I am supposed to do a segment on a hunting/fishing tv show about cleaning your mounts. I dont want to sound like a fool or say anything I will be sued over. What is the best way to clean a shoulder mount...antlers and all? What products to use? I have used WD40 on antlers. Will it work on sheep horns as well? Also need to know about cleaning fish and bird mounts. I know what I use and have used for years however other opinions are helpful. Please help.
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I stay away from WD40 because it's too light and evaporates quickly. I use 50/50 linseed/turpentine but machine oil or some of the furniture polishs seem to work well (Liquid Gold I hear). Some people are adamant about NOT using oil on sheep horns but I use th same mixture as it's a natural. As for the hair, I tell my customers to spray Pledge on a soft piece of cloth and wipe in the direction of the hair. If they have a vacuum with a brush attachment, that also works great with little impact. Shop air is also a good and safe choice. On birds, I use shop air (usually out of the airbrush connection). In the old days, we told them to use a warm homemade biscuit or a slice of homemade bread and wipe in the direction of the feathers. The bread would pick up the dirt and the lard used to make it would act as a magnet as well as put a minute amount of oil back on the feathers. (I doubt you can find a good homemade bicuit today outside McDonalds or Hardee's today.)
I used a vacuum cleaner for years. Just put the hose on the exhaust side. Be careful on birds though. Depending on how powerful your vacuum is. I now have an air compressor that I use. I take all of my mounts out of the house and into the front lawn and blow each one off. I use a qutip for around the eyes
Do I need a copyright on your recipe for linseed oil and turpentine? JK. I really appreciate your input. What about fish? Will pledge work well also? I was going to suggest to keep mounts out of direct sunlight and that cigarette smoke will damage them. Well, hopefully I wont SOUND like an idiot although I am sure I will LOOK like one. I went to a tanning salon and did a 'mystic tan' (spray on) to get some good color. Well, I now look like that guy George Hamilton. I hope this crap washes off!
Thanks George
That's what this site is intended for: sharing.
On my fish, I tell my customers to take them off the panel and hold them under warm water. You see, I coat my fish with Epo-Grip Ultra Clear Epoxy and I never worry about the paint. I have a bass that's about 10 years old now that get's "washed" every year.