how do you guys put wrinkles in the neck and at the bottom of the neck where it meets the shoulders;looking to put more detail in my deer.thanks
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Use a rasp or knife to cut the wrinkles in the foam of the form. Round off any sharp edges, use potters clay to accent the wrinkles then when you mount, use lots of thick hide paste, epoxy, what ever you want. Use a sculpting tool to make the wrinkles do what you want as they dry. Keep at them the whole time they are drying.
The first step would most definately be in ordering a form that is sculpted with accurate definition. Secondly would be in having a hide that has been properly sized for the appropriate form so that it can be fit properly. Third, use a good adhesive while putting your hide into the "landmark" positions. Most importantly, watch and feel the hide before it sets up. The initial grooming means far more than some realize. This must be done with a mindfull grooming sense. If you don't get it, you won't get it! Jeff F.
Don't get hung up in that practice. A few years back when I was field testing the Epo-Grip Epoxy Hide Paste, I mounted a "steroid deer". I exaggerated every muscle and vein on the form and then I mounted an early September hide on the form. I still have that picture to remind me that "more" is not always "better". Do yourself a favor and get some good reference pictures. See how many deer you see with "wrinkles". Deer skin is quite resilient on a live deer and it compresses and stretchs with very few wrinkles unless it's biting a deer fly on its back.
Over the years I've come to believe that the wrinkle mentality came from African mounts where the hide is so tough that you can't smoothe it out.Longhorns are the same way and when the hide won't smoothe out, it's just easier to put in a "relief" wrinkle to keep your anatomical markers aligned. I've seen mounted kudu with necks that looked like corregated roofing tiles yet when I see a live kudu, I see very few wrinkles. I can only assume they are there because the dead/tanned skin isn't as resilient as the live skin. Just be careful.
the tool will help you put the appropriate wrinkle in the right
spot with the minimal amount of pressure
helped the heck out of the pain in my hands
and wont damage the hair i guess because the pressure is spread over
a larger area
WASCO sells them thats where i got mine
First off are you mounting a long or short hair cape? That makes a difference. You will not see a lot of the details with the long hair cape you would see if it were short. Second do not stretch your hide tight. Work some back up on toward the head neck area. Every one starting out thinks you have to drag the cape back supper tight then staple it down. Think of the form like you would a live deers body. If while you are mounting you have no slack in the cape.( Able to lift skin off of the manikin.) Then it is to tight. Live deer have slack skin everywhere on there bodies. If you caped it out you should have noticed that. If you have a dog or cat at your home play with their skin and you will see what I mean. I am not saying leave wrinkles in the face and so on but until the glue sets you should be able to lift the skin if you want to in certain areas. Then work the skin into those places where the wrinkles are so it sets naturally. I hope this helps.As well as those other suggestions mentioned earlier.