Anyone use masking tape for tail feathers? Taxidermy Today Magazine last issue Feribee uses it on the tail feathers of a black duck. How do you take it off without damaging feathers. Heat it up with a blow dryer? What else do you use masking tape for? Is any brand of masking tape suitable?
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Masking tape is all I have ever used. when the bird is dry it comes right off. Don't heat it up, that will make it sticky. I still use wire on the underside of the wings and tail along with the tape.
You dont card the wings at all? How on earth do you get by with just tape? I can think of a million uses for tape when mounting birds but surely you must still card the wings? You did say that tape is all you ever use right? I must say that would make things a bunch easier but I still cant see how you can hold the wings without some sort of carding. I did a landing mallard ealier today and used masking tape on the tail and I was amazed at how easy it was to get them spread and done perfect so fast. It sure beats cardboard, pins and the need to an extra hand.
I use it on the wings, the tail, and sometimes the feet. If it's going to be stuck to feathers I will strop it on my jeans until it picks up a little bit of lint and becomes less sticky.
It's true that wings can be mounted with only wire and tape and no carding, but only if you have caulking or something similar inside so you can get control of the leading edge. Otherwise, a piece of brown paper folded over the leading edge will keep the coverts smooth.
I think turkeys do better when carded though, even though I use masking tape to initially line up the feathers.
I start off by wiring to hold the wing into the position I desire. Then I tape them to line up all my feather tracks and then card them to get a nice feather flow and shape.
I have always used tape also. What I have found that works the best is drafting tape. This is what board drafters use to tape the velum down to the drawing board. It does not leave any residue and it is not as tacky as other tape so you don't need to run it over your pants prior to attaching it to your feathers. When you are ready to pull it off, just start one corner and then go really fast against the grain to avoid damage and you are done. Plus you can get this tape in 1/4" wide which works the best. If you use to heavy of tape it will be to stiff and hinder the flow of your feather groups. Quite often I will cut it down to 1/8" wide for the smaller feather groups on the wings. This is mostly for competition flying birds though.
Hope this helps & good luck
I only use tape and wire.I also wrap interior bone structure with poly fluff and caulk .I get extreeme cupped wings if needed..The tape dont leave residue in cooler weather ..during summer I go to painters tape....yep pull off twords the ends.I never have the same hassles as with carding.....
Just my humble.02's worth
Two inch tape and wire. Bigger birds get heavier wire, but that's all. And like Vic said, if you let the bird dry I don't see any problems.
BTW Nancy, they sell LOW TACK masking tape at Lowes so you don't have to erode your jeans. It's what professional house painters use. Works great.
I stick the tape to my close first, I tape the feathers, then card and wire the carding into place.
Once dry I pull the carding off and run a bit of lacquer thinner under the tape so it will release and not pull any of the shinny materials off the feathers.
You can bet that I will NEVER remember to buy things like that when I'm visiting "the big city". It's sort of like ... unplug brain, visit inlaws, stay awake while driving home.
I've used drafting tape and it's nice, but there isn't any available in my little Podunk of a town so I use what's handy.
In all these years, I've never had a tape-related jeans failure. They die from other, often violent, causes long before that could happen.
Did you know that turkeys are cotton-ivorous? Ouch!
What the heck is poly fluff? And where do you find this stuff?
Its polyester stuffing/pillow stuffing.. like it because I dont have to use a huge squirt of caulk and it locks the wing quill nicely Plus it dont hold moisture/ bacterial sponge.....
I know my typing sucks and I can't spell.LOL good thing I can skin........
Sorry Mike I should have been more specific. I poke a wire under the base of the wing, into the body. Then bend the wire in a V shape so it ends up at the tip of the wing. This is where I put tape on the feather and wire. The wire holds the wing up (in position) on a flying bird. Then I go back and tape the feathers in place. I just use regular masking tape both wide and regular and have never had any trouble with it. If you have the bird in a real dry place some of the tape actually releases itself after a period of time. The tail I use a U shape peice of wire to hold the tail up. If you stick a peice of wire or a T pin on the 2 outside tail feathers into the body then push them tward the upper part of the bird, the tail actually will open and the feathers will go into place. I still tape after this so they lay flat or how I want them. I do not use caulk but wrap the wings with fiber fill and string after rubbing borax on the bones. If you do rugs or someone quilts you can use that. Hopefully I didn't confuse you more. It's much easier to do it then tell how. Good Luck