Hope that someone can help. I am relatively new totaxidermy. I have 5 deer under my belt, all my own and relatives in the hunting party. Looking to improve on each mount that I do, and am definitely seeing improvement. However, I still seem to have a bit of trouble with the nose. I have not stepped up to the septum tool and inserts yet, although I am thinking about it on the one I am doing this year. The problem that I am having is when I skin out the head, I cut as close to the facial skeleton as possible. I follow the nasal cavity and cut the cartlidge to stay in tact with the skin, hoping to offer me better nose detail.
The problem I have is that when I split the cartlidge and try to form a tube for inside the nasal cavity, I seem to only get one nostril with adequate skin to wrap into the nasal cavity. The other side is short and needs touch up with ModPodge. Any suggestions or insight in how I can improve this on my mounts?
Thanks in advance for your helpfulness.
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Marty, make sure you are spliting the nostrils completely & fleshing them as well. If you do this correctly you should have no problem. I also am new,but have found that if done proper we have plenty of skin to do both with some to spare.
Marty, make sure you are spliting the nostrils completely & fleshing them as well. If you do this correctly you should have no problem. I also am new,but have found that if done proper we have plenty of skin to do both with some to spare.
Cut the nose off squarely from the skull and flesh it by hand. Cut the front edge of the septem (cartilage) off completely. When you prep your form, build the septum into the form. Using a good glue and fine fabric pins, pin the nostril membranes up over the form edge and into the nostril hole. When the hide dries sufficiently, pack the nose with plastic freezer wrap until completely dry. Then take skulpting epoxy or colored epoxy putty and finish the transition between the cape and the form. "Tubing" the nose is a waste. Just preserve the hide slightly longer than the hair area. For competition work, I suggest you try the competition noses from Buckeye Mannikins. You should already have one on hand for reference if nothing else and you'll see how useless the cartilage is to your work.