Submitted by Jim on 12/27/99. ( goferpile@aol.com ) 205.188.208.75
I have been reading several books and am just starting to get my feet wet in Taxidermy. These books tell all the tools you need, but what are some good "shortcut" tools, you know, timesavers. Also, how can I go about finding some of these.
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This response submitted by Todd B on 12/27/99. ( trigger@indy.net ) 209.183.86.20
Whether you want to specialize in a certain area of Taxidermy.
Are you wanting to do fish,gameheads,small mammals or reptiles? Or all
of the above That is the first thing you need to decide. Then ask the
question of shortcut tools. I will be glad to help you any way I can.
Todd B
This response submitted by PaulB on 12/27/99. ( bearguide@excite.com ) 63.27.66.212
then I have the tool for you
This response submitted by Barry on 12/27/99. ( ) 4.15.185.4
Jim,
I've been doing taxidermy for about a year now. I've done deer, fish, a duck and in the middle of a coyote. I'm like you, if I had to order all those 'special' tools, I'd be broke and divorced. Here's a few of the things I use for the type of work listed.
Fish (Bass, bluegill, crappie): For skinning, a pair of pruning sheers (straight blade), a regular table spoon or somewhat of a serrated edge butter knife for scraping out the meat (a little borax will help also) an exacto knife, a small (thin) baby spoon and a paint can opener to get the meat out of the cheaks. Also you'll need a stapler to close the seam. And one more moderate expense, but makes an astonishing difference in the quality of the fish you turn out is a good airbrush. I used an old (single action)airbrush on the first fish I did and then bought a Paasche double action airbrush that has the roller adjustment that presets the amount of paint....and the results were simply extraordinary...someone might disagree, but to consistently paint the 'tips' of the scales with any uniformity, the softness of the spots, and detail in the face, I had to have that airbrush. Nothing I tried with the single action gave me the control I needed to make the detail look natural.
Deer; A good skinning knife (pocket knife sized) for the initial skinning (try to get it razor sharp..makes skinning so much easier) and an exacto knife (scalpel blades) for around eyes and the facial area. The pocket knife will come in handy again when removing the bulk of the meat and fat before turning the lips,eyes and nose. I use the exacto again on those areas. As far as the fleshing goes, do yourself a favor and invest in a mini-flesher....I've tried doing the shaving/fleshing by hand and believe me, if you think your in this for the long haul (only if doing yours and a few friends a year) it's well worth the $195 you'll pay. I've also found that having a dental tool has many uses when detailing epoxies and cleaning eyes before finishing. An assortment of flat screwdrivers are handy for tucking and making lip slots...also can be used for modeling tools (older worn out ones that are dulled are best as modeling tools). A good tri-cornered needle from a supply house is a must for sewing the cape. A dremmel tool is nice but not necessary for the nose and some other small detail work.
The only other thing I used on the duck that wasn't listed above was a, for lack of a better term, half-moon needle I bought in set with about 6 other needles for a couple of bucks to sew up the seam.
Just take a look around your workbench, you'll probably have something laying around that will do an adequate job until you decide you want to step up and pay for the specialized tools that I'm sure probably make the job a little easier and faster than those listed.
-Barry
This response submitted by Art on 12/28/99. ( hursey1@sota-oh.com ) 216.28.80.96
Barry,
That was a real nice patient and pretty complete answer to a pretty general question.
I'm impressed!!
Art
This response submitted by Larry on 12/28/99. ( hidebeak@cpinternet.com ) 204.220.140.226
Good response from Barry. Whenever you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask them in the forum. There's usually someone who will take the time to try and provide an answer. The only addition I would make to your tool list for now is a Diehm's fish skinning knife. When I first saw this strange looking tool I was very skeptical that it would work, but it works great! These knives are available from most suppliers. If you'd like a copy of our catalog, visit our web site at www.hidebeak.com (guest book), or call 1-800-777-7916, and ask for one. Happy New Year!
This response submitted by Carl on 12/28/99. ( spinneyc@klis.com ) 207.176.172.203
Barry listed just about everything you need ,,, for ducks and for most anything you do a good pair of scissors is a great tool ...
I have a wire wheel flesher for my ducks and small mammals but I still do most of the tender areas of the birds with scissors.
waxed dental floss is great thread for sewing on mounts..
the fish skinning knife that Paul Borkowski sells is well worth having as well.
many of the tools for taxidermy can be built or homemade,,,,,, if you are creative at all you will soon discover that !
Happy New Year!
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