could anyone please tell me how to preserve real habitat in my bases so i can have cheap way of having a natural sceenery in my mounts?
Thanks for any help,,
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That sound very CHANCEY. Cheap equals temporary. How would you like your house roofed with the cheapest shingles by the cheapest roofer, using the fewest nails he could get by with. If your customer is PAYING, he expects no less. Like a carpenter, good moulding covers a lot of bad carpentry. Use quality habitat and make your work look better.
Get some "never say dye". It works great. You will have to play with it a little cause not all plants will take it. ie a balsam sapling will loose its needles but I have a couple of white pines that I have had for 3 yrs now and the needles are still tight. They did loose their color though, but a little paint was all that was needed. Ferns don't take it at all! Maple trees are good along with blueberry plants.
Like I said ....You will have to play with it. I got mine through Research I belive.
Later
Me
Why is it that folks will spend many dollars on expensive forms, components, chemicals and references and then get cheap on the habitat? A house is as strong as the weakest brick, ya know. Natural materials may look good for a short time, but unless they are housed in dust-proof cases placed in controlled environments, the eventually look like hell.
I am a believer in building my own habitat materials, but that doesn't mean everyone should subscribe to that notion. Natural materials are not my idea of permanent. Products like "Never-Say_Die" can be conconcted at home to preserve natural plants. A simple concontion of glycerin and water will preserve plants if they are collected while living and placed in the solution in order it be spread by capillary action.
Go to google search and type in, "Preserving Plants" and see what happens. There are tables there for plants from around the world. The various websites explain preservation methods for thousands of species, and contain recipes to make your own preserving solutions..........The Cheap and Chintzy but not Chancy ways, Chansey.
Is exactly what it proclaims to be, but I think it's a waste in taxidermy usage. As Cur said, it's temporary at best and messy at worst. It's the same product you get when you buy those "autumn leaves" from the grocery store. If they come in contact with a lighter colored material OR HIDE, they'll bleed on to it. Glycerin is like an oil and it doesn't "fix". It's always greasy. Personally, I think it's crap as far as habitat goes and with the spectacular artificial plants, trees, and flowers available through quality companies, there's no reason to use it and take the chance of it ruining your mount.