I looked at the web sight mentioned in the "web sight for beginners" post. Pretty interesting. One thing I noticed was they sew the lips together. I was taught to just tuck the lips not sew them. Sewing them seems like it would help with them wanting to seperate though. I am thinking about trying this on my next deer mount. What do you guys do, sew em up, or just tuck em? The few deer that I have done seemed like the lips kept pulling apart, do you guys think one way is better than the other. Any pro's or con's to sewing.
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I just searched the archives for this "lip sewing" question and found TONS of responses....
Hit the orange button to the left....just type in Sewing Deer Lips and Voila !
I'm kinda glad I looked...I had only read about sewing lips together(I've ALWAYS tucked) and I thought maybe this was a new revolutionary method that I missed out on !
:P
Hope this helps
Ed
......About 100 years ago. Wherever this "beginners" site is, I don't think that I'd bother going back there if this is a sample of the information you are going to get. If you are having trouble with your lips pulling, try a little more glue. Or maybe a "better" glue.
I've taken a few of these sewn lipped deer heads apart, the term "stuffed" was the appropriate term for them. They had to sew them so the sawdust wouldn't come out as they stuffed it in.
Would you guys like to buy some magic beans? Leave a credit card number here and I'll get back to you.
The web site just shows some good step by steps with pictures that I thought would be interesting for us beginners to look at. The web site is as folows, take a look and then critique his techniques (http://myweb.cableone.net/kctxdrmy2/page0011.html ). I just thought that other people might like to look at the way this guy does his gameheads. I am learning by watching videos, reading books and also have an experienced taxidermist sort of tutoring me. I believe that the more you broaden your horizons and gather more information would help us beginners become better taxidermists. As the old saying goes "There is more than one way to skin a cat" I believe there is more than one way (technique) to mount them as well and with the information available, I thought it good to review it. Nobody ever said that one way or another is the proper or best method, but with the extra information each beginner can see the different methods available. This forum is probably one of the BEST forms of distributing information and you are one of the many that we (beginners) can learn from. Thanks for your reply to this thread, and Thanks for sharing your knowledge - you are one of the good guys on this forum.
Thanks,
Kurt
wchare,
I had never seen the sewing lips thing either (my grandfather said that when he started in the 1920's it was common probably due to what Old Fart said), but I guess if it works and looks good it may be worth a try. I myself use a good 2-part epoxy in my lip slots and pin the heck out of it until it dries. I may try this on one this fall. Maybe with the stich seam there is more material for the adhesive to cling to or something. anyway, I am going to search through the archives to acquire more information on this subject.
Back in 'the good old daze'...1920's...when Van Dyke-WASCO and other Suppliers were non-existant...and McKinney's parents weren't wasn'tn diapers yet...there were no Forms for mounting specimens.
Game heads were built from the real skulls nailed to 2x4's...wrapped it excelsior and layters and built up with plaster. A Moose Head weighed about 200 pounds and took reinforced walks to hang it. Imagine the hernias in the taxidermy tade in 'those' days.
Since the heads were created this way...there were ni Lip Slots in forms...the lips had to be held together some way...so horse hide glue and sewing did the trick. 'NOW" it's a 'beginner' new-discovery? Give me a break. Those who don't study are bound to recreate the wheel...thinking the round ones we have today aint as good as the square ones 'newly discovered'..repeating mistakes of the past as 'new inventions'..
Talking about 'Lipe Sewed Shut"...his will sound a 'little' gross and un-Taxidermy-related...but as a young-un...still remember the cover of a traditional 'Man;s Magazine' back in the 40's...when espionage, torture and WW-2 was the realm of the day. Cover Illustration was graphic,,,Great Artist...(but I wont describe it here cuz it'll get deleted).
~ ETCC
Ed,
Once again you've come through with an enlightening post. I have searched as Eddie suggested above and I guess, the sewing of the lips is really unnecessary with the adhesives we have available to us. I didn't mean for this posting of the guy's web site to become a debate over sewing lips, but so be it. I just thought it an interesting site with information to share, no different than the Raccoon mounting or the hide stretching sites. I always try to gather as much information as I can. George said that sewing the lips went out in the '60s and I believe him as I was just a toddler during that time. Thank you for making it clear to us beginners that that part of the step-by-step isn't necessarily a good thing to do. It is people like you, George, Yox, JOhn C, Frank K, etc. that help us not make the mistakes of old that you all had learned through trial & error. Thanks again for keeping us neophytes on the straight and narrow. Without your constructive criticism, we could continue past mistakes without thinking they were mistakes.
Thanks Again, the flack you guys take amazes me, when all you are doing just trying to help us become better taxidermists.
Thanks, thanks and more thanks - it doesn't go unappreciated.
Kurt
In the 1920's WASCO, Van Dykes, etc. didn't exist BUT Miles, Frazar, Kaempfer, Reed, Schoepfer, Miller, Kannofsky, Schumacher, etc. were all selling Taxidermy Supplies, and many were selling Paper or Burlap/plaster hollow forms. Elwood was actually one of the later suppliers to begin handling stock forms for mounting deer heads, BUT they continued to publish the old "two by four", original skull method until at least 1969. The french had started selling stock bear rug heads complete with artificial teeth by at least 1906 (see Scientic American that year for photos). Deer heads were a bit slower to make commercial supply companies but Elwood finally came around circa 1913-1916 or so. Sewn lips goes back at least a couple hundred years.
Break down and spend the money to get some Epo-Grip. It's talked about a lot around here and the first time I used it I knew why. Probobly the best on the market. Save yourself a LOT of headaches and pick some up. Excellent in conjunction with earliners to. Good Luck. Peace- Jeff F.
Thanks for everybodys input. I had heard about sewing lips but had never seen it done before, that is why I was just wondering what everybody else thought. Thanks again