Post by: Guru on June 20, 2006, 10:09:00 PM
http://tradgang.com//noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=031027#000000
As you can see at the end it was suggested and approved that I do a mount-a-long when I got around to getting this deer mounted.A good way to give some guys that might not know an awful lot about the art of taxidermy and what goes into getting their hard earned trad trophies.I took a bunch of pix,and got it mounted a about a month and a half ago.I've been waiting till things got a little slow after the spring seasons to get this going.
WARNING.....A lot of pix!!!!
If anybody has any questions,i'll do my best to answer them.
After splitting and thinning the eyes,lips,nose and nostrils with a scalpel.The rest of the skin gets shaved on a fleshing machine.It's a machine that has a rotery one sided blade that the skin is drawn acrossed.Then the skin is salted for a couple days,then put in a pre-tan for a 2-4days...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/taxipix009.jpg)
After coming out of that it's rinsed with clean water several times and hung to get most of the water out.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/taxipix001.jpg)
Then it goes into a tumbler with sawdust to get the hair as dry as possible....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/taxipix003.jpg)
Then it's back to the fleshing machine to thin the skin to get as much stretch as possible to get it back to it's original size....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/taxipix004.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/taxipix005.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/taxipix007.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/taxipix008.jpg)
More to come.....
Post by: Terry Green on June 20, 2006, 10:13:00 PM
Thanks Curt!!!
Post by: Guru on June 20, 2006, 10:20:00 PM
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/taxipix013.jpg)
And rolled up to sit overnight.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/taxipix014.jpg)
Now for the form work.Since this deer was killed very early in the fall,it's neck was still very thin.But I still wanted the full shoulders and big frame that this buck had.So I had to do some rasp work on the form to get the neck "stove piped",taking all of the swell out of it....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9-22-00002.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9-22-00003.jpg)
Then the lip slot and pre-orbital glands were dremmeled in and the rest of the form roughed up for glue adheshion.The antlers/skull cap is put on according to measurements taken from the real skull,and paper mache'd.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9-22-00006.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9-22-00007.jpg)
more coming.....
Post by: Guru on June 20, 2006, 10:39:00 PM
Relief holes are cut into the head to allow for the ear canals of the plastic ear liner.This is where a lot of taxidermists end up with ear butts that are "too long" or too far away from the skull.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt017.jpg)
And eye sockets altered to allow for the chosen eye rotation.One of my personal pet peeves with mounts,if it has bad eyes,it'll never be a good mount!! But we'll get further into that later on......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt018.jpg)
Nose pad and nostrils,and eye skin get thinned further with a scalpel......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt009.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt010.jpg)
Now it's time for the actual mounting to start.Plastic earliners get trimmed for size and roughed up for glue adhesion.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt005.jpg)
then glue is applied,and they're inserted into the ear skin......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt013.jpg)
Skin is "taxied" around to get it where it needs to be......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt012.jpg)
Clay is added to the base of the liner to be later formed into the ear butt musculature.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt014.jpg)
Post by: Guru on June 20, 2006, 10:54:00 PM
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt015.jpg)
Now it's time for the eye work."The eyes are the window to the soul",I don't know who first said that,but no truer words where spoken as it applies to taxidermy.A mount should have life and expression.With good eyework,a mount comes to life!! Eyes can be done anywhere from wide open agressive(I can add pix if anyone would like to see some),to closed sleeping and anywhere in between(I've got pix of half open drowsy looking eyes I've done).Eyes set in clay.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt019.jpg)
Clay work around the eyes of this mount......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt022.jpg)
After the clay work is done....the antlers are taken back off, hide paste is applied to the entire form,and the skin is slipped over the form.This is where we "taxi" the "derme",hair patterns are lined up and skin adjusted accordingly.....the "funny looking" time of a mount.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt023.jpg)
We're just getting started,but enough for tonight.More tomorrow.........
Post by: JC on June 20, 2006, 10:58:00 PM
Post by: yleecoyote23 on June 20, 2006, 11:04:00 PM
Thanks for doing this!
Post by: nick_the_tinkerer on June 21, 2006, 12:00:00 AM
WOW
Thanks for this and cant wait for the rest.
