just wondering if epoxy would work around the eyes? i'm new to taxidermy and i know that shrinkage is a issue if you sculpt the eye socket with clay. i played around with apoxy sculpt, let it dry, and there is no way to pin the eye lid to that stuff! So, like the skin around the antler burs...can a 5 min. epoxy work? - Thanks
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tuck the eyes? The clay has to be soft to lift it when tucking and the final sculpting is done thru the skin after the cape is set on the form.
You can use 5 min epoxy, 90 sec. epoxy, 15 min. epoxy depending on your expertise. I use super glue gel also. In this day and age of adhesives that glue jet planes together why put mud around eyes. I have tried different epoxies but Epo-Grip seems to have best formula. jmho ps after the sculpt sets up you can still carve and sand to the look you want and with epoxies you wont have shrinkage and movement from humidity, heat, etc.
thanks mike! the reason i asked is that i learned on preset eyes. there is only a limited amt. of mounts that have pre-set eyes and they seem to look the same. again, thanks!
I don't know of ANYONE (except Mike now) who sets the eyes using epoxy. Now I've used Apoxie as a bedding and "claying material", but to lock in eyes,the cheapest and best way still remains with clay. The reason is that you can come back as the hide and clay dries and readjust it as the hide shrinks. I use a single pin in the front corner of my eyes and that's it forever. You keep up with the TAXI part of TAXIDERMY and your eyes won't need any space age adhesives.
I use Critter Clay, it cost more but has no shrinkage it has a couple day working time. If Your real confident with Your Eyes use Epoxy Sculpt,mix it 50/50 or 25/75
does everything i need
with the forgiveness i need
Same here, the majority i mount are preset, but for something new or elk or whatever you have to know how to set eyes. You can still taxi, just use slower set adhesive. Epoxy, super glues are great i'm always looking for new adhesives to try. I can't believe I'm the only one setting that way, usually when I think I have a new idea I find it in the archives. I have been using sculp this way since the mid 80's. I know wax for finishing is out dated why shouldn't mud(clay) be in the past, you want quality and longevity right? I know this could be argued all day but do you want get mired in clay(mud) that way. (-:
I'd be the last guy to knock innovations, but because the skin morphs as it does and "most" of us would rather rotate the eyes like we want them instead of how the preset stuff is (you HAVE noticed and the vast majority of forms DON'T have preset eyes I assume). Critter Clay is not mud nor clay for that matter. It is advertised as "inorganic" but there is no shrinkage as there's only synthetic "dirt" used in the mixture. In actually, Critter Clay is state of the art and space aged.
george there is always more than one way to do things. it may be right, it may be wrong. at least these guys are tring new things. have YOU ever tried to set eyes with epoxy? if so what was your experience? if not... maybe you can do a little experiment and see if it is for you?
one of my co-workers got on my computer. he has no idea what was going on. sorry
Sorry but I didn't mention critter clay. I guess when people talk about clay i think of the mud stuck to my boots from my field. I don't need the hide on to get the eyeset i want. As far as shrinkage i get at the most .040" or less from glass to eye lid with the face covered with latex adhesive and about .50" out from eyes with epoxy or supe glue. I have a piece of crap chase form that the customer brought in on the stand right now that is completly dry with this dimension of shrinkage. All i know is that it works for me. If we are going to get technical here as far as organic or inorganic, which doesn't matter to me as long as the product works, I've never had a hide "morph" (change it's outward appearance) shrink a little but never morph. (-:
At the Waco NTA Convention some years back, I represented Epo-Grip and mounted a whitetail with epoxy everything. I'd preset the eyes using epoxy putty as well as built ear butts with installed earliners just so I could finish the mount in the seminar. I pulled it off, but that skin was a pure BEAR to keep the eyes right in. I used the epoxy hide paste, so after 6 hours everything was locked down tight, but as the skin dried, we had some issues of pulling. We overcame it, but I'd much rather have had my usual 3 to 5 days of adjustments.
the reason i asked about the epoxy around the eyes is because when i completed my mount at school, i had a 3 hour drive. the deer head was in the back seat of my truck, no air hot/cold or the a/c on. when i got home the skin around the eyes pulled away (very little). when i got the mount inside i tried to taxi the skin but it was dry, and could not repostion it where i would have liked it to be. my question about the epoxy is that if it was used and the eyelids are where i would like them to be would/could it work. i know that the skin is going to dry out and pull a little and touch up work is needed to be done.
I do all my eye sculpting with apoxie sculpt. Once the deer is on the mannikin, I tuck the nose and mouth. Then place apoxie thru the eye opening in 4 rolls, small ones in the front and back larger ones on the top and bottom. In a couple of hours it is pretty well set. My morning deer is completely set by the time I go home. I place a bag over the second if I think its a little soft. It takes a little getting use to, but once you get the hang of it I think its the only way to go. Shrinkage and pulling away is not a problem.
I have been either using Rinehart preset eyes or using Magic Scaulp to preset them myself with other forms for six years and would never go back to the old fasioned clay method that I used before. When I complete my mount and hang it up to dry I am done with it until I finish it three weeks later. I just don't see how anybody can justify the old method of having to go back and fidle with mounts day after day. What if you go away from home for a few days? Does that mean that you can't mount anything for five days prior to leaving? LOL
being green to taxidermy and still in the learning process, there is always going to be a "different" way. i know that there are a countless number of ways to get the same thing done. I don't want to sound like there is a easy way out or shortcut the "taxi" out of taxidermy. I was just questioning the whole setting eyes with clay and dealing with the moisture issue during the drying process. there has to be a different way. thanks again everybody for your input.