Real or artificial gills?

[leiniesdrinker]

Sounds interesting to me too.  I'd like to see it also.

[outdoorzman]

I'm like to see it as well!

[Gameovertaxidermy]

I freeze dry them unless I'm using an artificial head.

[den007]

Real gills just suck for so many reasons. Grease, never look full, contorted shape, stink.  The chenille can be convincing, but corrugated cardboard can as well. Rick Hardy from Unique Species sent me some saltwater fish with very full looking gills. The 2 layers of corrugation give a nice full look.

Another option is the red foam stuff from any craft store. I have used it for a long time, but am becoming a convert to the cardboard after seeing Rick's efforts and talking to him about it. Easy and quick and economical. Very convincing.

[Gameovertaxidermy]

They look very full, and grease free if prepared properly and freeze dried.

[den007]

Grease and fat does not freeze dry. It oozes.

[Gameovertaxidermy]

Not sure were on the same page here. I use artificial heads on coldwater fish and only do reproductions of saltwater fish. Guess I'm not used to gills containing anything but slime and blood. I've seen grease bleed thru in the gill flap, throat, and jaw area but it comes from not properly cleaning and preparing the head not the gills. I often don't finish a fish for a few months, sometimes longer after skin mounting or freeze drying and there isn't even a trace of oozing fat or grease in the gills when I clean and prep for painting. Just have to clean out the blood and slime and they freeze dry great, maybe not quite as full as when wet, but after, sealer, paint, clear coat, and sometimes on larger fish some fin glue on the gills, they look every bit as full as gills on a live fish and have no grease or fat ooze.
I do understand what you are saying, I have ran freeze dryers for 10 years and have now owned one for 4 years, fat does not freeze dry. That is why fish work so well in a freeze dryer and I would never freeze dry a bird unless it was first conventionally mounted(which I also do on game fish).
I'm just not sure what your talking about with fat in the gills themselves unless your talking about some type of fish I never mount with the real head?

[Rich P.]

Hobby lobby has the red 15mm Chenille Stems if anybody is looking for some.

[outdoorzman]

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=160422 I think these are the ones right?  Thanks Rich P.

I wonder what you could do with these... http://shop.hobbylobby.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=160427