The last goose i mounted i had a time getting the leg wiresin the body. I got them through the body and twisted them together and drove the ends back into the body with a hammer but was a wonder i did'nt tear the skin to pieces. my question is this is this over kill on wiring the legs? The legs were real stable but would it work just as well to bend about a 4 or 5 inch L in the top of the leg wire and then make 4 or 5 inch staples out of heavy wire. then push the Ends of the L in the body And anchor the leg wire between the staples and drive them tight against the body?2 or 3 staples along the wire.Just wondering if this will be sturty enough for a standing med size goose. Or should i do it the way i've been doing it? And also whats a good size neck wire to use in the neck to get a good S bend? Thanks
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I just run the wire thru the body and with a pair of needle nose pliers , bend the tip of the wire back on itself ( in a tight "U" )pull the wire back and this sinks into the body and holds well.
Neck wire ....Artificail head or original ? I use 12 or 11 gauge.
Hope this helps
Kevin
Like Kevin said, all I do to anchor the wires is push them all the way through and then fold back the last 3 or 4 inches into a "U". That gets pulled back into the form. If the other end of the wire is bent against the form, (as in a standing bird's legs) then it can't back out and will be quite solid. If it comes out fairly straight and might possibly loosen up, then I dig out part of the foam where the "U-turn" is, and pack in about a spoonful of bondo. I find this really helps the support wires of large flying birds.
I use a little heavier wire than Kevin - 9ga. on most goose necks.
On smallish geese (snows, etc.) I use 9ga. for legs too. Large canadas get 8ga. in the legs if standing.
The only time I have ever twisted the wires together was when using a wrapped body. With foam. I think it's really overkill.
Nancy M.