I have been doing a couple of bear rugs. I am not really sure how far up the chin to cut them. It seems like thye need cut farther up cuz the skin kinda bunches on the sides of the head. But I tried cutting one up further and it didnt really help this so Im not sure what I should do here. Thanks for any help with this, Kevin
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Try cutting it to where the skin will just wrap around the bottom jaw. Staple it in place on the bottom of the headboard. As far as the excess skin on the side of the head board...Once you have the skin positioned as you need it on the form, eyes and ears set, lips positioned, etc., trim the excess side skin, leaving enough to staple it a bit under the headform. Pick a point point between the eye and the earbutt to just leave the excess skin so it will flow nicely when you lay it flat to stretch. Check at this point that your nose and tail are in alignment, easier to fix now than when it is dry. Dry the head on a flat surface like a milk crate or the like. This will ensure a nice flat juncture from the head form to the body skin and allow air flow to expedite dry time. NEVER fold over or roll up skin under the headform, as the skin will dry curled under the headform making it difficult to rehydrate when you are ready to stretch the body.
Hope this helps. Any questions...e-mail me.
Kindest regards,
Mary Hilliard-Krueger