Is Apoxie Sculpt Best?

Use critter clay , bag your mount for 4 days also , so use CC then every day adjusts as needed as it drys . You want it to dry as slow as possible and is why you bag it after mounting , then adjust and re bag . Use apoxeysculpt for finishing, you will find out it doesn’t take that much to finish your eyes as your skin will stay pretty tight as it should by bagging and adjusting for the first week basically .

 

What are you using to smooth out and blend the sculpt? I do similar to what 13point mentioned and but use apoxie clay for any finish work on big game and use rubbing alcohol to smooth and blend, used moderately it won't rehydrate the skin like water or other liquids will.

 

Yes what 3bears said, don’t use water I use safety solvent , it’s made for smoothing out apoxeysculpt, most suppliers carry it

 

Sorry I’ll add this ,sculpt your eyes out with critter clay and let it dry hard . I’m not talking days . I prep my form and do my eyes and then I prep cape put ears in sew holes and such by that time CC is hard and I can pull my short incision cape over form and I don’t hurt my eye work . After I align my cape I sprits a little water thru eye hole and set mouth , nose , staple the back and by that time the clay has softened up to tuck eye .

 

If your skin is shrinking away from the Apoxie Sculpt, your mount hasn't fully dried before you did the finish work. Once everything from the clay to the hide paste to the skin is TOTALLY dry, it shouldn't shrink anymore.

 

I don't mount deer heads for profit so am in no hurry to finish them but I would never start finish work before at least a 30 day dry cycle. Especially if it is in a humid area.

 

What kind of glue are you using? I used to have similar problems when using the cheaper stuff then changed to Pro 1 hide paste and absolutely no problems since. All my mounts dry for a minimum of 1 week with an average of 3 -4 days bagged. Then at end of second week I do all epoxy work on Thursday and paint on Saturday.
If you work in a humid environment you might invest in a de-humidifier also. But be careful and keep on low because it could dry them out too fast.

 

paintable latex caulk smoothed with a fine paintbrush if your just filling a thin gap between eye and lid will have some flex and will bond way better than apoxie sculpt

 

I really think you are finishing your mount too soon. In my shop, which is climate controlled, nothing is finished without at least two weeks of drying time.

 

I've been setting my eyes with apoxie sculp for a while now and I never have gaps like I did with clay. I tuck it under the sculp and do a few adjustments and leave it alone. If you have confidence in your eye sets it's the way to go in my opinion.

 

Can I get some elaboration on the process of bagging? This is the first ive heard of this process. Also, you guys are making me nervous that I may not be letting my stuff dry long enough.

 

Just pull a big bag over your mounts , I don’t let the bag touch animals for the most part , just take bag off every day, adjust rebag. I have a post on here somewhere. Practice what I preach or something like that dry slow is better

 

Large garbage bag.

 

I do all my eye work with Apoxie Sculpt and finish work with Apoxie Clay and no bagging and never have had a problem.
I dont think the Apoxie Sculpt is to blame. I would say like others have mentioned about drying time.