Prepping A Duck Skin

I recommend getting the Blue Ribbon Birds DVDs, and/or watching the tutorials on this forum before you lay a blade.to that bird.. You could also learn from Youtube for free if you don't want to spend the cash.

 

and use the search button here

 

I do want to say without fluffing any feathers
LOL
Best experience is get your hands dirty and mount
And mount and mount
And mount
These videos are good but experience is the best teacher
Please guys and gals
Practice and practice
The best guys in birds didn’t watch a video and was instant masters
They had many trials and tribulations

 

Skin, wheel, wash several times and rinse two more times than you think you need to, tumble then blow dry. I use a shop-vac with the hose on the exhaust port. Good luck and all the above are correct practice is your best friend

 

I kind of like the enthusiasm, but you are putting the cart before the horse here. Buying machinery that isn't 100% needed. I mounted my first 20 birds or so without either and I still don't tumble birds. Take the advice given and watch some good videos and then acquire the small things needed for birds including good reference and practice on birds that are readily available in your area, because unless you are a natural you may ruin a few.

 

You will find many differing opinions on what and how. Take them all in and you will find that over the course of mounting birds you'll figure what works for you. I will say Blue Ribbons videos are pretty good but no video gives you everything but they do give you some good basics. Watch all you can and take notes. Reference is again key. Tools can be simple or elaborate. You will figure which is best for you. ENJOY ABOVE ALL ELSE!!

 

Yup listen to these guys and gals .. Tell ya what I did … When I decided I thought I could probably do bird taxidermy my buddy and myself shot a bunch of Ring Necks .. had 20 I believe … I mounted every one of those the first year , messed them all up but that’s why I had so many … Practice .. then practice and practice the more practice the better you get ..
Thing is if you are cut out to be a taxidermist you’ll know fairly quick if you like it and can do the work … I started way back before the wire wheel was used to de fat … using scissors to de fat a bird is tedious .. but I did it … Biggest thing is Don’t try and think you can skip or skimp on stages , especially de dating and washing the skin it’s the key to having good work … I skin the bird and toss it in a bucket of dawn , wash the blood out and ring it out the to the wheel … to be honest 4 to 5 wash /rinse cycles on most birds I mount .. cleaner is always better and you can’t hurt much washing them … clean fluffy feathers track much easier too … good luck and don’t give up , cus it is frustrating at first …

 

Learning the basic steps from others, whether by reading, videos, seminars, etc. is crucial. Watching, reading or hearing from different people who have different techniques, or processes is a good thing as well. It helps you identify the basic necessary steps that have to be done and the general order in which some things must be done. It also helps identify what things have a little flexibility, or are more personal preference to a particular persons’ preferred technique. I skin, flesh, degrease, wash, rinse-rinse-rinse, tumble, dry and mount.
The tools you use is another story and require learning other skills. For instance, learning to use a wire wheel flesher is a whole process in itself, in which you will likely lose a skin or two. The same goes with tumbling.
Learn as much as you can from different sources, but, as has been stated, experience is the best teacher. Go forward expecting to make mistakes - your goal right now is to learn how to mount - to learn which techniques work best for you - not necessarily to produce a quality finished product. Most of all, don’t get frustrated, laugh at your own mistakes and enjoy the work.