Molding and Casting Artificial Bird Heads

[Rocky Mtn Robert]

it is great that the veterans are helping out newbies thanks. i have been talking to locals that pour there own heads they were telling me they use epoxies/bondo mix is this better than fiberglass? what kind of epoxy would be best? is their a price benefit either way?

[northernmontana]

good post.  have done a few and they work good

[Rocky Mtn Robert]

fyi....i ordered some of the synlube from WASCO on it was expensive  with shipping $22bucks and its been a week to ship and its still not here.    have to wait tillnext week to try.

[Ptrrorem]

I did two merganser heads with this method...my first try and they turned out great as far as detail.  I didn't use the 50/50 blend of bondo to fb resin and they came out a little sticky, we'll see if they dry out over time.  Do the tutorial EXACTLY like Jeremy wrote it and it works.  Good job Jeremy!  Also, when your in the auto supply store buying fiberglass resin, make sure to buy an extra bottle/can/tubes of fb resin hardener.  They only give you a little dinky tube with the resin and it doesn't take much but I needed extra for the mix to harden.  Also, a piece of scotch tape around the bill and a spritz of water in the mouth before freezing helps keep the mouth shut.  Also, my molds weren't as thick as Jeremy's but they still came out great.  I kept it thinner with the small pointy bill of the mergansers.  I taped my molds back together with duct tape but I think hot glue would be better now that I've tried a couple.  Hope that helps a little.

[tobo]

Hello

Is it possible to do artificial body this way?

Tanks

[Redneck Express]

I just tryd my first one the other night I didnt use the release I had to cut down to the bill I had to twist alittle to get the teeth and nosterl out didnt look to bad details on the tip of the beak not as sharp as I wantd and also the bottom jaw was also croockd and I usd rtv mold maybe I cas use a cast head I bought to get better detail?

[chivy]

excellent tutorial, just what i was looking for. some of the materials you used are not named as such in the UK, but I'm going to give it a go any way, the principles are very sound. and your tutorial clear.

I make full body forms for small mammals, using sculpted clay, and plaster moulds, with boot polish as the mould release, then filled with gungrade polyfoam, they work very well, (i may post a foto or two later) but Ive just restarted bird taxidermy, after a 30year gap, and so much has changed.
and in that time the UK seems to have lost its suppliers, at least all the ones i knew, and the ones left, haven't really kept apace with newer ideas as far as i can tell.

i look forward to more of your posts in the new year

[Mackenzie]

Very helpfull, Thank you!

[osbornetaxidermy]

Can't wait to try this on a ring neck duck I was gifted!


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