Do you old timers use a tanning method on your fish before mounting? Which is better: A tan or the borax method?
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Good question!
I hve used both over the past 20 yrs and it doesnt matter to me. What is important is the fleshing and degreasing!
I knew a taxidermist who tanned his fish and bragged about it, but, maggots kept infesting his mounts ( fish ).
what he didnt do was to remove all the meat , ( mouth and JAW meat, ( muskie and northern pike)
I use borax, lysol, small amount of vinigar and dawn detergent, then degrease in mineral spirits.
I have han NO problems with this method in the past 20+ years
Good luck ! Guy Peters
I tried it and did see one difference. I had a fish turn greenish around the bottom of the head which didn't impress me. I agree with what Guy Peters says -- through skinning, fleshing and when appropriate degreasing is more important.I'm not sure borax preserves a skin but it does cleanse it somewhat considering how the water becomes discolored.
Someone on this site once said tanning fish skins is like being politically correct -- sounds good but a waste of time and money.
Cecil
I'm not sure if tanning is the right term to use, but it is definately not a waste of time. I like to call it a preserving solution instead of tanning. I use the zinc sulfate, borax, salt , glycerin , lysol and water concoction(sp), and have for over ten years. I did, at one point , use just borax and find that the fish dry a better color with the soulution. Also you can leave a skin in the stuff for extended periods without harming the skin. I left a bass in the stuff for over four years and it mounted up very nicely, although it did yellow a touch from being in the solution for so long. I have a brook trout skin in the stuff now that has been skinned for over six months and the color is still outstanding. I would be happy to throw it on my scanner and forward the picture to any non-believers. I have found that the more natural color that is retained in the skin, the more natural the fish looks when finished. And I know thats what most people are trying to accomplish when mounting a fish.So email me if you would like to see the proof.
Paul B
Look in the archives. This question has been asked a trillion times. I agree with Cecil, it is a waste of money to buy the so called fish tans. I have used a mix of Borax,zinc sulphate, and a bacteriacide. I have also soaked a fish in a 50% X 50% mix of denatured alcohol and have the same success with both. I would bet money that if you fleshed well and degreased like Guy said you could mount a fish without any soak( I would not test this on a customer fish though). Also a little trick Cecil B. showed me on a trout was to put salt on the fish when you thaw it before skinning. It seems to help retain the color better. Also with the denatured alcohol mix you can also leave a fish in for days,weeks or even years. So it looks like you have many different opinions on this matter but each can give you the results you are looking for.
Todd B
Todd B
I too use Paul B method and have for a while . Have had fish in it a long time (ones of my own waiting to do) with no ill effects. I also have no grtease problems. But I do get all the meat out. Several techniques you will get pros and cons on them all try them and decide for yourself. Waste of money the amount of materials I use to mix 10 gallons up last a long time probably cost less than the one box of borax some of you are using along with the denatured alchahol I don't think it is a waste of money just another technique but probably does cost less than a lot of techniques used.
I just mounted a trout that has been in the freezer for 20+ years. It was covered in salt and never froze solidly. Anyway, the taxidermist also had rehydrated it in boraz water and left it that way for 1 year. i mounted the thing just to see if I could. The borax made the scales pop up but I think it is going to be a sucess! I use denatured alcohol and water.
Dave