I mounted a bobcat last Thursday and I used Ben Mears spray tan everything went smooth no slippage during skinning or washing. I only thawed him out 2 times for skinning and mounting I used the tan just like it said and now the hair is slipping and it has a bad smell I have sprayed it down with denatured alochol and put a fan in front of it.If you can help PLEASE do this is for a customer.
Thanks
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Was it well fleshed? If not, that would cause a rotten odor. Also, did you take clean all the pad material out? If you leave that in, it will smell, also.
Bobcats are notorious for slipping. Don't thaw/re-freeze any more than absolutely necessary!
Also, are you sure the cat was in good condition when the customer brought it in? We had a coyote slip badly one time. I called the customer about it, and he told me he'd 'let it lay around for a couple of days' before deciding to have it mounted! When people bring in a roadkill, I ask them if they hit the animal and if not, if they know how long it was lying at the side of the road. Poor handling before you received the cat could certainly cause the problems you have.
I'd do what you are doing and hope for the best. Otherwise, you'll have to contact the customer and tell them what happened. Be sure to ask those questions, if you haven't already. Maybe someone else on this forum has some additional (or better) suggestions.
Hope it works out ok!
Why is it people will not read and understand that mammals fur is insulation?
The same fur that protects the animal in cold weather from freezing still has the insulation values.
So the animal is frozen whole, this takes about 24 hours. The bacteria is not killed only slowed down.
Next comes the thawing, you lay it out in a plastic bag or on a table wrapped in a towel and body fluids containing bacteria, get soaked into the fur.
Now you wash it, say with Dawn, still the bacteria is in the hide and ALIVE!
Towel it dry has only removed a bit of water. bacteria still eating and breeding.
Nomore time, well now you have rolled it tightly into a ball, placed the fur (still having insulation values) in a plastic bag and toss it into a freezer. It takes another 48 hours to freeze.
You decide to work on this hide, pull it out of the freezer and lay it on the table, go off to work for 9 or 10 hours. come home, grab a hide that is soaked with bacteria and under a microscope looks like something Stephen King would write about. Mout it up, using something thats has a high pH (way to hell above 6.0) then wonder why its slipping and stinking?
Look at the proper way to deal with mammals and tell me where you went wrong!
No joke do you know how many of us older taxiderist are LOAO at this question? Do you?
Now that you are totally Pissed at me for telling you where and how you screwed up. Get a subscription to Breakthrough and buy some back copies, read Gary Bowens BACK TO BASICS.
It looks to me like you did everything you could to cause slippage.
I submited my problem hopeing that someone could help me, and I thank the ones that was nice and tryed to suggest what I could do next time. But to those that want to be mean and ugly should just not even responed.Your right I have not been in taxidermy very long but you know what you weren't born knowing everthing you had to start some where too. So next time you want to be hatefull remenber that!
If it was me that offended you. Oh well.
It because I tell you exactly what I know and how it possibly happened.
Maybe I hit the nail on the head or slapped you up aside the head with a dose of reality.
Since I dont mince words or try to be politically correct just grow a thicker skin. The world is full of people a lot meaner than I am.
I can tell you hundreds of stories about people having hides slip and they all come back to the BASICS.
Its pretty darn simple!
Either you or the customer miss handeled the hide 99% of the time.
from the information you posted, I will point my finger right at you for miss handling the hide.
Take your lumps and go on all of us have taken ours, its called LEARNING.
Sent you an email about the bear skin, email me again and I will see if I can improve your bobcat situation.
Chris
Turkey Creek Tanning & Taxidermy
sit and spin you old fart! To everyone else thank you for all your e-mails and your support!
Do you mean to tell me that it's ok to voice your opinion on this forum?LMFAO!
Dont you hate it, younow see that the problem with the bobcat is your problem, you caused it to happen. But run right here and ask why it happened.
Can't handle the truth. Plain and simple!
The only way to imporve the cat situation is to replace it. Anything less is poor quality. Thats why many of us old farts are able to help you young punks.
The answers you need are right before your fingers, the Orange button and in the archives. But then you would not have anything to cry about, would you.
Shooter you should be thanking John C! His response may not have been
what you wanted to hear but what he had to say is probably true. Ive been hanging around the fourms long enough to know that his post are always helpful and to the point. You better be glad that John got to you before George did! Thank you John, George, Yox, Curr, Vickie, Tom and all the "old farts" out there who make the forums so great.
Old Fart? Moi? I'm just a middle-aged fart! Old enough to have teenagers, but not old enough to have grand kids yet (and not for awhile, I hope!).
Thanks for the kudos, anyway. =)
I'm sorry that I said that I should have thought before I opened my mouth. Its just when you come off so blunt and direct it hurt. I've only been in this for three years and I have never had this problem and when it happened I freaked. So please forgive me I should not have not said that. Thank you for your input John C
Kathy C
Shooter_07
Should always be fully tanned or fresh done with DP ( small stuff). Foxes,coyotes,bobcats,notorius for problems. Any iffy skin I have gets washed and put direct into a strong fresh pickle.This kills the bacteria fast. I can't save everything though. If its some old roadkill or the customer let it sit around,its a possible goner. I have saved some really iffy skins though.
I have to try krowtan out,that would be another good tan besides the wash and pickle dunk and then tan. Otherwise I salt and dry everything and then rehydrate in a salt water bactericide mix,rinse good and put in a pickle with a PH of 1 to 2.
As for saving this bobcat,you just keep that fan running and cross your fingers. For odor try fabreeze after its dry.