Post by: cjones on June 21, 2006, 06:07:00 AM
Post by: TimBow2 on June 21, 2006, 06:27:00 AM
Post by: the Ferret on June 21, 2006, 07:18:00 AM
!["[tunglaff]"]("graemlins/tunglaff.gif" "\"\"")
Nice showing the process Curt. You might mention that sometimes taxidermists send the hides out to be tanned at commercial tanneries and sometimes this will add 6 to 8 months to the process.
Do you find any difference in mount longevity using the liquid tan over a commercially tanned hide?
Post by: Huntrdfk on June 21, 2006, 08:10:00 AM
David
Post by: TexMex on June 21, 2006, 08:27:00 AM
Post by: Jeremy on June 21, 2006, 08:32:00 AM
Post by: Shaun on June 21, 2006, 09:12:00 AM
Post by: beachbowhunter on June 21, 2006, 12:57:00 PM
Post by: Kip on June 21, 2006, 01:24:00 PM
Post by: LeeNY on June 21, 2006, 04:06:00 PM
Thanks a bunch for this build-a-long!
Post by: Flatstick on June 21, 2006, 08:14:00 PM
Great thread, I use almost the same method as you do on my mounts. Except I use a modified "bonded ear" method for doing the ears. I would almost bet we have crossed pathes at some of the taxidermy competitions in years past and never knew it.
On a more primitive note, did you know you can make some of the best "hide glue" by cooking down those hide shavings! I have made it for years that way. You have a never ending supply of glue. I'll also save a few doe hides or cut off back skins that I dehair and make rawhide out of for backing bows. And of course there's always sinew to save if you have the time to process it.
Post by: royalfox on June 21, 2006, 08:55:00 PM
Post by: Charlie Lamb on June 21, 2006, 08:56:00 PM
Post by: Charlie Lamb on June 21, 2006, 08:57:00 PM
Post by: bayoulongbowman on June 21, 2006, 09:05:00 PM
Post by: Guru on June 21, 2006, 10:32:00 PM
Mickey,Your right on bud,time frame does depend on the tannery though. A properly done liqui-tan, IMHO, is every bit as good as a commercial tan,not as harsh on the skin, and way easier to work with!!
Shaun, Yeah,there is plenty that I'm not showing ya...the boring tedious stuff!!!
Flat, Never thought about that.....
A little more tonight,been a long day
After the skin is on, the skull cap is screwed back on,and the "V" part of the "Y" incision is sewn up.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt024.jpg)
Then the nose pad is positioned and the nostrils tucked into place......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt025.jpg)
Now I turn the form upside down and start tucking the top lip into the dremmeled lip slot....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt026.jpg)
Work around to the sides......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt028.jpg)
Finished lip line,hair patterns in place,and a nice soft look......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt027.jpg)
Now my favorite part of a mount...The eyes!!! "The window to the soul".I'll show the clay work again...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt022.jpg)
Excess skin is trimmed,I leave about 1/8th in. to tuck.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt034.jpg)
With a metal modeling tool the skin is then tucked between the glass eye and the clay.This is done slowly and carefully.The eye should look soft and fleshy,and eye lashes all in line and angling down.
Post by: Guru on June 21, 2006, 10:39:00 PM
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt031.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt032.jpg)
And the left.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt037.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt036.jpg)
These eyes where set in a normal forward look.A little white showing in the back on both eyes.If the eyes where rotated to look one way or the other.The whites would show in the front of one,and the back of the other.Depending on which way it was to be looking.Also note the depth of the tucked pre-orbital gland in front of the eye.
Any questions??
I'll try to get more pix of eyes in different positions and expressions.....
Post by: Missouri CK on June 21, 2006, 11:01:00 PM
Chris
Post by: Brian Halbleib on June 22, 2006, 02:41:00 AM
-Brian
www.bowyersjournal.com (http://www.bowyersjournal.com)
Post by: knife river on June 22, 2006, 03:21:00 AM
It'd be pretty cool to have the scraps used as sinew and hide glue on a bow. Nice to know that I'd still be useful after I'm gone -- maybe even more than I am now... ;)
Post by: TexMex on June 22, 2006, 09:46:00 AM
Post by: JC on June 22, 2006, 09:50:00 AM
Post by: Ray Hammond on June 22, 2006, 10:14:00 AM
Excited to see the finished piece.
