A few questions to ponder?

Well you heard wrong. That's a bold faced B.S. lie that apparently is getting tossed around quite a bit. Go ahead and pass a message on to the guy that told you that...let his Texan ass know that the crap he's making up about me isn't cool. He was one of the first to buy the painting video, then when the subject turned to molding that so-called friend starts fabricating stories about how I'm pirating Don Franks methods. Ridiculous. I have no idea how Don molds his stuff. We've been friends for years, and not once have we ever even discussed molding fish, much less him teach me. Send him a PM, he goes by Fishmaster, ask him. This is getting GD ridiculous.

 

Bryan, I used to have some respect for you but alot of your statements over the last few years just shows your lack of education... So let me explain something to you.. NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING is taught without the teacher being taught before hand..Every teacher, Every College professor was taught by a professor before him. Do you think Rick Krane invented his painting methods? No, they've all been passed down through the decades, some even centuries... "under painting", "pre color"," vine charcoal", "heat for clear coat" etc.. Jimmy even cross references "transparent amber oxide" in his video, which Rick taught back in the day. Heck, I use methodology I've learned from others, books, study, materials, just with my own twist in all my workshops.. And so does EVERYONE else...That's how knowledge is both retained, and improved.
I find the "royalties" comment almost comical. It's as if somehow in your mind you think the person showing the procedure owns it. You do realize the manufacturer of the product owns the rights to those procedures don't you? After all, they do come with "instructions" ...

 

Uneducated? BWAHAHA. Is that the best a guy whose spent 40 years pulling guts out of dead things can come up with? Why are you so concerned about Cole paying royalties while you're advocating stealing his copyright? Is he a threat to you? Are you selling your molds? To whom? Grays? For someone espousing education you come across as an overqualified mental midget.

 

I'm going to chime in on this. Cole is correct. He and I have never even talked in general terms about how we mold fish. I saw in the first sixty seconds of the trailer on Facebook that our approach is considerably different. We have known each other for several years and only live 30 miles apart but details on what we do differently have never been a discussion. Even if we had, it would have been done under the free flow of information among peers. He is a peer and a friend and I wish him well with his video ventures.
Everybody picks up bits and pieces of information from a variety of sources and incorporates the ones that make sense and discards the ones that don't, and comes up with a methodology that works for them. None of us work in a vacuum. Blend and churn that mix together for a decade of trying to improve your skills and it is difficult what was original ideas and what came from someone else.
If Cole and I had talked six months ago would I council him to produce a molding video for the taxidermy market and sell it at a $30 price point? No, I wouldn't have. Not because I oppose the flow of information, but because I doubt that he will be fairly compensated for his time and effort because fish molding is such a small niche industry. But that is his business decision and I hope I'm wrong with that assessment and he takes me fishing in a new bass boat bought with the profits. Not everything in life is done for profit though. Youtube is living proof of that.
I once paid $600 for a video on making vulcanized molds for spin casting in an effort to experiment with new methods. It was either that or spend several thousand to attend a workshop. I was happy to pay the money to accelerate my learning curve on an industry that I could find very little information about. I wish like hell I could have found it for thirty or forty dollars. Times are good for anyone wanting some information.

 

The video is $60, but your point is well taken. Thanks for the response Don, I appreciate it. I may not be able to buy a bass boat w/ the profits, but it beats what I was making off of it before the videos.

 

Bryan shame on you. One of the best fish taxidermists I know is just down the road from me. Guess what? He's Amish. He's placed at the world show and knocked the socks off of other competitors in the World Show fish challenge with a bluegill. He's also one of the most humble taxidermists you will ever meet. When he used to compete (he has officially joined his church when he got married) so that's off the table now, his little chipboard shack shop with no electricity looked more like a trophy ribbon sales shop than anything.

 

Have been a lurker for quite some time here. When I read this post I decided to join to reply. If this is the same guy and he used to live in NY, he has a very bad reputation with local fishing guides and tackle stores in Oswego county, NY. Don't know any particulars other than what I have heard around the Salmon River. Seems he molded other peoples fish as his own. Don't no whether it is true or not, but have heard it more than once. He sure does paint well though

 

You can stick a few other things in other places as well. Calling me names doesn't change the character you show. I fail to understand how "taking 3 crappy jobs" has any correlation to details required in a complex mold. You never addressed how that fit your line of never being taught by anyone and being the messiah of taxidermy. You have a burr under your saddle that you've put there. What business is it of yours who does anything for profit. You should be very careful using words you don't understand like "pompous". A wise man once remarked that "The things we most dislike in others are qualities we ourselves possess."

 

I just want to know who was the first guy to have the balls to pour bondo on a beautiful fish to try and make a mold.

 

Cole how does one get your DVD? After all this fuss I like to check it out.

 

Ralph Morrill was more than likely the first to "pour bondo" on a fish although he preferred to make his own thickened polyester resin formulations using cabosil and other fillers, at least that's what he told me when I corresponded with him about 30 years ago. His book is still a must read for anyone working with plaster and fish.

 

You can buy them directly from my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pg/taxidermyuniversity/shop/
You can also send $65 via PayPal to [email protected]
Of course, you can call in an order as well and pay with a credit card (816) 724-0271

 

BigShotshells, is Ruth still with us. She sent me a signed copy of Ralph's methods a LONG time ago. The photo of the cover reminded me of her.

 

I have this book. I really like it. Melting paraffin wax for mouth plugs. And all the asbestos you can eat!

 

That's super cool

 

George, I don't know if Ruth is still with us or not. It's been quite a while since my last communication with her.

 

My apologies to Bryan. I thought he was the one that brought up the Amish initially. He was not.