Hey guys I was wondering what kind of bird supplies can I get at hobby lobby or wal mart. I'm wondering if any kind of cotton batting or tow will work. What kind of clay should I use for resculpting the head, what can I do if my body is a little to small also. should i get a bigger mannkin or what. Also do i need a tumbler or can i do something else that is cheaper. Let me know . Josh
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do several things. First of all the polyfill batting works okay but I suggest using cotton strips. It is available at Sallys beauty supply stores, hairstylists use it for perms, buy the standard not the reinforced kind. It is great to wrap wing and leg bones with. All you have to do is cut it in short lengths, spray lightly with soapy water and wrap to the desired thickness and shape. You can also use it to fill in the body if needed. I usually use caulk myself for that. Anyhow as for clay regular sculpting clay will work. I use artificial heads on all my mounts. As for the tumbler, you don't have to have it. After washing your bird you can always towel dry lightly and then put it in a box with borax and dry preservative. Close up the box and roll it around gently for several minutes. It will absorb a lot of the water. You can then do the final dry with a shop vac using the blower port. Its better than a hair dryer because you can dry the feathers without drying out the skin in the process. Good luck!
I also buy these things at Walmart:
Borax, for preserving the skin
Rubber gloves
Caulk
Tape
Polyfill
Regular sculpting clay, sold in the craft section
Dawn soap, for washing the skin
If your bird form is too small, you can add a litle extra polyfill to make it larger. I usually add it After the bird has been wired up, but not sewn up yet.
You don't need a tumbler, but you will need to blowdry the feathers after they've been washed. I use a shop vac and blowdryer together, which makes drying a lot quicker.
Becky