Just watched dvd Lifesize open mouth coyote dorsal cut,skinned fleshed and washed, tumbled in grit and dp and mounted with no glue everything I have read here and watched on dvds I dont quite understand how this can even work.I do realise different strokes for different folks, but even for me as a beginner dont get it and is the first time I have seen this.
I have read and watched so much I read this forum every night no matter what time I get in and all the different ways and ideas I see and hear what is good what is bad just the opposite to others can really confuse a person.If Dp works just as well as a tanned hide why doesnt every one use it and save some money?
George writes ( I have never met you but I sure read alot about you)DP works very well using the right things with it like critter clay for no shrinkage, If I read and understood what you wrote. One question for you George if your out there,Or anyone else that this may pertain to: When a person comes to your shop with a deer to be mounted do you give them different prices for DP or a tanned hide and do you do all your deer in dp ?( George) or when do you prefer one over the other? Up to the customer up to you? I also see on almost everything I watch they use bondo in ears again I can read good bad good bad, any preference there? God I hope these last questions arent in the forums they kinda just came to me , My main question was DP No Glue how does that work? Well Thanks guys and have fun...I am a beginner and should be ready to start doing a few things of my own about fall time and as in everything I do before I buy or do anything I research, I do the very best at any thing I do and am proud when I am done, Taxidermy scares me that way because I know that there is no I can acheive that right away and maybe never..But it is the most interesting thing I have ever gotten myself in to. Thanks again
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You can put bald tires on a truck and they will work, but for how long?
DP or tanned, hide paste should be used or you will have all kinds of movement when the natural humidity cycles occur. I'm fairly new to taxidermy as well, but I think you should try to establish yourself with good habits from the get go. Not using hide paste is one way to start off on the wrong foot.
One thing that is relative to pretty much anything is that the quickest and easiest way is not usually the best way.
tanning a skin STABILIZES the skin and more or less keeps it from changing shape - dp'ing a skin that is still drying will pull every which away - if you didnt glue the face (tanned or dp'ed) you better watch it like a hawk for a l-o-n-g time - its gonna shrivel
If you didn't use hide paste that deer your customer paid for, would end up like the one I saw today at a house I was looking at. In the garage with junk hanging all over it. I think whoever did that deer tried to screw it up. I feel as though you owe it to the animal to give it your best and use the very best materials regardless of cost and what you charge. It may not look as good as you will one day be able to do but, atleast it should look the same for a while to come.
Its your choice what to use or what not to use in the beginning. You customers will decided if they want to use you again based off how you well you did and if their mount is holding up. It may be Times when its no fault of your own but, why risk the chance you may be the cause.
If you have read the archives as you say, then you know that DP works for many and not for many. I bet they all use Hide paste if it works well for them. And a good one to boot.
I know a guy down the road from me that does a real good deer with DP but he thins well and uses a good two part paste. I use tanned capes and buckeye paste. In the ears I use a two part epoxy and liner. I like them very much and it take me about twenty minutes up front longer then him to do the ears. once they are set in twenty minutes not much is moving. He uses bondo and resin in the ears but has to go over them for about as long as it takes me to remove the cartilage. Then he has to go over them once the mount is set to dry and again for the next few days to make sure the shape he wants stays in place. so really its up to you to try other methods and see what works best for you.
I can't believe someone still sells that method on tape! My first deer was with borax and no glue because that is what the garbage tape told me to do. I will admit I still have that mount and it still looks just as bad as the day I mounted it. The ducts all pulled tight as a drum, no definition in the face at all. I could not stop this from happening. I put a hundred pins in the face and eyes alone. LOL It looks just like the 100yr old mounts at the Pittsburgh museum. Unfortunately the tape you watched is old and outdated. Go in the video section of the WASCO catalogue and you will find a ton of great material. Even with those I would buy the tapes that are the most recently created. Not because of bad methods simply because of higher video quality.
Good Luck
Sadly, however, I've seen them and I equate them to puffer fish with all the drumming. When I DP'd deer, I used Ron Carter's Lock-Tite. Even it drummed a bit. By that time I was on tanned deer hides. For mammals I began using the Epo-Grip epoxy and that never drummed. I'm sorry I can't answer your question about pricing. Customers don't get a choice in hide preps and I tan all my deer now. I guess I'd have to say, however, that IF I used both methods, the price would be the same regardless.
Ive used DP on deer,elk,caribou,bear,boar,coyote,fox,bobcat,raccoons,etc. And all still look good to this day! That being said, They have all reqiured glue except for squirels. The process was a little different from animal to animal(some are thicker skinned and some have lots of greasy fat) but with proper technique AND GLUE!, most animals can mount up pretty good with DP. Even to this day, I still DP some of my deer at my shop. Ill send 60-70% to Arlington Cape and while there out I start rest using DP. Some guys tan all their work themselves and some send all work out. What it boils down to is your time and the amount of work you take in. It takes some time to properly flesh a deer cape using DP method. The advantage for me is that while I wait for my tanned skins to come back, I keep working. Every Taxidermist has his/her prefered method, but its what works for you thats most important. Try both methods for a while and see what you think. Good luck and have fun learning!
THANKS EVERYONE!