Hello. Even though I haven't started anything yet, one concern is "where the hell am I going to do all this stuff" Some how I don't think my mom would be too happy if she walked into my apartment and saw skins in the process of being mounted(my friends probably wouldn't be too crazy about it either). My apartment is the entire upper story of a house, plus an attic. I'm thinking about using the attic. It has a floor, and I could change out the light fixture that's up there and put one it that has a plug, and then put a shop light up there. The only problem is: no heat or a/c. Also, what should I put up there. A table? buckets? I'm clueless as to what sort of "stuff" I'll need. Or should I just toss out the whole attic idea. So... what should I do? Suggestions?
Tiffany M
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If yer mom and friends don't like it... thats really their problem - not yours. If thats your chosen hobby then they will if they are really yer friends.. understand that =) The best example I can think of relating to this is a wonderful young taxidermist - Amy Ritchie. She started by skinning heads and small critters on her bedroom floor - and her mom - like yours, wasn't entirely impressed ;) Her folks were understanding and supportive and she now has a room especially for taxidermy that her father built for her. Its not large - but is well organized and serves her well. If you go to amystaxidermy.com you can see pix of her, her work and her small but effective studio =) I'm sure there will be plenty of ideas for you there =)
I know how fun it is being limited in space and have had to make alot of things be multi-use. I think that if I were you , I would designate a certain part of one of your rooms for this and maybe even divide it off. You can get a 9 ft. by 12 ft. piece of sheet vynl( lenolium) to put down to protect the floor ( so you don't lose your security deposit!) and then go from there. Build a good size table and make it about 40" from table top to floor and make sure the tabletop is easily cleanable and use this as your main work center.Make it 4ft.X 8ft. and then you can use a full sheet of plywood. Also incorporate a shelf about 1/2 way up and use a full sheet for that as well, that way, you get alot of storage in a small amount of space. You can also put the shelf at about 6" from the floor and then put drawers around the table. Good luck and hope this helps.
Thanks! Raven~Well, both my mom and friends tend to be a bit, er, squeamish... my mom won't even watch the vet give my cats their shots!(I take her along with me... it can be kind of hard to manage three cats at once). Actually, I saw Amy's site before I came here, and I was really impressed!
Bishop~hmm... maybe I could use part of my kitchen. Luckily for me, there isn't a square inch of carpet in my apartment, all wood floors! Now my imagination is really going. I could set up a screen to partion off a portion of the kitchen(it's huge!), build a table and shelves behind the screen, plus I would have running water and a freezer near by! Screw being up in the dark attic!
Tiffany
Tiffany, contact Amy Ritchie, email,( Amy@AmysTaxidermy.com ), her website is, ( http://www.amystaxidermy.com/ ). She already has a similar setup. She would be of great help and support for you, as far as your mother, well she loves you, and your friends, well, don't worry, you will soon make more friends than you will know what to do with.
Why, there was just a post, by a guy looking for someone just like you seem to be. Good luck, and I wish you success in the taxidermy world. It's a great place to be. rw
That would be one understanding,supportive mom to let youdo taxi.in the kitchen....Good luck....Tracy
I once did some taxidermy out of a spare bedroom in my first house. I was single, and probably would still be, if I kept up that practice, hahaha. Sounds like you are renting? You might not be able to do what you plan, check with your landlord (Im assuming that its not your mom?) If the price is right, renting one of those storage blocks might work, or if there is space available, a 12X12 storage shed out back isnt too bad either. Keeps the ticks, etc, out of the house, if you know what I mean!
Bill~I highly doubt that my landlord would care.. He's the type who you won't see for years if you just keep mailing in your rent. And his lease is about as vague as it could be. There is nothing in there to prevent me from painting my walls bright green, let alone doing taxidermy in here. He's also really flaky... this place was supposed to be paint/floors redone/etc by the time I moved in... well, the floors got done about a month after I moved in(during which time I lived in my hallway). I finally gave up on the painting, and well.. sorry, started to vent there a bit. It's a house, and so no storage sheds/garages are available for rent... and since I live upstairs, I have no backyard privlages(to put up a shed).
Tiffany
Raven:
How would you know about this, your not a taxidermist anyways. All you do is talk a good story. And wow can you tell a good bunch of stories.
Staples, Ace Hardware, Lowe's, etc. sell a white plastic fold up table in 4, 6, and 8 foot lengths and range in price from 39.00 to 70.00 I believe. Not sure what your budget is but these things work great! I use it for everything. The nice thing about them is when your done skinning anything out, in your case you could just fold it up and take it down stairs and wash it off. They're very durable. Also a plastic wash sink w/legs and a drain is another handy item to have. You can pick them up at any hardware store for around 40.00. You can buy some plastic pvc pipe that attaches right to the sink and then be able to drain it into your bathtub or shower. This is another item that is indespensible to have. Hope this helps some. Good Luck!
Comes outta the wood work to take a poke at me.. hehe - you ppl crack me up - LOL!
I know a hell of a lot more about taxidermy then what I let on here; as Im not as experienced in it as others. To say I am a taxidermist is a huge stretch. Forums are a great place for ppl who KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT to help out those seeking advice. My expertise is in molding and casting as well as fish and wildlife biology - so thats what I help out with. Others know more about taxi so they help out there. Apparently your expertise is in slinging mud - so have at it if you feel thats the only thing you can contribute =) As for the info about Amy.. dude - just read her webpage - its all right there. She's a fun person to talk too and quite talented.
Comes outta the wood work to take a poke at me.. hehe - you ppl crack me up - LOL!
I know a hell of a lot more about taxidermy then what I let on here; as Im not as experienced in it as others. To say I am a taxidermist is a huge stretch. Forums are a great place for ppl who KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT to help out those seeking advice. My expertise is in molding and casting as well as fish and wildlife biology - so thats what I help out with. Others know more about taxi so they help out there. Apparently your expertise is in slinging mud - so have at it if you feel thats the only thing you can contribute =) As for the info about Amy.. dude - just read her webpage - its all right there. She's a fun person to talk too and quite talented.
Tiff, if you want I can take a picture of my table/bench that I just completed today with my digital camera and email it to you. Although our house is quite large, I decided the best spot for my work was right in my bedroom. Now I know what your thinking, this guy has got to be nuts. Actually, I have quite a large bedroom, its about the size of the average living room. About half of it I can use for taxidermy. The bench I built is 36" X 8' x 30" tall. I built it completly out of 2x4's and 1 sheet of plywood. The remaining 12" x 8ft section of plywood I used as a shelf that is against the wall underneith the bench half way up from the ground. It cost me about 50 bucks but if you went with particle board I suspect you could get it done for less than 40.