I am new, totally new, to taxidermy. I am just doing a bunch of ducks I saved in the freezer from this year. I have done a couple now and the second was way better than the first, but I am having fits w/ the head. The taxidermist that showed me how cuts around the bill and peels it back that way. Where I run into trouble is when I try to reattach it. How do you guys attach the head it you cut around the bill. I just can't get it to firm up right. I have used clay one one and bondo on another. THE guy that showed me uses bondo, but I cracked the bondo when I tried to position the head. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
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if your talking about where the foam and the head meet, i drill a whole for the wire (just a little smaller) and shove the wire up in the head and use hot glue. bend the wire in half about1/2" and fill the whole with hot glue.and then i also glue the foam also. hopefully that what you were talking about.
I hadn't even thought of hot glue, but that sets up fast and pretty stiff. Thanks a ton
i dont think you two are talking about the same thing, JR i *think* what you are asking is how to attach the skin around the bill where you cut it away? i was taught to use epoxy (the 2 part kind) you can rebuild most of your facial muscle and provide a surface to glue the skin to at the same time, works great with zap a gap or plain super glue. as far as attaching the head to the neck, that is where hot glue is handy.
I have been using zap a gap on my bill too. I was talking about where the neck wire goes into the back of the head. The problem I had was the way I did it after I thought it was set up I would try to move the head to position it and it would come loose after I had already glued it and everything. I am just trying to learn this stuff for fun and a hobby. I think ducks can make some awesome mounts. Thanks
hot glue will get it going, then you can rebuild the back of the skull with epoxy, sets up fast and easy to work with...:)
If you cut the foam rod at a good angle when you are hotglueing the wire in the head after the glue has cooled a bit I slide the foam right up into th back of the head..BUT if your doing this dont cut away a large amount of the skull and if your carefull you can smooth the hot glue to conform to the needed rebild and eliminate the epoxie step,,
All these problems can be cured with a little super glue!