I am going to to do a pair of flying buffleheads tomorrow and my client wants them to be suspended from a beam in his den. My question is what is the best way do this. Could I run monofiliment through the body? If so, how. Any other ideas would be greatly accepted.
thanks
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you can try pulling some wire thru the form and making 2 separate loops at the top, one towards the front near the neck and body junction and one near the tail end. you will have to pay attention for the right balancing point and not to make the loops in the top obvious. the two loops help the duck from spinning\good luck
thanks woodchick. I'll try that and let you know how it comes out.
Why not boar a hole in the manikin just behind the shoulders on the back- 5/8 in. paddle bit will do- then mount the bird. After you mount it- lay it on its belly- then adjust the flight webs- feel for the hole with your finger by taping the skin- you know the general location- once you locate the hole, take your scalpel and make a slit where the hole is- use pins to hold the skin back- mix bondo with alot of resin so it has a good pouring capability- pour into hole and until it's almost filled- insert the proper size wire for the size and weight of the bird- be sure and put a loop in the wire- into the bondo- when it begins to set good- take out the pins and lay the flap of skin back where it belongs. You may want to pin around the edge of the skin till it dries. Then bend a loop in the other end of the wire and hang by monofilament fishing line. You can then bend the wire either towards the head or tail to balance the bird. Good luck!
Thanks, that's a good idea. The only problem with this is that I wrap all my bodies. But I love the idea and will file it in my mental archives.
I just did a mallard drake from the ceiling. Run a 16 guage wire from the center of the breast up between the attachment point of the wings, center. Sew up the duck. Run a side wire through the duck under the wings and attached it to your stand so you can get everything in place the way you want the duck posed. Let the duck dry on the stand and paint it. Once done, remove the side wire and place a loop pin (at a forward angle) in the top, back by the tail. Make a small loop in the 16 guage wire and cut off the rest. Use 6 lb test fishing line and suspend from the ceiling. Works out great.
I got the pair done this afternoon and they turned out great. Buffies are awsome little ducks. I ran a wire through the body between the legs and between the wings locked off at the bottom and made a small loop on the top just under feather level. The drake's wires are to the left of his spine and the hen's are to the right. This offset gave them that "twisted diver flight" look like they are fixing to hit the water.
Thanks for all of the feed back