As I've never used caulk before but definetley plan to now, my question centers on hole repair. Obviouslly, its a no brainer that these holes have to be fixed in areas where caulk will be applyed. God knows I have plenty of experience with sewing holes, however I also have never "patched" holes using fabric sheets, felt, etc. (I even thought I saw to use panty hose on some archived post but can't find that one now).
Concerning "patching", what material have you found to be suitable patch material such that it won't allow caulk to "leach" through? Also, can a hole be too big to patch; I'm wondering here if a larger patch could negatively affect the mount as the skin drys and shrinks - would a larger patch, depending on patch material used, not conform or maybe buckle as the skin drys?
Specifically, I have a snow goose skin with a half inch hole where the tail oil glands were. Yeah, OOPS. Its a hard spot to sew so I thought I would try the "patching' method, but I also know I will be using some caulk in that area.
I'm also kinda thinking about a woody I did many moons ago that had 14 shot holes in the head alone (yes, fourteen and it turned out great to my surprise). The holes were small, 6 shot lead from the old days, so I didn't have to sew em. If I were to mount a similar duck today, using caulk for the crest,would patching that many holes be a problem(earholes also I assume)? While I don't mind sewing, I'd hate the idea of sewing so many small holes as there's always the possibility that any sew job may result in an unnatural look depending on how each particular sewed hole dries.
Anyway, any feedback would be appreciated as there is very little in the archives on patching. Just wondering how common a practice this is and any tips.
Davey J
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Birds have a LOT of feathers that will cover just about any mistake. Unless it is a tear that will disrupt the normal flow of the feather patterns I never sew body holes. When caulking heads you should sew all the holes and, until you get more familiar with the method, maybe even the ear holes too.
People can save themselves lots of grief when using caulking by using a little common sense. Don't be in such a big hurry to get the caulking in the head. Get the bird posed and basically groomed. Turn the head to the desired position and make sure the skin is taxied properly. Then inject the caulking, set the eyelids, fluff and LEAVE IT ALONE. Even if you missed sewing a hole in the head if you don't try to squish the caulking around it won't come out.
If you should happen to get caulking on the feathers simply let it dry. DO NOT TOUCH IT! After it has dried for about an hour you can simply peel it off. If any remains let that dry too and repeat.
Good luck!
i have had great success by using tiny patches cut from latex gloves. cut them to size and super glue around the rim of the hole, press on the patch and you are good to go. the patch has flexibility to aid in pliability when taxiing the skin and when drying.
as for the gland above the tail you mentioned....... i remove that gland anyway, leaving a decent size hole. and then i use that hole to inject caulk into the tail slot and around the rump of the bird. just press it flat when you are done and no sewing is needed.
That was an Excellent question! I have been wondering about this myself lately. Thanks for the replies!