Tacking deer hide to form

Before I tanned my capes, (many years ago) I used a lot of brad nails on every mount. If you don't you will have drumming. Now that I tan everything, I only use 4-6 brad nails on average. With a tan skin, a form that fits and a good hide paste, you just don't need to pin it.

 

Denton, I've heard that for years. It was a bunch of crap when I first heard it and it's still a bunch of crap. The key to getting ANY hide not to drum was the glue. I came up in an era of yellow dextrin and paper forms. If you covered that form COMPLETELY and had shaved the hide properly, there was minimal drumming. When we went to the foam manikin, people started getting cheap. First off, the glue wouldn't stick to the release agent on the form and we were too dumb to remove it. We surrendered. Instead of roughing the mankin, we figured it would drum anyway and we'd only put glue in areas we knew would drum. That allowed the hide to shrink of the vast expanses of the forms that DIDN'T have glue on them and the pressures would pull even the best of glue outl. Bettter glues, like the old blue Ron Carter Lock Tite would hold any DP hide to any foam form IF YOU COVERED THE FORM. Few did.I have 4 japan pins on every mount. One bent in an "L" shape in each lacrymal gland and one in the tear duct of the eye. Judicious attention to 100% glue coverage is the key.

 

I have roughed and I have flamed the manikins. I tend to just take them outside and stay down wind and torch them these days. That and good glue never a problem

 

Jhunter all your doing is removing the mold release..i don't advise breathing it though.

 

Will, that's not exactly true. The "candy shell" snaps, crackles and pops releasing carcinogous gasses. Rick Carter gave me all the skinny on it some time back but I do know that the mold release isn't all that gets torched.

 

Well yes your right George. It does open up some pores. And hence I advise doing it outside and with the wind to your back. It is much faster than ruffing. I have noticed one thing the OTS forms don't pop and open up like the Mckenzie stuff and are a tad heavier to.

 

Jhunter lol its just a hunk of foam. I have been known to cut one apart and modify it too

 

while I have not seen Meder's video.... I did take a class with him and we didn't use brads or nails anywhere. We did however use staples and paper towls in certain areas but was told to remove them in about 2 days. I don't do this anymore but can understand the reason. Since then I took a class with Yox and he doesn't advocate the use of staples or nails either but stresses techniques in the mounting process.