? on scale loss

Scale loss is due to bacteria or bad handling. Walleye usually dont lose scales like panfish do. I lay fish on butcher paper when skinning. Dont slide the fish around too much during skinning. A little borax on the show side of the fish will prevent it from sliding around. Also, dont bend the skin. Keep the skin on the show side flat.

Soaking the fish in dentured alcohol will tighten the scales.

You can get a scale roller to recreate those lost scales.

 

Would your solution work for Crappies as well. As they seem to lose
lots of scales too.
I hope his walleye turns out the way he wants it, too. Sorry I broke into this thread.
It's just that I was going to ask the same, but for a crappie.

 

YES... use DA on crappies for sure. Soak for about 20 minutes in DA. Sprinkle some borax on show side, and skin out without moving the fish around and without letting the show side skin bend. After skinning, and before final fleshing, I soak crappies in DA again for 20 minutes just to be safe. This technique is used by most taxidermist. Some may have a little variation, but DA is almost a must for crappies.

 

This works well, but after you have rolled the scales back in the apoxie sculpt, wet it and lightly run your hand over it to smooth out some of the detail or it will stand out as too detailed.

 

bery true about the scale roller sticking out. you have to smooth them out.

 

Can you buy dentured alcohol at your local store or do you have to buy it for
a taxidermy supply store. I would like to try it on my next crappie.

 

You can buy Denatured Alcohol in about any hardware store. It's usually in the paint section.

 

I forgot to ask, how much do I use. I take it that you put enough in a bowl that the fish is covered all the way around. Do you have to mix it with water or just use just pure
denatured alcohol. I am positive you mean just denatured alcohol. Just checking.