I am what you would call "green" in the feild and plan to do my own
mounts as well as my close friends. Well, this is my first antelope
as well as my first big game head and I have allready run into a
little snag. Seems as though I have lost the measurements needed to
order an accurate form (SH!#). Well beleave it or not I am a
perfectionist and this is realy bothering me. The cape has been sent off
off and tanned, so if possible I could get the measurements from that.
My question finally, is it possible to get ACCURATE measurments from
the cape even though it is off the animal and tanned? It's a descent
lope with 12 1/2 high and 15 wide horns if that helps at all. Thx.
Skinner
Return to Beginners Category Menu
Skinner,
The answer is yes. 99% of the capes we get in from clients are this way. After we get the capes tanned we soak them down, stretch and mearure the neck width behind the ears and from the nose to the corner of the eye. Works well just about every time. However it is advisable to check your suppiers cataologe to get the proper places for the mearsuments.
Good Luck
Brent Thyssen
Timber Tiger Taxidermy
I have the cape in my freezer and I haven't even looked at it since I
got it back from a local Taxidermist in my area. When I thaw it out
and soak it down will it be OK to re-freeze it untill the form gets
here?Also the stretching is done mearly by hand pressure and some
kind of tool to push outward on the hide rite? Thx for your response
Brent, I feel alot better about the whole thing.
Regards,
Skinner
No problem re-freezing the cape. When you stretch, gently pull the hide wide not long, I would use my hands. That antelope hair is very brittle. Good luck
D answered it.
Good Luck
Sometimes the measurments are just relevent. The reason I say this is many times a face on a mount will let out or a tanned cape just will not relax to the original measurments. Faces can let out a bunch, a big bunch. width and length, other times they shrink. So the measurments we take end up being a "ball park" that helps get us close. Since Animals are just like humans, no two being the same, we shoot for a happy medium many times. We would like to do it closer but just noway can it be done. For instances, a deer cape relaxes from a measured 18 inches and ends up going 23 inches, yes it happens espsecially in late season, the herd starves down and the skins starts to tighten up, but relaxes when fleshed.
Good luck. But you need to charge your friends! You wil be suprised how many new ones you have.