Post by: kcdaniels on June 22, 2006, 07:38:00 PM
you guys don't make enough on them mounts LOL
Thanks for taking the time to show us HOW. :thumbsup:
Dan
Post by: Crooked Stic on June 22, 2006, 07:47:00 PM
Post by: Guru on June 22, 2006, 09:25:00 PM
Here's some pics of the eyes I spoke of.An aggressive wide open eye.This is off my first N.C. head......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/NCmounts001.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/NCmounts003.jpg)
Mouth off the same deer.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/NCmounts008.jpg)
Pix of a drowsy,half open eye.This is my second N.C. deerhead.After I won the first year with the aggressive deer,a lot of guys were wondering who this young guy was that got lucky.Well the next year I did a totally different expression,head hanging,half asleep,relaxed deer and proved it wasn't a fluke.Scored 99 out of 100pts......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/NCmounts004.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/NCmounts005.jpg)
Post by: Dano on June 22, 2006, 09:32:00 PM
Post by: Bob Walker on June 22, 2006, 09:40:00 PM
Post by: sleepyhollow on June 23, 2006, 07:05:00 AM
Post by: JC on June 23, 2006, 07:22:00 AM
Post by: AZStickman on June 23, 2006, 07:30:00 AM
Post by: rabbitman on June 23, 2006, 07:50:00 AM
Post by: Tom Leemans on June 23, 2006, 07:58:00 AM
Post by: swampbuck on June 23, 2006, 09:02:00 AM
Post by: Pinecone on June 23, 2006, 09:52:00 AM
Post by: Stickbow98 on June 23, 2006, 10:58:00 AM
The first is of an overly aggressive buck I rattled in and killed during a late season hunt in Iowa and had mounted in the "ears back, dominant" pose like Curt is describing in his award winning mount for the nationals. The second is actually a wall mount pedestal which I think looks just incredible, and really makes for a beautiful, even more alive looking mount.
I've studied alot of mounts and done a fair bit of taxidermy myself, but I'm not too proud to yield to the Master....my trophies go to the best, and I've seen NOBODY better than Curt.
As hard as it is to kill a real trophy, it's even harder to bring them back to life....and "GURU's" pretty much got them BOTH down!! :notworthy:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/stickbow98/Fighter1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/stickbow98/Fighter2.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/stickbow98/IowaNewYearsDay2004.jpg)
Post by: nick_the_tinkerer on June 23, 2006, 01:32:00 PM
Nick
Post by: Shakes.602 on June 23, 2006, 03:06:00 PM
Post by: BigRonHuntAlot on June 23, 2006, 03:17:00 PM
Post by: Chad Edgar on June 23, 2006, 03:28:00 PM
Post by: knife river on June 23, 2006, 03:30:00 PM
Post by: the Ferret on June 23, 2006, 04:17:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by knife river:Now that's funny I don't care who you are.
Curt, I just told my wife that when I kick the bucket, I want her to put me on ice and ship me to you. I'd like to be a life-size mount with my Blacktail. The real challenge for you will be the Y-shaped incision at the back of the head -- there isn't much fur left to cover the stitching. :D
So knife river..thought about your pose? Left turn, right turn, droopy, aggresive, rutting? LOL
Post by: bayoulongbowman on June 23, 2006, 04:37:00 PM
Post by: knife river on June 23, 2006, 04:57:00 PM
Looking at the photos of his work, I have no doubt that Curt could do it right!
Post by: gregg dudley on June 23, 2006, 06:21:00 PM
Post by: Ray Hammond on June 23, 2006, 07:16:00 PM
Post by: Shawn Leonard on June 23, 2006, 08:10:00 PM
Post by: Duckbutt on June 23, 2006, 08:44:00 PM
Post by: cjones on June 23, 2006, 11:31:00 PM
Post by: Guru on June 24, 2006, 06:20:00 AM
Knife,believe me when I tell ya you're not the first to have a wife request that to me. But,I've gotten that request more from husbands!
OK, lets get this going again,then I'll post more pix of some other deer.
When the eyes are just right,it's time to move on to the ears,Working from the outside in front of the ear,and from the open seam in the back.The clay is moved around and molded to get the proper depth and musculature for the chosen ear position.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt030-1.jpg)
side view.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt029.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt033.jpg)
A good taxidermist should be able to give you your choice of ear postion.Enything from cupped forward alert,to pinned back and down in an aggresive posture,and anywhere in between.These where both back,with one further back than the other.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt035.jpg)
A razor sharp edge is what we strive for on a good mount.This one is short hair and shows a good example.Even deer with thicker winter hair should have a clean,edge.Sometimes the ears are damaged,and it complicates the process.......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt001.jpg)
You'll get a better idea what the ears look like when I post pix of the overall mount when the Mounting process is done.
