Can anyone give me some idea what I am doing wrong. I tan my capes using the lu tan method ,use critter clay aroung the eyes plus hide glue up as close to the eye as possible. Everything looks good until 3-4 days later when i notice the skin to pull away from the eyes and the skin in front of the eyes start to drum. I started drying the skin out as much as possible before mounting but made little difference. All comments will be appreciated
thanks in advance for the help
DR.
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Sounds like you are not thinning the area well enough and its shrinking.
First, are you splitting your eyelids far enough. If you don't have them down to the little fat cells surrounding the eyelashes, you haven't split them far enough.
Second, are you making adjustments every day until they harden. Mounts are not "walk aways" and you should taxi the skin as long as it's soft enough to adjust. Now this may be caused by your choice of clay as well. Critter Clay is the only non-organic clay available unless you're using the epoxy putties. Potters clay will shrink and crack, but you still MUST make daily adjustments.
Check them every 6 hours for the first 2 days and press them back down.
I also take a brush and put a light coat of liqua-tan around the eye
and on the nose pad. this helps with shrinkage.
I still have to put a small bead of apoxie-sculpt to fill the gape in my finish work.
for the advise. I will start watching the mounts several time daily and taxie the skin. I just checked a mount and the detail around the eyes also looks different than when I mounted . Would this also be that i did not thin the area and the hide is now loosing that puffy look ? I will try and thin the eye more to see it that helps. You mentioned epoxy putty. Have you tried using epoxy sculpt instead of critter clay ?
Thanks everyone for the help.
Dr.
But it won't answer your problems unless you use an epoxy hide paste. I like Critter Clay and the ability to keep adjusting the eye for several days afterwards.
The "puffiness" sounds a lot like you didn't get those fat deposits out from under the eyelashes.
thin a large area around each eye, not just the eye itself, say the size of a base ball. very thin! and if you have a dehumidifier or dry heat source consider a large plastic bag over your mount for several days to slow the drying process
into the eyelid on the hide side so it gets into all the crevices. Especially where you take out the little yellow fat particles. Thinning is critically important. I always paint the eyes with hide paste (Buckeye Supreme) before placing the cape and work some of this paste under the critter clay when tucking. It is easily wiped off the eye with a paper towel and water. Come back and work them again when they firm up and check them as George and others suggest.
you can punch small hole in membrane then squirt a little super glue in there.push membrane down with finger and hold for a few seconds.Cover hole with apoxie sculpt.Has worked for me.
Funny how you turn to "THE BIG MOUTH KNOW IT ALLS" when you have a question.(Beginners cat.,Why use hide paste?) Some things never cease to amaze me around here. Jeff F.
I guess some people just use this forum as a way to pass time and practice typing insults and then come back as not even having a clue.
one thing of great importance is to pull a little skin from all directions toward eye so no tension is next to eye.also use epoxy around eye area!LOL
skin so soft or tanning oil will also help keek the color of eye
and nose
My first thought would be that you are not tinnig around the eyes enough, but of all those coments and sugestions which are good for the most part, I belive you are over looking the big picture. It sounds like you have had this problem befor, drumming is caused also by the hide being to tight, while it dries the hide hase to go somewhere so it pulls from the form no matter what kind of hide paste you use. Try measuring your hide in a relaxed state after properly stretching and then order a form 1 inch smaller than the hide. I think you'll find it will be a pleasure to work with and the so called extra skin easily taxis around and disapears. Good Luck!