kelcher
Well-Known Member
A friend of mine is a taxidermist and I asked him how they keep the velvet nice on some of the mounts he does. He said that they usually strip it and spray some sort of synthetic velvet on the rack. I have never seen a real velvet rack, but the one mount he had sure looked good to me. If you can't figure out how to save it, maybe you could have it sprayed?
stuffy
Member
bushman, if you are worried about the velvet, it depends on what condition it is in. It it still has blood in it, that must come out, or it will begin to smell. They must be injected. Or, it can be freeze dried, or stripped and sent away to have artificial velvet applied. Both kind of costly.
If you are worried about the skull, you should probably do something besides bleach. Bleach will just weaken the skull bones.
If you are worried about the skull, you should probably do something besides bleach. Bleach will just weaken the skull bones.
Shoot2Kill
Active Member
If this is the deer that you recently posted on here, you are still safe if you can get it freeze dried ASAP. I shot a caribou in Alaska that was in full velvet. We had 3 days before we got picked up in the bush and another day before I could get it in to be freeze dried. It turned out fine and hasn't peeled or started to slip at all and that was 3 years ago.
As far as bleaching it. Once you get it back from being freeze dried there is a couple ways to make it white. First of all, don't bleach it. Bleach eats/weakens bone. There are various whitening agents (Basic White, or Magnesium Carbonate with Peroxide)that you mix into a paste form and apply it to the bone. Once it dries you can wash it off, repeat the process if necessary, and the skull will be bright white. Do a search on http://www.taxidermy.net and go into the forums sections. Do a search in the archives and you will find days of reading about this subject. It is a wealth of knowledge.
If you have any questions about it more in depth just let me know, I've done dozens of cariou racks in velvet for European mounts. You could elect to go with the artificial velvet, but it is pretty spendy, and it really isn't "how you found it". Real velvet is much cooler to have in your collection in my opinion.
As far as bleaching it. Once you get it back from being freeze dried there is a couple ways to make it white. First of all, don't bleach it. Bleach eats/weakens bone. There are various whitening agents (Basic White, or Magnesium Carbonate with Peroxide)that you mix into a paste form and apply it to the bone. Once it dries you can wash it off, repeat the process if necessary, and the skull will be bright white. Do a search on http://www.taxidermy.net and go into the forums sections. Do a search in the archives and you will find days of reading about this subject. It is a wealth of knowledge.
If you have any questions about it more in depth just let me know, I've done dozens of cariou racks in velvet for European mounts. You could elect to go with the artificial velvet, but it is pretty spendy, and it really isn't "how you found it". Real velvet is much cooler to have in your collection in my opinion.
Shoot2Kill
Active Member
Bushman...where are you at in MN? I'm south of Detroit Lakes. Just thought I'd ask in case you're in the area. Being temporarily new here I haven't met any bowhunters yet!
Rackaddict
Life Member
[ QUOTE ]
..this would be one of those situations where the beetles would come in handy????
[/ QUOTE ]
Don't use the beetles if you want the velvet to stay on. They'll eat it too.
I'm raising a colony of Dermestid Beetles now and they'll eat ANYTHING that is organic including tanned hides or tanned velvet. Them's some hungry bugs!
..this would be one of those situations where the beetles would come in handy????
[/ QUOTE ]
Don't use the beetles if you want the velvet to stay on. They'll eat it too.
I'm raising a colony of Dermestid Beetles now and they'll eat ANYTHING that is organic including tanned hides or tanned velvet. Them's some hungry bugs!