"fluffing" A Fish To Cast/mold

Definitely don't google "fluffers"

LOL



Kerby...

 

HAA HA HA HA HA (gaaaaaasp)!!!!

~S

 

Pull my finger

 

In order to take the sag out of the belly of the fish before casting you will probably need to place some kind of filler, such as wet sand, through the mouth and into the gullet of the fish to help restore the shape.

The reason that so many fish blanks exhibit the strong upward "U" shape is because this is the only way that the fish can be positioned in order to stretch out the wrinkles in the belly and make it more smooth looking. Northern pike seem to be positioned this way more often than not.

 

Yes! But use the cheap caulk, silicone doesn't do anything for the finished product.

~S

 

You can tear a crappie to pieces with a caulk gun. Be very careful. It doesn't take much for a blowout.

 

It comes in squeeze tubes for them "tender" types.

~S

 

Most of the time when I have this situation, I cut a slit in the gill area on the back/non-show side of the fish then insert the end of the cheap caulk in and fill the abdominal cavity and not just the stomach area accessed through the gullet. You can use TP or paper towel to plug the hole if the caulk oozes out.
Just another option..................NOAH/jerry

 

There's a post in the tutorials ,molding and casting a catfish ,it shows the caulk being used for pumping up the belly

 

Numerous things have, and can be used, depending on the size of the fish and the position of the casting. Larger fish, like saltwater fish are apparently cut open and packed with sawdust or sand, depending on who is doing it. I have done a great number of smaller fish without any filling at all. I have been know to shove paper towels down a few throats, and caulk too. Liquid injection is tricky, because it can leak out. Try to use the smallest guage needle available, and move it to different areas to avoid numerous "sticks". Then try to seal the hole with Superglue.

~S

 

Forgot to mention, the most extreme method of 'fluffing' is to mount the fish in the normal manner, and make a mold before it dries. At least one old time blank producer used to do this on occasion.

~S

 

I don't know how long it will last for casting but I have just used air in the anal opening to fluff them up for molding a plaster cast for the fill method. Works well for that but may not last long enough for making a cast.

 

To notch work is done by mounting the fish and then casting it.
You’ll see minimal flaws this way. Otherwise folks cut the head off ( the right way) take the gullet out and the fill it. This gives you a better quality mount than shoving a tube up their hinny and filling it or for some fluffing lol

 

Oh great now I'm going to have to google that and loose more of my innocence!

 

BINGO!