help

[hollidani]

Any ideas for a habitat I can attach to or beside my deer head that will hide an area roughly 4 x 3 inshes where I couldn't get enough stretch to close my incision from the base of the neck to the top of the shoulders. My fault for not test fitting properly, but its my first mount and I'd like to at least mask the mistake. I saw a  head on here where the cape was too short so the guy built up foam and mache rock right on the form that was showing and it looked great. I was thinking I might be able to do something similar. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks,

Greg

[woods2wallstaxi]

You can something as easy as going to your local hobby lobby or equivelant and get some sort of leafy vine and use it or if u make a rock out of 2 part foam, paint and place where u need it. Its pretty much what your imagination can think of, what u like. if you decide what you like and need help figuring on how to do it, just p/m me and i would be glad to help.

[Lisa M]

Can you post a picture of the problem Greg? 

[hollidani]

Lisa, I'll try to post a pic, but in case I can't I'll describe it a little better. I was unable to close the seam from the base of the neck to the back of the form. Not visible from the front, but from the back its a V shaped opening from the base of the neck, widening to the end of the form. About 4 inches wide at its widest with the point starting at the neck. I'll try to post that pic, but having a hard time finding the one I downloaded.
Thanks for the reply

[Lisa M]

Did you try shaving off some of your form?

[hollidani]

I thought about it but I think I would have had to take way too much off and the result would have looked almost as bad as the existing problem. I was too eager to finish and didn't take enough time figuring out how to close that seam. I posted the problem in the beginners forum and have had some great great suggestions for avoiding this in the future but I DP'd this deer and its got a week of drying already so if I can't hide the opening with habitat, I guess I'll just live with it and call it a learning experience, being its my first attempt. If I had tried shaving the form should I shave off some of the brisket too or just where I'm trying to close the incision? or perhaps all the way around the form? Just thinking out loud here.
Thanks for your reply,
Greg

[Lisa M]

There are several things you could have done to the form Greg.  One way would have been to take an actual slice out of it, then use 2 part foam to put it back together.  Perhaps the easiest way would have been to take a slice...um...hard to describe...like a slice of bread...the head & the wooden backing being the heels of the loaf.  Then shape the end with the wooden backing to flow seamlessly with the front part. 
Michael P did a great tutorial on putting them back together.  Here's the thread.http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,64134.0.html

You'd have to cut some of the actual wood too but a little jig saw action & you're good.  When you're cutting on the form, be very careful not to get any of the foam dust in your eyes.  That stuff hurts like a son of a gun and can actually cause you real damage.  I don't dp hides so I don't know for sure, but I bet you could rehydrate, peel the cape back, slice, fix, dp again, and bring the cape back where it goes.  Just be careful not to whack the nose, eyes etc while you're working.  Good luck & have fun.

[hollidani]

Thanks Lisa for the info. This is a great site and us beginners really appreciate all the advice you guys and gals take the time to provide us. I'm not sure what I'm going to do  but I've got more options now than I did.
Thanks again,
Greg

[joeym]

hollidani...you can cut a patch out of the back of another cape and make the repair...even after the mount has cured.  Tan the patch  (Krowtann is easy) aliign it, then glue it in place and card it down.  You should be able to fix it, based on your description of the problem area.

[hollidani]

Joey, I gave that some thought too. This deer has a distinctive blackish mane in that area and I didn't have a piece that matches up well with the hair pattern. Not giving up though, it seems like the easiest fix.
Thanks for the input,
Greg