I have mounted a few dozen birds now and i have always done them in just one day each it has never taken me over a day to do one so i have never have to refreeze them or anything. Well yesterday i had to do that. My friend brought me a bufflehead to mount so i got him skinned,fleshed,degreased,washed,tumbled, and then dry. Then i was gonna start cleaning out the head but then i release the beak was majorly cracked. So i took the bufflehead and stuck it back in the freezer. I just threw away the old skull then. I called Van Dykes and ordered a new one. But what is the procedure now for me now that i had to refreeze. This type of thing has never happened to me i usually have the fake head in advance. Remember i have the bird skinned, fleshed, degreased,washed, tumbled, and dry. And then i refroze him. SO when i take him out to thaw and he thaws do i have to wash tumble and dry again? Or do i just dry him? Or do i do nothing and just start wiring and putting the form in and stuff?
Return to Bird Taxidermy Category Menu
freeze cycle, what I generally do is re soak the bird, tumble it at blow dry it, proceed to mount. I do it quite often and it has always worked for me, I'm sure there's a host of other ways to "skin this cat", and you should hear about some of them.
I do this frequently, although I am very careful when I fold them for storage. When you take it out of the freezer, immediately unwrap it, knock off any ice crystals that you see, and set it on a dry absorbent surface.
Let it thaw out, fluff it with some cool air, and see how it looks. You will probably have to moisten the inside of the skin, but aside from that, and perhaps a few condensation spots that need more drying, it will probably ready to mount.
If it is completely disheveled it may need another quick wash and dry, but I would avoid it if possible.
Nancy M.
Mike.. i do that to all my birds.. time doesnt alow me to do it all in one day.. so when you take it out of frezed just take a shop vac. our what i use is a old swepper with the hose on the output end of it & just start thawing it out this way ,plus you drying the feathers that are damp from beening in the frezzer.when you get were you have cut the bird put hose in there for a few mins. to held thaw it out.. i like this better than a hair dryer.. not dry the skin out.. but i also spry it with a mix of lysol & borax to keep it solf.. hope this helps you out ..
You should be able to just dry the feathers, fluff a little and mount as usual.
Next time make yourself a funnel out of newspaper and put the bird skin in there, head towards the small part of the paper funnel , close the back by folding over and tape it,funnel should bet tight enough so the bird doesn't spread out ,this has worked for me for years.
You must be from 'the old school'...J W Elwood...works fur me.
Good way to kill live birds too. Place a ball of cottom moistened with denatured alcxhohol in the cone...insert the bird...whalla.
In days of old...use to use this with Chloroform bought at the local drug store.STILL have a can with some of it left.
~ ETCC