now. I got a local taxidermist to sell me a kit with the beak already painted because i didnt have an airbrush. Now to the random questions i mentioned in the topic title....

1. How long will my skin last once detached from the carcass? I'm thinking about skinning it tomorrow, cleaning it the next, and possibly stuffing it 2 or three days after. Is there a way to keep the skin from drying out in between all of these steps?

2. How long do feet last in a non airtight bag? They look pretty dried out. Can you fix this?

3. What is Master's Blend and where can i buy it in quantities adequate for one duck?

4. I see a lot of mounts with a rod coming out of the head. This looks like it would aid in shaping the neck. Is this true? Also, what happens to the wire? is it pulled out or cut off?

5. I dont have a tumbler and i dont know what to use in one. If i were to get some saw dust and a 5 gallon bucket and roll it up and down my driveway for 10 min would that suffice?

6. Do people inject caulk in the head of the mount on top of the artificial skull? Are you able to shape it while it is still wet?


I understand that i have asked a lot of "newbie" questions and i dont expect all of them to be answered. Its kinda just a starting point for me and im sure i will have more

[cbrice89]

here is my first mount..

[drakeman]

That is a lot of questions.   Start off by checking the archives and reading wingmans wingtips.    This has all been covered and you might getting more info doing a search.   Good luck!

[cbrice89]

yea. i read most of them. i was mainly curious about the length of time a bird can be skinned before (and after) it is de-greased. any thoughts?

[drakeman]

You can skin and refreeze then work on later.  Some guys will skin the duck when it comes in and mount it months later.

[drakeman]

Also you could skin and throw in the fridge over night and flesh the next morning.   I wouldn't leave it in the fridge for more than one night.

[SingsWithRavens]

I can answer 1, one half of 3, and 5, even though I am new to the art of taxidermy C:
1) Refrigerate or freeze the bird skin if you are not immediately working on it. I once thought I could leave a European starling skin out on the workbench overnight...it was horribly smelly the next morning, and not worth mounting :C
3) Master's Blend is an injection preservative made to prevent shrinkage and decomposition. Here's their information pdf: http://www.rmi-online.com/information/masters_blend.pdf
As far as purchasing just enough to complete one bird, I'm unsure of where to look. Master's Blend is typically sold in 16oz bottles, and runs about $30.00 minus shipping.
In any case (ESPECIALLY when working on waterfowl), injection fluid/preservative is a must. Waterfowl feet are notorious for shrinking, which looks absolutely wretched. Poke around these forums for injection solutions...I've read formalin (formaldehyde) and glycerin works well. No one solution is the best, though Master's is the most recommended.
5) I don't have a tumbler either. I use a plain old trash bag. Stick whatever tumbler-fodder you desire in the bag with the bird, blow it up like a balloon, tie it off, and shake away. About 15 minutes should work.
However, a few tips: - do be sure the bag doesn't have any holes, doesn't get any holes, and is sealed well. A face full of borax and/or sawdust isn't particularly fun!
- make sure there is plenty of air in the bag...it helps fluff the bird up.
- be sure the bird is dry before tumbling (this is a preference of mine). Tumbling a wet bird gets it absolutely coated in grit and powder...a real pain to blow-dry off.
- wear safety glasses when blow-drying the tumbled bird. Borax/sawdust/grit/etc. is HORRID stuff to get in your eyes. In general, just wear goggles all the time.

A few tutorials I find ever invaluable:
- http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,266936.0.html
- http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,154914.0.html
- and of course, all of the "Wingtips".

Happy mounting!

[cbrice89]

Thanks a lot! Those tutorials were very informative. I guess im gonna be skinning that redhead after work today...

[drakeman]

Also, dont bother tumbling bird if you are going to blow dry first.   The whole point of tumbling is so you don't have to blow dry.    You can fluff up the feathers just fine with a hair dryer.   Good luck.

[cbrice89]

what about a flesher? i dont have one. is there alternatives to using a fleshing wheel?

[hmw]

I think doing any quantity of birds without a flesher would suck.

You can get a fish skinning knife, small scissors, a scapel, a small wire brush and try that.  That way will be extremely time consuming.  If you are serious about doing birds I would look into buying or making a fleshing wheel.

[Brad Jones]

It might be the picture but your right foot appears to be backwards.  I also agree with drakeman read all of the wing tips Eugene has posted.

[cbrice89]

https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0?ui=2&ik=2435f78219&view=att&th=135367c7df7c0619&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P-wtdgZZ-iIOlclRjUAie0n&sadet=1328059307638&sads=ugEogbIyuxwY6VDfXPD2hTKwugo&sadssc=1

will some one please tell me if this first link is pin feathers? would it be worth mounting the bird? it seems they thin out towards the back

https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0?ui=2&ik=2435f78219&view=att&th=135367c7df7c0619&attid=0.3&disp=inline&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P-wtdgZZ-iIOlclRjUAie0n&sadet=1328059364076&sads=A7JACZXU0SVx6sL-5ip6jj6G8CE

Also, did i cut the tail in the right place? THANKS!!!!!

[cbrice89]

ok.. i'll post the pic. the first one is of the skin. are these bumps sign of pin feathers? should i continue the mount? what would be the ramifications for doing so?

the next pic is where i cut the tail off.. did i cut in the right place?

[drakeman]

Those are not pin feathers.  Those are the feather quills.  You need to flesh ALL of the fat and open those quills up.    This is why I don't see how it is even possible to flesh effectively without a flesher.  You need to break up that membrane over the quills that is holding the fat. All the fat around those quills needs to be removed, all of it!