Say what do you guys/gals use to fill the brain cavity when using the real head of a duck or pheasant. I've been using Roma Modeling clay and making a pencil size hole for the neck wire and filling the hole with hot glue.
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Sorry I thought you were talking about the liberals on this site, my bad.
It's an oil based clay and can and will leech out eventually on to the feathers. I use regular critter clay. I sharpen the wire and poke it straight up through the skull. On small birds, I just cut it off later. On larger birds, I bend it over in a "U" and pull it back into the skull.
I hope that I can make this clear. I take wood wool and make what I call a "peanut" and shape it to the shape of the skull cavity and nostrils. I then take sewing thread and wrap the peanut into the cavity. The wood wool peanut will make your head much lighter. I then take clay and shape the rest of the head, position the eyes, and bring the skin back over the skull. Your neck wire will go through the peanut and out the bill. The last thing that I do is mix skulpt all and place it into the bill and press together (place pin through bill until dry). This has worked for me for years! Good luck.
I fill the actual brain cavity with caulk because it anchors the neck securely after it hardens. Prior to that it is flexible and forms itself around the neck wire without having a "memory" like clay. (The hole gets larger and larger when the skull is filled with clay and it ends up being loose.)
Caulk doesn't do that, and in addition it oozes out when you seat the wrapped neck into the back of the skull. That makes for a nice smooth and solid head/neck junction.