I got into taxidermy (birds only) about 6 months ago. I am doing it as a hobby and I am trying to become better at it with every bird. I have finished about 30 ducks so far - the first 10 were pretty embarrassing but they are getting much better and I am pretty proud of the last few. Lately I have been paying closer attention to matching each particular birds anatomy as close as possible and have noticed that I am having to do considerable modification to my bird bodies to get them the way I want. I am wondering if it may be better to carve my own bodies out of foam, wrap my own bodies, or continue modifying the manufactured bodies. I am not worried about the time involved - I just want to continue to improve my mounts. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Return to Bird Taxidermy Category Menu
Give carving and wrapping a try. Wrapping takes a bit more time but is still a good method. While carving a blue foam body can be done in a few minutes and are super light weight.
i agree with you some bodies are ugly and the anatomy is awful. this i what i did when i started bird taxidermy, i tried using 1 or 2 bodies (standing and flying) from different suppliers and when i found which supplier had the best bodies i kept using them. yes i do have some bodies that i would never use, and i mounted some birds on bodies that i wasnt really satisfied with. i use the bodies from Research Mannikins the anatomy is nice and the foam is great also. some other bodies the foam is rock solid or on the softer side.
I cast my own..With a few swipes of the sure form its exactly what is in carcass on my bench..As for density and weight I like the 3.5# it allos for good wire connection to weight trade off....
Sure is nice only paying under a $1 for a bodie...Takes seconds to pour one...
I agree with Ol'e John some are either too soft or way to hard..