What would you use to inject pigeon wattles (noses) with so they do not look flat and dried out? I have a dove mounting video that shows injecting something called formalin into the legs to perserve colours etc... Is this something that would work good in the wattles as well in larged nosed breeds? If so, what colour would you use---the same colour as the wattle? Reply to ectopistes@webtv.net
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You don't inject them. You can rebuild them after you mount or you could use an artificial head.
Tony
Gotcha on this one, Tony! The show standards do in fact call a pigeon's nose-thing the wattles, even though I think the word cere would be more accurate. Nares just means nostrils.
Anyway,
On most breeds Tony is right - just let the wattle dry up and then rebuild it with sculpting epoxy.
If you are doing a breed where the wattles are a significant part of the breed's characteristics, like carriers or barbs, then you will have your work cut out for you. Casting the entire head would be your best bet unless a "generic" standard look is OK. If so, it would probably be better to remove the wattle entirely and start from scratch.
And, my condolences if you ever have to do a good, show-quality frillback! (Hint: remove the wings!)
Wattles are noses and ceres are the fleshy circles around the eyes. WHY can you not inject the wattles instead of having to go through all the work of rebuilding? What would happen to them if you injected? Or is injecting only for colour? Steph
I am curious as to where you are getting your info about injecting.
To my knowledge, there are no injectable solutions that will permanently stabilize color - "permanently" being the key word. Organic pigments tend to break down over time, particularly when exposed to light. A tinted solution might be the one exception.
The main purpose of injectables is to prevent decay. The next purpose is to *help* reduce shrinkage. Formaldahyde works by stiffening the cell walls so they resist collapsing. Many of the other solutions work by adding a non-shrinking substance like glycerin or plastic to take up space. Any small bit of tissue which is left unsupported will still shrink, though, sometimes causing some very odd-looking final results.
If you want to try injecting pigeon wattles just go for it! The worst that will happen will be that you end up having to rebuild them anyway. (Unless you get that stuff on the feathers.)