What size form to order?

Tanning shrinks a cape. It will be your job to stretch it out to it's original size.

 

Do you have Rick Carter's whitetail A to Z DVD from McKenzie? I suspect you have not since it answers all the questions you have asked so far and will ask in the future. If you do not have the DVD, put your cape in the freezer until you get the DVD.

 

I'm not saying your being a pest or that I don't want to help you out, it is just that the DVD will help you out immensely.

 

Your questions aren't stupid. They are question all beginners have. That's why I get a DVD or two or three when I start a project I have never done before. If that DVD has only one or two things that I didn't know in it, then it is worth it. Get the DVD and don't be afraid to ask questions.

To answer your questions, pull on the cape width wise and just stretch it out with your arms and hands. I order a form slightly smaller than the cape measurement after it has been stretched out. Usually about a 1/2 inch or even an inch smaller.

 

Also, the archives have good information on how to get the most stretch out of your cape.

 

I recently started learning birds. After a couple of years of study and occasional practice when I get lucky a kill some birds, I still feel a little over whelmed by it all and now I'm thinking fish. Don't get discouraged and I feel that the better the tools the more enjoyable the job.

 

The only stupid question is the one you don't ask for fear of being ridiculed.

 

Was your cape shaved? Just fleshing is not the whole process, the thicker the skin the more it will shrink. Shaving a pickled skin down to the blue tint, your cape will be as when it was alive if not slightly larger.

 

Good point, Paul B.

 

Yes I agree. I just watched Rick carters DVD and holy crap that's a lot of fleshing and scraping i thought. I have a lot more questions than I thought

 

My guess would be the neck should probably be shaved down more. If you don't have an actual fleshing machine you could try letting the cape dry slightly so you can't squeeze water out on the leather side and try thinning it with a dremel and a sanding bit. Takes time but I'v done it before I got my machine. Just done stay in one spot to long.

 

Shave thin and always take your measurements from the tanned hide for shoulder mounts