blake
Life Member
PMA Memberships and IBA Memberships & Renewals
I certainly am not a taxidermist, but this is what I have always done with my mounts:
When cleaning the hair I use a feather duster to get rid of the dust as best I can.
Next I get some furniture polish like Pledge. Always make sure the cloth you are going to wipe down the mount with is clean. Spray a little Pledge on the cloth and gently begin wiping at the face and head of the mount wiping towards the back of the mount. If at all possible do not brush against the grain of the hair.
On the antlers I like to use Liquid Gold; you can purchase it in the furniture polish section at your favorite store. Again, using a clean cloth spray the cloth with the Liquid Gold and wipe it on. Initially after application the Liquid Gold will look wet and shiny; however when it is dry the antlers will look natural.
The last cleaning task I do is clean the eyes with a Q-tip and some Windex glass cleaner.
Always keep your mounts clean, there many different insects that like to eat hair follicles, antlers, and the tanned leather of your mount. There are several sprays that can be used to prevent insects from invading and running your mount. Ask your taxidermist which one he recommends and uses.
rwyllie@iowawhitetail.com
Limb Chicken
Active Member
Windex is the best for the whole mount.
Blake, I would stay away from the pledge it will attract all kinds of dirt and dust. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif
Blake, I would stay away from the pledge it will attract all kinds of dirt and dust. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif
dc240nt
PMA Member
Not all taxidermists are cerated equal, but mine tells to never put anything on a mount. It will eventually ruin the hair. He recommends to only use a clean damp cloth on the areas with hair, a feather duster for inside the ears, and a wet Q-tip for the eyes and nose.
I've been doing this once a month with my mounts, a few are pushing 20 years old and still look as good as the day I brought them home.
In my trailer display I also do this same precedure except I do it once a week. All twenty look pretty darned good.
Keep the hair clean, the eyes bright, the nose shiny, and people will think you always have new mounts.
I've been doing this once a month with my mounts, a few are pushing 20 years old and still look as good as the day I brought them home.
In my trailer display I also do this same precedure except I do it once a week. All twenty look pretty darned good.
Keep the hair clean, the eyes bright, the nose shiny, and people will think you always have new mounts.
AIRASSAULT
PMA Member
Mineral spirits on a paper towel and wipe with the flow of the hair.. Take a pet brush and brush the hair going with the flow, then mineral spirits and wipe again.. keep doing so until paper towel is clean. Make sure at the end that you wipe the hair brush lines out of the mount or it will look un-natural. Windex and q-tip for the eyes, and a little trick I do with mine to make the lower eye lid, nictitating membrane and nose look fresh and wet.... ; for the eyelid and membrane, use Crystal Clear Glaze (in a little jar) and a very small paint brush and just brush it on.. for the nose.. use Krylon Crystal Clear Glaze and spray a light coat on the nose (block the hair on the face and around the nose with a paper towel to keep it off the hair)
AIRASSAULT
PMA Member
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ibowbigbucks</div><div class="ubbcode-body">mineral spirits? i clean paint brushes out with that , if it will clean texture mud, paint ect, i would hate to see what it would do to my mount!sorry, a damp cloth for the mount , windex with q-tip for eyes, nose works fine. </div></div>
That idea came from Calley Morris (renowned taxidermist) It wont hurt the hair.. Just dont get it too close to the eyes or nose where the paint is.
That idea came from Calley Morris (renowned taxidermist) It wont hurt the hair.. Just dont get it too close to the eyes or nose where the paint is.
Shoot2Kill
Active Member
I worked for a taxidermist in Alaska for 3 years that had over 150 pieces of taxidermy in his house - full bodies, rugs, shoulder mounts, etc...every room...wall to wall...it was a sight...twice a year he would remove nearly every piece of it one at a time and blow them off with an air compressor that was set very lightly (it took almost a full week to do this). His opinion was when you wipe them down without blowing the dust off you push some of the dust down into the hair which builds up over time. Blow them off first, wipe them down, brush them if needed, clean the eyes, etc. Also, a light coating of lineseed oil on the antlers will keep them looking good as new forever. Just another option for ya....
Shoot2Kill
Active Member
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: muddy</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Sometime too much information is worse than not enough... I can use windex, linseed oil, mineral oil, mineral spirits, compressed air, Crystal Clear Glaze, Liquid Gold, rylon Crystal Clear Glaze, or a damp cloth...
Maybe I'll put it off for another few years! </div></div>
hahaha...I thought that as I was reading it...that's why I put another option for you in there. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
How about this....stop shooting so many big bucks every year and you won't have to worry about all your mounts. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
Maybe I'll put it off for another few years! </div></div>
hahaha...I thought that as I was reading it...that's why I put another option for you in there. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
How about this....stop shooting so many big bucks every year and you won't have to worry about all your mounts. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
muddy
Well-Known Member
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JNRBRONC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Doesn't Stuffy offer an extended maintenance contract? /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif </div></div>
I was going to ask him that very same thing! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
I was going to ask him that very same thing! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
BJohnson
Well-Known Member
Although not directly related to the original question, what can be done for stubborn portions of the hide which for some reason just don't want to lay down. I have a couple spots on one of my mounts which have spots of hide which "stand up" and will not lay flat with the rest of the hide (mainly shoulder/lower neck/brisket area). Any suggestions ??
AIRASSAULT
PMA Member
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BWJ</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Although not directly related to the original question, what can be done for stubborn portions of the hide which for some reason just don't want to lay down. I have a couple spots on one of my mounts which have spots of hide which "stand up" and will not lay flat with the rest of the hide (mainly shoulder/lower neck/brisket area). Any suggestions ?? </div></div>
There are a couple of different methods for this that I learned in taxidermy school. Some I learned the hard way. When I mounted my first deer, I used a lot of roping and T-pins to get the creases in the hide/form to show better. When I did this, it made the hair stand up in a lot of places and turned out to be a nightmare. My instructor, Tom Matuska, taught us to use hair conditioner mixed with water in a spray bottle. Spray the area (not too much..you don't want to saturate the tanned leather, this could cause molding) and comb the hair down. This method will work for areas that aren't really bad. The conditioner helps "relax" the standing areas. If you notice that the hairs are broken, there isn't much you can do to help this. Another thing that I had to do along with the conditioner/water was take cut-out strips of window screen and pin the screen over the areas of standing hair to force them to lay down and then remove after a week or so. You've probably seen it on here before, but here is a pic of that first mount I did. It turned out great after I got all of the areas of standing hair to lay down.
There are a couple of different methods for this that I learned in taxidermy school. Some I learned the hard way. When I mounted my first deer, I used a lot of roping and T-pins to get the creases in the hide/form to show better. When I did this, it made the hair stand up in a lot of places and turned out to be a nightmare. My instructor, Tom Matuska, taught us to use hair conditioner mixed with water in a spray bottle. Spray the area (not too much..you don't want to saturate the tanned leather, this could cause molding) and comb the hair down. This method will work for areas that aren't really bad. The conditioner helps "relax" the standing areas. If you notice that the hairs are broken, there isn't much you can do to help this. Another thing that I had to do along with the conditioner/water was take cut-out strips of window screen and pin the screen over the areas of standing hair to force them to lay down and then remove after a week or so. You've probably seen it on here before, but here is a pic of that first mount I did. It turned out great after I got all of the areas of standing hair to lay down.