I've seen a product I'm sure many of you are familiar with called "change-out heads" which have pre-mounted noses and lips (I'm not exactly sure becuase none of the pics are working on McKenzie's website) Are these a good idea for an amatuer? they seem like they would save some real time. Also, does anyone else make them besides McKenzie? I would really like to get one for a fisher...I'm thinking maybe i could make my own by buying fisher eyes and a nose and adding them to a completed form...any ideas on the matter? thanks
SeaBass
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I advise you to order a McKenzie catalog so you could see their products. Changeout heads are for changing the head form with a new different head form....for expressions on the face or better detail,etc. McKenzie is the only company now that have a new type of change out heads with casted lips and nose. Some of their forms have it as well. Those are sold for you to cut off the head of the form you already have....for example...the form you have is closed mouth and you have no lip/nose skin on your hide, so those change out head are there to help you. They are also good for saving time on the lip/nose work and shrinkage. I'm sorry but your fisher idea WON'T work since the casted lips and nose are made for the form to install...and above that...they are no casted L&N for fishers yet.Sorry if I'm wrong but I believe you are one of the new comers that recently post a couple of post on the forums that take time for a beginner to learn and it is learned from experience. I think you should post on the forums after you searched the archieves for a long peroid of time on the subject you're lost on...Most of the info IS there. Try skinning and mount a few squirrels and that'll help you along the line of questions. It sure has helped me. Have fun reading!
Use them for reference to work on your other deerheads.
You can use the artificail noses, I think they are a improvment for many inexperienced poeple. You should not see any seam where the skin stops and the nose begins.
Ok, I'm a little confused here...so you think artificial noses ARE a good idea for beginners or ARE NOT a good idea for beginners?
Yo cannot find one for some odd specimen?
I think every taxidermist should buy one repro nose of each small mammal he will be doing, learnt to model the real nose from it. Use it for reference materials.
Later when yo dont have any problems with modeling noses, start using them on all your mounts, you can even use the oter skin of the real nose over the artifical noses for super detail and accurracy.