My cousin has a lifesize dall sheep that's approximately 25 years old. It's got a crack up the side of it. I haven't seen it yet, so I don't have many details. Wondering how I would go about making this repair from start to finish. I'm still fairly new to taxidermy, would this be too much for me to take on right now?
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This sounds scarily familiar to the hide having been alum tanned and it's starting to break down. Twentyfive years is about the time it takes for that to happen. IF that's what it is, when you wet the hide to resew it, you'll find that you have Swiss cheese to sew up and every stitch will tear through and make an even bigger mess. It sounds like if you worked on it, you're setting yourself up to be blamed when it gets even worse.
I agree with George. I wouldn't touch it unless you have an understanding with the cousin first. If you wet it, it may well come apart like toilet tissue.
Got a little more info yesterday. He said a pipe burst in the house a few days before it happened. It's been pretty cold up here lately and the trophy room got pretty cold. The crack is is right behind the shoulder. It's about 12 to 18 inches long and about 1 1/2 inches wide...........While we're on the subject of tanning, what is the best method to use? From what you guys say, alum has a shelf life of about 25 years. The taxidermist that has done all my mounts in the past seems to have a good system. He sets up a display during Christmas with some lifesize deer. He puts them outside in the front yard and leaves them there even if it snows!(I've actually seen this) He says they are about 15 years old. I've seen these mounts and they still look great. He says the way he tans the hides allows them to get pretty wet without breaking down. Has anyone ever heard of this? If so, what's the process for this kind of tanning?