In the latest Breakthrough Magazine (Issue 66) there is an article by Rick Carter on proper fleshing of waterfowl. In it he talks about eliminating the head incision to invert the head by "making the head smaller". He breaks the mandible bones at the jaw line and he is able to get the neck skin over the head. Has anyone else out there done this? Does it work on all species of ducks or just those with thicker necks. Any drawbacks by breaking the mandible bones? I thought I would ask the forum before trying it myself. Thanks!
Return to Bird Taxidermy Category Menu
I think I have tried to do this but that is as far as i got. Then to rebuild the head you would have to build it from the mouth which sound difficult
I guess I'm going to have to start griping over on the industry forum.
Meanwhile... although I haven't seen the article yet, I have routinely used this method on wood ducks (and mandarins) for over 20 years. Re-inverting them is easy. I don't completely clay them in. I fill the eye sockets and set the eyes with their eye rings, ( I use Stefan's) but that is all. The throat and mandible are still empty and loose so there is enough slack. I put the caulking nozzle down the neck after it is right-side-out and fill the brain cavity with caulk, plus a little extra. I use a wrapped neck, and force the wire out the top of the skull. (Take time to taxi the head skin before this step!) This is a very old-fashioned method, but hey, it works and gives excellent results. After assembling and sewing up the body and attaching the bird to its base, I return to the head. The throat, windpipe area, and cheeks are filled and shaped using tiny bits of cotton batting. (Polyfill doesn't work as well for me.) The caulking, which has oozed out around the neck junction, is exactly where I need it to position and fluff the crest. After I am satisfied with the shape of the head and throat, I glue the eyelids to the eye rings and glue the beak closed.
This probably sounds more complicated than it really is. For me, wood ducks go together quicker than almost any others. Now the finish work is another matter...
I don't use the "broken jaw" method on any other kind of duck, but it might work just fine.
Nancy M.