Hello all
I am working on a mandarin duck, I wanted it standing with the neck tucked in, I searched the archives and read the recent post regarding this same thing and everyones advice was great..the neck area looks fine..however, now my wings don't look right..they don't want to go into the pocket area like normal..I am still new to this but thought that I had mastered this particular problem...should I have attached the wings differently with this new neck position? Maybe higher or lower than normal..?
Any suggestions?
Thanks
TJ
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TJ,
It sounds to me as though your underly anatomy is askew, however there are several reasons that this could happen.
But before I list reasons I have to say that regardless of neck, body, head position, the wings will always attach at the same point. And there is generally one method of attachment.
If your body is too large or too small this will cause the wings to not lay correctly. If you're using a wrapped body, I'd recheck my measuremnts.
Are you using a commercial foam body or a wrapped body. Are you cutting the ball off the humerous? If not then an area on the foam needs to be cared out to accept the ball.
If your plumage isn't dried completely, it can cause the side pocket feathers to clump together and not cover the wing, but I'd lean towards one of the other reasons for your problem first.
Also, you may have not taxided the skin up far enough pulling the actually side pocket into place so that the wings are able to fall into it.
If your underly anatomy is correct, then your bird should just automatically fall into place with things just aligning without much effort on your part. You should be able to hold the bird up right and give it a slight shake allowing gravity to do it's things and Wha La, you bird (if you've done things right) should align right up naturally.
Hope this helps,
Jon
Jon's explanation is great. The only thing I would add is if you don't cut the ball off the humerous, I would.There is blood in there that should be cleaned out. On standing birds some tend to over wrap. On real small birds, like teal, I don't use wire. If you don't have wire in, it's easy like Jon said to raise the wings pulling the breast in place. While doing this you should be able to see the pocket and place the wing.
Thanks for your help, I worked on it some more and it is looking much better, the skin needed taxied forward up the body, this helped alot, I think I may have been off a little where I attached to wings, I had to shave the form down quite a bit to make it fit and I think I sort of lost my original shape to it and my perspective as to what went where, I still rely a bit on the forms that are premarked...otherwise, it's covered with tape..so I'm hoping that will hold everthing in place..
TJ
Wire is not needed on a standing mount unless your putting a wing like in a preening mount.. For sure cut the ball of..And take a look at the carcass you sse where the wing set on the back the muscle group along the spine wil comprees to accept the folding.. {Pin the wing at the wrist and elbow... I like to cut a slight slot at the top of the manikin to allow the wing to set right..
Once again I suggest that ya'll have roast chicken for dinner while your cleaning it before you put it in the roaster play with the wings watch how even a chicken bends and conforms its actually pretty cool if ya look close..Ya I know I aint adviseing ya to play with your food.BUT if you look at the wing joints ect you will see how a bird balance's and conform its bodie..
Only my humble .02's worth