man! every time i do deer' the lip's come untucked and come lose
and spread, i pin the hell out of it but it still comes lose
this one i used about 15 pin's and it still happen's.
? do i tuck the top first or the bottom,or does it matter
please any help will be helpfull thank you all patty
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Patty;
First question I need to ask you is. How big of a slot are you making in the mannikin for the lips. Second, is what kind of hide paste do you use. Because very seldom do I even have to pin the lips on my deer. I have a modeling tool I ground down to make the slot in the mannikin, and its probably less then a 1/16 of on inch wide. I use Epo-Grip hide paste on my heads. I start tucking the top lip first, then the bottom last. Also how much lip are you saving on the cape. I have close to a 1/2 inch on mine.
Coyote
First off, make sure you have a quarter-inch of lip skin to tuck. I make my lip slot with the actual tucking tool I use. At the coners of the mouth, stick the tool in and wiggle it around to create a cavity in which any extra lip skin can be neatly tucked. Use good epoxy hide paste. This is an area where a lot of guys try to save a little money, and the same lot of guys end up having problems. (Been there , done that.) I use Hidemaster and Epo-Grip, depending on my mood and my money. Glue the crap outta that slot, and the rest of the face, too. Then, position the face skin and center the nose skin over the nose on the form. I tuck the front lip area, then the back corners, then work from the middle out. You'l have excess skin. Space it evenly along the length of each side of the mouth and it will quickly dry to shrink in place over the epoxy.
Here's why you want the lip slot kinda deep and the lip skin that you tuck to be sufficient enough to get well into that groove. Have you ever heard of a dead man's anchor? It's a way to anchor something down in sand or someplace where a regular stake won't hold. What you're doing is sorta like that. The outer rim of the lip slot is snug, if not tight. Inside of the slot, it's a little more open. The lip skin, once tucked, will be tightly pinched between the upper and lower "lip" of the form, but the lip skin inside the slot will plump up and dry that way until you cannot pull them thru the much tighter lip slot.
BTW, by using epoxy, you'll find that the epoxy cures and locks the hide in place long before the skin dries enough to cause retraction and pulling of the hide. I know that it's expensive, especially if you're starting out, but it's one of those things that's well worth buying because it prevents so many other problems down the line that make your project more of a hassle and less fun. I struggled and struggled using cheaper, non-epoxy adhesives and always had something about the finished product that I simply didn't like. Once I made the leap, what a difference! So nice to know that the cape will stay put after I leave the shop, and I don't have to check it but once or twice a day rather than continually chasing the cape around the form.
First when prepping the cape thin the lips quite a bit. Hide paste is also a huge factor. Try Epo-Grip products. I am also assuming you are using a tanned cape. I can tell you this, the day I made the switch to epo products all of my troubles went away!
I found a dremal bit at wal mart that has a small round end on it. I use this to open the lip slot. In the corner of the mouth I run it from side to side a little to make room for the extra skin. Then I just leave the round end inside the lip slot about 1/4 inch and follow it around. This makes a small slice on the outside and a larger space inside for the lips to lock in just like what LH said hope this helps.
I was having the same problems with the lips. John C suggested Epo-Grip Adhesive and I haven't had a problem since. Expensive, but worth every penny. Another reason to tune in to the forum. Piper