I used mache to set the antlers on my first two deer. I decided to take one of them apart to see what it would be like to make any repairs if someone ever brought one in for repair. Well when I removed the antlers I noticed it had mold on it, so I decided to get the other one down and; well, it has it too. They are almost one year old each. My question is should I treat the mount with anything after cleaning the antlers or will it be ok to just remove the mache and remount with bondo?
One or two more ?(s) while I am at it. Is this due to the water in the mache or something else, and should I have let the mache set over night before mounting the cape? If I ever use it again is there anything that can be mixed with the mache to keep this from happenning?
I did not see any on the clay at the ear butts, so you thoughts please.
Thanks,
Joey A
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I stopped using mache nearly 25 years ago for just that reason. Any time you add residual moisture under a cape, you're asking for this. Mache has plaster that during it's hardening produces a small amount of heat. This heat tied to the dampness inside the mache for weeks afterwards just simply encourages mold to grow.
It's no big deal as far as the antlers go. Wash them off and remount.
You didn't see mold on the clay because it's inorganic. The mache contains bits of paper that decay to some small degree which feeds the mold.
Thank you
I have added Lysol to my mache mix to try to stop mold, it seem to help. But switched to bondo for faster cure time.