I have been doing amatuer taxidermy for a little while now, but mostly in the form of euro mounts, skull plates and wall hangings. I am preparing to commence on the next phase and go to the game head and lifesize mounts. I have been reading up on the subject and have gotten mixed info. in some areas, it is recommended that the measurements for the mannikin be taken BEFORE skinning, in others, they recommend doing this AFTER...
which is the better way to use, to ensure that I do not end up with the incorrect size mannikin(s)?
B2
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Get the eye to nose and other face measurements before you skin. If you tan measure the neck after the tan. Dp, measure the neck after you skin out, and if they didn't leave any neck, measure the skin at the correct places. If you measure over the hair before skinning and subtract X" it will be hit or miss. I try to keep a few different sized forms in the shop and test fit to get the right size.
Just My way of doing it ! Good Luck !
I use a dry tanned cape for all my mounts. What I do is measure before sending it off to the tannery after it is skinned and fleshed.
Then once I get it back from the tannery I rehydrate the cape, let it sweat over night, then stretch it back out and remeasure. I then order my form based on this measurement. I only meaure it before tanning so that I have a ballpark in my mind. The way I see it is, it really doesn't matter what it measured before tanning, because I am mounting it after tanning.
i do pretty much the same
i keep a couple of forms around also so theres no big suprise when you all ready to mount you have a choice
one thing though if your just starting and will be tanning
skin must be thinned properly
and neutralized properly
and this is where beginners fall short i think ,the skins must be stretched
and it takes some elbow grease
i can usually match the raw skin taken off the animal and layed flat
and measured just under the chin
when you first measure it after neutralizing dont panic
pu you hands inside with the cape skin to skin and stretch that
critter all around
put the skin flat again and measure youll begin to see that skin
come back to the originall measurement after a few rounds of stretching
i know your thinking man thats a lot of work
ya! it is but a tanned skin on a deer will give you one heck of a lot
less shrinkage drying and will sew up a lot easier
good luck!