I'm just playing around with the Eppley tru eyes and wondering how much material others have been removing from their mannikan for setting their eye's? I'm using the 6500 HD form from McKenzie. And this is first time with using the tru eyes. Just wondering what all the pros are doing! Thanks
Return to Deer Taxidermy Category Menu
All forms are different as far as depth, lids, etc. Quite honestly, you might be making this more difficult than it really is. Just grind out enough foam to set the eyes deeper, then set in wet clay, and adjust. If you arent sure how deep, with your reference out, go ahead and set what looks right, then temporarily sculpt some lids. You like it? Then thats the depth. If you dont like it, adjust. Then mount the skin with new clay lids. I use those eyes on all my deer mounts, so I know it works. Good luck!
Trust me, even after Bill showed me how he sets them I still have to tinker with them to get them the way I like it. Take Bills advice, set them a couple of times until you get the look you're after then go from there.
I just dremeled out the outer edges so the eye would tuck in the foam itself, so If I don't like the look I'll go back to my stand by eyes, But after playing around with some clay these eyes seem to look smaller than a reg eye. then I put a McKenzie eye in one socket and the tru eye's in the other to give myself a something to compare to. Bill what is it that you like so much about these tru eyes?
Thanks
Set correctly, they look exactly like every one of my thirty live deer, and heres another thing...I hear all the time how those eyes dont shine the same, or dont look like glass, etc. To that I say, either do the live deer. Thats the point, guys are not comparing them to the real thing, rather, they compare this eye to a GLASS eye. I love the look of glass eyes, the clarity, the richness, glass eyes just look nice. But these eyes have a warm, liquid appearance when mounted, and the artwork is just the same as the real thing. Ive been using them exclusively for what, three or more years now. I started when they were still just a prototype. The other thing is, with the most exacting shape in the industry, the lids naturally set better on its surface. Um, can you tell I like 'em?