Sewing a deer with hair as short as this one is always a challange.But with the proper thread and real close stiches it can be done.It's a slow deal,but patience pays off in the end.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt038.jpg)
Post by: Guru on June 24, 2006, 06:45:00 AM
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt039.jpg)
after getting some hair gel,a screening material is stapled on while it dries(note the wrinkles behind the ears.If the ears where forward the wrinkling would be in front).......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt003.jpg)
When the sewing is done,the mount gets flipped over again to work on getting the bricket skin and hair patterns lined up(something I saw back in my judging days was guys not putting enough time here to get things right.).Then the skin is trimmed and stapeled to the back......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt006.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt016.jpg)
I gotta go away for the weekend,I'll have more pix when I get back........Thanks again
Post by: Randy Morin on June 24, 2006, 08:58:00 AM
Post by: cjones on June 26, 2006, 05:30:00 AM
Post by: Tom Leemans on June 26, 2006, 10:00:00 AM
Post by: Guru on June 27, 2006, 06:03:00 AM
Sorry for the delay..
Now I go over the entire mount to make sure everything is how I want it.I will do this for the next couple days thru the drying process.Some pics just after the mounting process was complete.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt008.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt011.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt007.jpg)
I'll take pix as I do the finish work this weekend and post as I go.
Post by: woodchucker on June 27, 2006, 06:53:00 AM
He looks GREAT!!!!! :thumbsup: If I'm ever lucky enough to shoot a buck like that,you've got the job!!!!!
Thanks for showing us all "how it's done" Curt
Post by: SteveD on June 27, 2006, 07:21:00 AM
Post by: JC on June 27, 2006, 08:50:00 AM
Post by: Charlie Lamb on June 27, 2006, 09:15:00 AM
Post by: Pinecone on June 27, 2006, 09:27:00 AM
Claudia
Post by: Guru on June 28, 2006, 06:31:00 AM
Chuck,you got it bud,just let me know..
Steve,Joe,Charlie....thanks
Claudia, Thanks girl,that was the reason for doing this,to try to educate some on what to look for.
Ya really have to ask some questions and look close at what they have on display.Remember,you are going to look at your mount for the rest of your life.Waiting a little longer,or paying a little more is worth it in the long run.If you don't like what you see,go elsewhere.Keep looking till you find the right person for the job!!
Post by: DeanD on June 28, 2006, 08:40:00 AM
I used to think, "Huh. I could do my own head mount." I will never think that again. Wow. What an incredible amount of artistic skill you have to possess in order to complete such a masterpiece.
Thanks for sharing that step by step instruction. I will never complain about the price of taxidermy again.
Dean
Post by: Terry Green on June 30, 2006, 09:50:00 PM
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/9pt008.jpg)
Post by: Guru on June 30, 2006, 09:59:00 PM
I'm gonna try to get it finished this weekend and you'll really see it come alive!! I'll get some good pix outside in natural light.
I also have a deer I mounted for myself 7 yrs ago that i never finished.I'll finish it with this one and take pix.I killed it with a longbow the last day of our bow season in '93(i think it was '93).Hair is very different.I'll get some comparison pix......
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v77/Guru39/Oldpix008.jpg)
Post by: Al Dente on July 01, 2006, 03:49:00 AM
Post by: cjones on July 01, 2006, 05:10:00 AM
Post by: Huntrdfk on July 01, 2006, 08:49:00 AM
Great work my friend.
David
Post by: Walkingstick on July 01, 2006, 11:48:00 AM
Post by: Terry Green on February 24, 2008, 03:33:00 PM
Post by: Guru on February 24, 2008, 06:03:00 PM
Post by: Killdeer on February 24, 2008, 07:38:00 PM
I wasn't gonna TOUCH Knifey's posts.
Droopy...heehee :D
Oh well, and I used to have such restraint.
!["[dntthnk]"]("graemlins/dntthnk.gif" "\"\"")
Killdeer
Post by: drewsbow on February 24, 2008, 07:52:00 PM