Caulk Inject feet

I read in the archives about using caulk to inject bird feet and asked if anyone was using it, but didn't get a response from anyone. Let me put the question a different way. Is there a reason you shouldn't use acrylic caulk to inject feet? It flows through a needle, doesn't require mixing, seems to fill the feet fine, doesn't run out easily and can be cleaned up with water. Must be too good to be true. Thanks in advance

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Urethane glue

I think that acrylic caulk is used only for areas witch are skinned, i mean when you turn the skin back to glue it to the mannikin. I have heard that injecting feet you can use urethane consisting glue, and when you have injected one area you put a pin into a needle hole to provent leaking. Correct me if i'm all wrong....

Many other materials

I am familiar with several other materials that are sold for injecting feet such as Fantastic Cast, Epo-Grip, etc but most require mixing, are thinner and more difficult to keep in the foot, and have a shorter working time. If just found out that Fantastic Cast has a shelf life and mine shot craps. I just tried caulk and it was nice to work with.

Perhaps the reason no one answered

Was the way you phrased the question. I almost typed in a smart-ass answer which would have gone like this
"If you found in the archives that someone used it, why would you need to re-ask if someone used it. How do you think it got added to the archives"

As in most techniques in taxidermy, you must try the proceedure yourself and see if it works for you. Unless someone you truly trust or respect states a technique is great, it is only as good as any other method typed here. There is probably 20 ways to plump up a foot, caulk is but one of them.

Nice last name Jim. When did your ancestors come over?

seems we have another G-man

interesting

Thanks PA

for not including the smart ass answer. Actually I was looking for some negatives on using caulk. I am new to taxidermy and trying to find my way. There are so many techniques and with limited opportunity to try them it is always nice to get some pros and cons before actually trying one. Thanks for the help.

The negatives...

I firmly believe if the injecting material does not have some fixation ability in it, you might be risking decomposition and later infestation by dermestids or other vermin. I mean fixation in that there is a poisen/preservative added which imparts a deterent or permanently fixates the material. The only fixatives I would use would be Formaldehyde/Formalin perhaps mixed with another material, or perhaps another aldehyde like that marketed by Mr. Rittle or even the old embalming fixative sold by Van Dykes.

That is not to say that people cannot be successful with various injectables, but without adding something to prevent decomposition, i.e. killing the bacteria residing in the feet, I would not be confident of the feet not smelling or decomposing, especially fleshy feet.

Caulk or elmers glue or glycerine or other materials could all be mixed with formaldehyde so that plumping will fill out and hold/fix the feet. Formalin/formaldehyde will not plump by itself.