i mount mammals but this is my first bird .should i use the skull and rebuild with clay or use artificial heads?
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Jodi, there a big debate about this one. I personally clean out and use the skull. Speaking from personal experience, nothin beats real head.
John.
I use the real head on all my birds. You just have to clean then real well.
Cory Caruthers artifical heads from Matuska Taxidermy Supply.....
no shrinkage and they look and fit awesome......just gotta take your time glueing the skin to the head and use superglue gel NOT liquid .....
I used to use the skull but when I got started using arti's I wont go back ...
sorry all you skull lovers Im an arti head lover hahha
Either way is fine I just prefer the other.
Jeff
provides a number of important advantages over the real skull for commercial work. You do not have to remove the meat and brains and then rebuild. It saves a lot of time, the bill can be painted without concern about getting paint on the head feathers, there is no shrinkage, and so forth. Good luck
thanks for your help guys youve always helped me out.
jody, i've tried both ways and always go back to the natural skull. besides the cost there is the time factor and the real need. if the beak is destroyed thats one thing but there is very little shrinkage in the real head so why replace it? fill the nazal cavity with cotton and pull a little back through the opening enough to keep things from shrinking down. you will see how it works when you try it. as for cleaning the skull it should just take a few snips through the jaw and lower half of the skull and it will all pull off. check out a dave luke video sometime and go through old Breakthroughs etc... then try your bird. with the wealth of information available on bird work you will do yourself a lot of good to take advantage of it. my best to you, jim
Jim are you from wisconsin by any chance?
adam, sorry, i am from the buckeye state. do you know someone of the same name?