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fish newby has question

Discussion in 'Fish Taxidermy' started by Bobbi Meyer, Sep 19, 2007.

  1. Sep 19, 2007 #1
    Bobbi Meyer

    Bobbi Meyer I luv to ride my tricycle, I luv to ride my trike

    8,349
    5
    Tipton, MO
    I've got two crappie in the freezer now that I'm going to mount, but I have a couple questions. One of them is frozen in a block of ice..thats the way it came to me. Problem is, how in the heck am I supposed to measure the thing? I have liqua cure on hand for the tanning, plus stop rot and all the other goodies. So my question is, can I thaw it out measure it, then put it back in the freezer, or would I be better off to thaw it completely then "tan" it. And if i can do the later, can a liqua cured fish be refrozen for mounting at a later date....sorry for all the questions, I'm new at this fish thing. ??? :)
     
  3. Sep 19, 2007 #2
    jkidd

    jkidd New Member

    136
    0
    Wray, GA.
    I'm not sure about the liqua cure and refreezing as I have never used liqua cure. Maybe someone else can chime in on that, but this is what I would do in the same situation. I would thaw, measure(I use half cast so I would mold instead of measure at this point), skin, and put the skin in my denatured alcohol solution for mounting later. I have thawed and refrozen largemouth without skinning before for experimentation with no ill effects, but I have not tried that with a crappie. I would be a little apprehensive about it due to the fragile nature of the scales on these fish. ???
     

  5. Sep 19, 2007 #3
    NOAH@aarrkk

    NOAH@aarrkk Well-Known Member

    1,049
    26
    GA
    Based on my experience, I'd thaw it to a point where it can be put into the position/pose you want it to be and then make a plaster mold for the half cast method. Skin the fish and preserve in denatured alcohol/water overnight and mount the next day after soaking in borax/water for 30-45 minutes.

    jerry
     
  6. Sep 19, 2007 #4
    rgkittle

    rgkittle Member

    247
    0
    Athens , Georgia
    I would thaw it and measure it ,if you are using a commercial body,and then coat it with a good layer of granular borax . The borax helps to tighten the scales . If carving a body, draw a template. Then skin it out on a bed of borax and I would preserve it with zinc sulphate from WASCO . After tanning with that, you can rinse the skin and refreeze it . It should then be fine until you are ready to mount it .
     
  7. Sep 19, 2007 #5
    den007

    den007 Active Member

    3,467
    15
    Freeze dry. Of course you can thaw and re-freeze!
     
  8. Sep 20, 2007 #6
    1tigger

    1tigger Active Member

    2,715
    0
    thaw , measure , skin , soak in borax/water solution , freeze and order the same day and you will be fine !
     
  9. Sep 20, 2007 #7
    Wayne S.

    Wayne S. New Member

    203
    0
    Lampasas, Texas 76550
    Hey guys you got to remember this is a new fish person, I think casting and molding might be out of the question.Thaw in cool water,measure, skin, and clean well and then if you want you can place back into freezer until your supplies come in and then go from there.
     
  10. Sep 20, 2007 #8
    FishArt

    FishArt Well-Known Member

    10,593
    1,072
    Illinois
    Thaw, measure and re-freeze or skin and re-freeze or put in degreasing solution. You can re-freeze fish many times with no ill effects...
     
  11. Sep 20, 2007 #9
    Bobbi Meyer

    Bobbi Meyer I luv to ride my tricycle, I luv to ride my trike

    8,349
    5
    Tipton, MO
    Well, I half cast the first crappie that I did ( picture of it done is on my website, and I've posted it here) So the casting isn't a problem, just wasn't sure about the thawing and freezing part. I was really wanting to try a form this time, but then I know how fragile crappie are, so maybe I'll just stick with the half casting method ! Thanks for the advice.
     
  12. Sep 20, 2007 #10
    1tigger

    1tigger Active Member

    2,715
    0
    Checked out your Crappie , If that is your first fish you did an outstanding job !
    Very nice work .