Today I collected a fine crawdad that I wish to use in a raccoon mount in which the coon will be eating the crawdad. I want to put a few pieces of the crawdad on the ground at the coons feet (claws etc... and make the crawdad appear chewed on, perhaps even having some fragments on the coons mouth though the coon will be closed mouthed. My question is how to go about preserving the crawdad and how to tear it in pieces afterwards to achieve my desired effect?
Thanks
Ron.
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You can find all about the preservation in the Archives under preserving crabs, lobsters, etc. Same process. As far as recreating the fragments, you're going to have to let your imagination work with epoxy clay and paints for that.
For steering me in the right direction
While skinning out the fish I inpected the stomach contents.I found what had to be the fish's last live meal still intact .A 1 1/2" long crawdad.I injected the craw with a mixture of liquicure and wood alcohol.Let the craw soak in a 35 mm film canister filled with the same mixture for a week.I took out the now very posable craw and set it to dry in the pose I needed. 2 days later it was completely dry.Pull the tail from the carapace and fill the hollow with cotton soaked with Epo-Grip injectable (inject the claws also )and put it back together.paint,coat with Epo-Grip superclear glosscoat.You may want to give it a little mist of a finish like satin or flat.