doing my first tipping job

[rnviper3]

i am doing tipping on a large mouth.  does the tipping go just to the lateral line.  the reference pictures i have and the ones in the reference section don't show them too good.  it looks to me like they are just tipped to the lateral line, but i cant tell for sure. 

[rwenglish1]

I sent you an email of these two photographs in their large format you should be able to zoom in on the detail better, see if these help. It appears to me the gold tipping does not go past the lateral line, but there is also some gold tiping on the belly by the pectorial fins etc. Maybe someone else has something better, I am still learning myself, and no matter how many photographs I take, I never like the end results for referance work. It seems like Pescado and Trashfish usually set me straight after I have done it ,wrong. lol , rw

[M.T.]

the boys are going out "Cow Tipping" tonight!

[rnviper3]

thank you rwenglish for the pictures.  like i said my reference pictures didn't show any below the lateral line either.  so i didn't put them on my fish.  the tipping job turned out OK, way better than without, but not right either.  what i did was to tip along the back edge of the scale kind of following the scale.  thats not right.  i was more concerned about getting the tipping on even than i was at getting them on in the right shape and position.  the fish turned out good, and like i said earlier, the tipping did add to the mount. this bass is going to be done with an ice fishing habitat. basically just ice and snow above with a tip up and a lure hanging threw it.  the fish will be on drift wood below that.  this will also be my first ice scene. 
thanks again for your photos. 
bob

[Fish Whisperer]

Tom Sexton's Fish Finishing book says gold tipped on the upper half and silver tipped on the lower half and where they meet in the middle they will blend with a little of each.Include the cheeks with a little of each per reference.

[rnviper3]

man two colors of tipping.  3 times the work.  but it does make a great difference.

[JL]

RN...."work smarter not harder"...Paint the top half of the bass metalic gold and the bottom half (if you want) silver. Now paint a finish coat of gloss that will hold the color. Now paint the fish as you normally would, let dry then rub the areas of tipping with 000000 steel wool just enough to bring up the underlaying gold and silver without going through the first layer of gloss coat. Now finish coloring the fish and do your final gloss.

[rwenglish1]

RN...."work smarter not harder"...Paint the top half of the bass metalic gold and the bottom half (if you want) silver. Now paint a finish coat of gloss that will hold the color. Now paint the fish as you normally would, let dry then rub the areas of tipping with 000000 steel wool just enough to bring up the underlaying gold and silver without going through the first layer of gloss coat. Now finish coloring the fish and do your final gloss.

Hi JL nice tip and a REAL NICE Brook Trout you posted the other day. OH, I was wondering if you still have my chest of draws. .lol. rw

[rnviper3]

jl i will have to try that.  but not on a customer fish. when you do it tho, to you steel wool everything or just each scale. 

[FishArt]

Or use a Shiva stick and finger rub the silver and gold on at whichever stage of completion that you wish. Even less work!!!

[Jeff Sonner]

Only problem with these sugg. -the silver tipping is on the front half of the scales, not the rear edge. and don't forget the mandible, maxillary, various bony plates around the gill covers, fin bones in the anal and caudal fins. Oh, the scleral band on the eye, even some under the eye sometimes, like a bright trout-depends on the color of the fish. Here's a couple pics for reference.

[Jim Tucker]

Looking at those photos shows how bad we ALL suck.....even the "BEST". 

[rnviper3]

awesome pictures. thanks for sharing them with us.  like Jim said, we have a long way to go.  i suppose it is possible to come close tho.  however, I'm a long long way from even close.  thanks again for all your help.
bob

[rnviper3]

i posted a picture in the fish section of my finished mount.  you cant see the tipping i had done. I'm trying to get a better picture for you all to see, but for now ill post what i have.  thanks again for your help.
bob

[JL]

RW   get your eyes off my chest of drawers. They're antiques....like me. lol