Think im going back to BONDO.

Lol, at Jims comment. You may be right!

 

i used the lock tite power grab on my own deer last year and had good results

 

David, one other thing to try. When I am working on the ear I use my fingers to push any excess hide paste or air out the bottom. This tends to take away any slack in the ear skin. So then I push it back up a bit so I have a loose fit again.

 

sounds like maybe your drying the ear skin too much then adding paste? the skin may be drying before the glue?

 

When I used those, I cut the inner ear detail "caruncles" off of the ear skin and glued the edge down with the liners detail "caruncles" exposed. When dry, I used a little Apoxie Sculpt to blend and feather the edge of the ear skin into the "caruncles".

 

Some of the nicest ears I have seen were Bondo.

 

I have seen some really terrific ears done with bondo, but they don't seem to be the norm. Most of the ears on commercial work in my area are extremely thick. I tend to make a mess with the bondo, so I reserve it for sheep or bear, the shape is easier for me. I love a well done, sharp and crisp ear edge, the liners and epoxy come out better for me. Lots of good comments on this thread and happy to see it. Taxidermy truly is a place for many different paths and techniques that can get you to the same ending.

 

We use Mckenzie Cartilage Paste with OTS earliners. Never a drummed ear, goes a long long way, and you can adjust for a few hours if needed. We card the edges for 3 days and WALA! Perfect Ears!

 

Nothing wrong with bondo. When you use bondo, are you mixing with a unwaxed resin? Most of the crap you get at walmart or even the auto parts store has paraffin wax in it so when it heats to cure the wax will come to the surface so the resin is not sticky to the touch.

50% bondo/50% unwaxed resin. and glass mat chopped up up in it and you will be fine. Use a bit of lacquer thinner to help your working the mix in the ear and you will get a perfect fit, no drumming and a super thin edge and once totally set you have an ear strong enough to kill someone with.

 

So when you mix it up lie this are you using the resin hardener as well?

 

I use magic smooth on the ears and never had any drumming at all
i drill holes in the ear liner and i use lacquer thinner to wipe the inside of the ear and i put the Magic Smooth all over the ear liner and then put it into the ear shape it and in three hours the Magic Smooth is dry and is not going to drum and don't forget to wipe down the ear liners
with lacquer thinner.

 

I have tried liners, but have never been able to get it down right; drumming issues and I always seem to make a mess. Early on I had hands on instruction from MichaelP on doing bondo ears and have got that down pat. I can do them faster, cleaner and can get them pretty darn thin. My point is, it is not the method as much as the operator for me. I personally, just can’t seem to get the hang of it and I, like you, have tried to follow everyone’s advise. I understand very clearly, as George correctly pointed out, the problem is ME. I’m not doing something right. Bill Yox very insightfully added, which is probably part of my own issues, that you have to be careful not to be changing more than one variable at a time or you will have a very difficult time identifying the issue. For me, I continue to experiment with liners with the hope I can perfect that method, but until I do, for my customers, I’m sticking to what I know I can do and do well - Bondo.

 

Mike, I started on bondo. Did bondo i guess i dont know 15 years. Liners looked faster and thats the only reason i gave them a try. I used them for again i dont know 3-4-5 years. There isnt a glue sold in catelogs, hardware stores i didnt try at least once. I drilled holes, sanded, dipped in sand, heated, actone dips, rasped, stappled, caulked, trimmed, cut butt completely off I reconI tried it all. Still there was drumming at times. But thats not what my issue was, it wasn’t faster for me. Other than a linner being thinner , bondo looked just the same. I went back to bondo and never glanced back. I can put bondo in both ears at the same time and work them both. There not much wait as i mix it hot. One tube of hardener wont do a gallon for me.
Im not a liner hater, they just dont fit me.
If we all liked the same thing , there would only be Chevrolet trucks, Burge King, Logans steak house, lee jeans, camaro cars, 270 caliber rifles, and 70’s music, Gibson guirars, blond hair women, small perkey boobs with dime size nips. and of course bondo ears. Lol now im curious as what the replies will be on their personal list above.

 

LOL!!! Chevy trucks, Whataburger, Texas Road House, Wrangler jeans, 7mm mag, Old school Black gospel or anything Elvis, and I think I’ll stop my picks there !

...oh, and bondo, which I agree is much faster, for me anyway.

 

Lmao. “ chicken”

 

f-150's, DQ triple meater, Tx roadhouse, Wrangler, anything CW music, Chunky dark skinned blond women with Lg perky Boobs, and of coarse BONDO EARS, lol

 

I've always used Bondo and always will.