In all my work the greatest problem I have is still with my deer. While thinning and shaving I work very hard to get the eyes thin without losing the lashes and while its drying everything seems to stay in place and looking good, but after a few weeks on the wall I begin to notice a gap between the skin and the eye itself.
Last winter I got my dakota IV detail flesher which makes my capes look great on the form and I keep getting braver with it but I still find myself more comfortable doing the eyes with a wire wheel on my dremmel.
For my clay work I am using basic modeling clay from dick blick and or WASCO. A fellow taxidermist in my area was surprised that I used clay on the eyes and said he doesnt rebuild the eyes at all.
I dont have this problem with my smaller mammals and their eyes look great but Im just not happy about my deer.
Over all my work is starting to make the other guy nervous but I really need to master deer. I know people like Bill Yox always talk about the thinness of the eyes and I suspect this is probably my problem, but I also wonder if the quality of my clay could be a factor? or could it be something else? Or do I simply need to get braver and shave closer around these detail areas? And can I do this with my flesher?
Thanks in advance for any advise.
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Critter Clay seems to shrink less. It should help with your problem. Also, make sure you are working the skin towards the eye and tear duct during the mounting process. A tight fit to start with equals drumming in the end. Good Luck.
You didn't mention if you used hidepaste around the eyes. If not, you need to use a good hide adhesive.
I use Bond-Tite epoxy around the mouth, nose, antler bur and eyes, I use the slow setting, about 3 hours and after 6 hours you move nothing. Better make sure everything is right before it kicks in.
Yes I do use hide paste and tend to squeeze it towards the eyes but in the future I will try to be even more aware of this factor. I will also try critter clay in hopes of less shrinkage.
I switched to this for my eyes and they look 100% better. You only have a couple of hours to do what you want to do with them, but the skin stays put after that.
By modeling clay, you do mean an air dry clay, not oil based, or non-drying, correct? With critter clay, my favorite, you still need to adjust slightly on day2. Thin skin is one factor, not over-claying the area is another, plus making sure the head width is correct for the skin. Eye set, the list goes on and on...good luck with the eyes!
The clay Im using is air drying, the truth is I was trying to beat shipping costs by purchasing it localy but I will give up on that and give the critter clay a go as it seems to be highly recommended by many.
It is possible that I may also be over claying as you mentioned and I will watch that this season.
As some have recommended using glue around the detail areas, I had considered that but it seems I read somewhere on here that it wasnt advised to do so, but it sounds like several are doing it with good results and it seems to me like a good idea just to make certain.
Thanks again for everyone who responded and for mentioning all the different factors that I might not have considered.
I had the same eye problem as you, with my first few deer mounts. On the last deer I did, I used Zap-A-Gap super glue on the eye skin after I found exactly where I wanted the skin to go. Now I don't have those gaps anymore. Looks like you got a lot of replies and suggestions, but that is the one method I use that works really well for me.
I was in your same shoes until a judge pointed out to me that your lids are not pressed to your eyes are they? no, so he told me not to worry so much about that and when it dries fill with epoxy and make a nice channel to put some gloss from a siringe in there.
Looks good and natural.
good luck
says he doesn't rebuild the eyes at all? He must be using preset eyes as you do need to build up the lid muscles and other membrane that are removed during the skinning/prepping process if you are not using the preset eyes.
I also use Critter Clay and Buckeye Supreme hide paste. I rub the paste into the skin and paint it over the clay and glass eye before setting the cape. The eyes are about the last thing I do on the mount so the paste and clay have some time to firm up before I work on them. After tucking the lids I use a damp paper towel to get the paste off the glass. Like Bill says, you need to look at them for a couple of days. Once they dry they don't move.
I think that you aren't getting the skin thin enough, but most importantly, are you removing the oil glands at the base of each lash?
I think down the leather with a knife around the eye and stopping around the area where you hit the whisker roots.
Then I remove all the oil glands at the base of the lashes. Then I sculpt my eyes out with Critter Clay which doesn't shrink much. My eyes don't pull back at all. The only thing I have to do as far as finish work goes is build in a nictitating membrane, paint the eye area and apply a gloss to the lid edges.