31 replies to this topic

[Youngster18]

hey i was woundering if there is any trick to fixing the sometimes giant holes that the exit wound can leave. is there a special way to sew it up. when do u do it when its freshly skinned or after its been salted and washed and almost ready to be tanned?. anything u guys know on skinning would be helpful. oh and i want to try to do my own taxidermy on a rugg for a bobcat i have in the freezer, is there any were i can buy my own supplys or molds for just the head?

[Soreloser]

I know Vandykes carries just about any form you need for a mount..Sew the hole up while the pelt is soft, I would do it after it is fleshed because you are going to rip the stitches if you try to flesh when it's sewed up. And keep your stitches as close to the edge as possible.

[Youngster18]

ok but if i stitch it while the pelt is soft later when i stretch it will the holes from the stitching get bigger? does vandykes have a web site?

[peeker seeker]

Thay do . And you can get all you need from them, used them for years. Just type vandykes taxidermy and serch. Good luck . Some times part of the pelt may be missing. Use a pelt freindly round

[Cranky Farmer]

http://www.vandykestaxidermy.comThey also have "How To" newsletters once a monthhttp://www.vandykest...y.com/email.php

[Youngster18]

thanks. oh but what about the stiching when you stretch the hide. wont it make more holes. or even bigger?

[CoyoteHuntress]

thanks. oh but what about the stiching when you stretch the hide. wont it make more holes. or even bigger?

Flesh it, tan it then sew it. If its properly sewed up the sticthes should hold when you stretch it. You can use fishing line (Spider wire works good) and then it wont be as visiable from either side. Make sure you match up the hide good though and that you dont bunch it up at the stictches. You want the sticthes fairly close together. When your done sewing the hide should lay flat..

[Bozsik]

I also find using the baseball stitch the most useful. And stitch it from the inside. Small stitches are the ticket. If it is a tear seam, don't pull the opening closed to the center. Create a long seam along the tear line. The hair will lay flat that way. I send my pelts out to a tannery to be done. If you send them out and then stitch it later, it may come back with a much larger hole. Since you want to tan the thing yourself, you can take better care and then stitch it up after the tanning, when the hide is stronger.db

[ShooterJohn]

Just use some DUCT tape.

[NVWalt]

Poprivets.....Walt

[Youngster18]

i wish duct tape was the answer. thanks you guys.

[CRITTRGITTR]

Boszik ang Coyotehuntress are both bery correct, I do taxidermy on the side. Sew it after it is tanned and baseball stitch is my favorite. A curved needle works best for me. You can get a ton of info at www.taxidermy.net There are many good suppliers. I personally like Mc Kenzie, research maninkins, or WASCO. They will all help you with questions you have right over the phone also. Good luck!Bryan

[Youngster18]

thanks. where would i look to learn the baseball stitch? and does doing ur own taxidermy pretty expensive?

[Cranky Farmer]

http://www.perestroi...ndstitching.phphttp://www.projectpu...e-baseball.html

[CRITTRGITTR]

It isnt that expensive you can do a full body coyote for probably under 75 bucks, i can do a duck for under 30 i charge 200 though. It just depends on the quality of materials you buy, some stuff is worth it and other stuff your average customer isnt goin to even pay attention to and will probably never notice. Like recreating the nicitating membrane on a duck, or recreating the septum on the inside of a deer's nostrils. A judge at a taxidermy competition is going to want to see it but joe blow wont ever know. I would suggest maybe practicing on a coyote rug or two before you start in on your bobcat, I dont know about you but for me they are a little toughter to come by. Bryan

[peeker seeker]

thanks. where would i look to learn the baseball stitch? and does doing ur own taxidermy pretty expensive?

It is cheeper. but start out on stuff like yote and rabbits racoons and mayby a deer hide (rugs) but if you get that once in a life time buck let a pro put it on the wall. Start with the small stuff and one day you might be that pro. Man that stuff is just as addictive as varmints.

[CoyoteHuntress]

thanks. where would i look to learn the baseball stitch? and does doing ur own taxidermy pretty expensive?

Baseball stich is basically this . Poke thru the hide from underneath pull it thru then poke thru underside of the hide on the other piece, so under, thru, under thru, it comes out looking like a neat baseball stitch ... Taxidermy CAN be expensive but mainly its your time. Its cheaper than paying a taxidermist to do it for you as long as you are good at it. If you ruin a mount it of course can be more expensive than just sending it out in the first place. . Forms can be pricey, and some tools you MUST have are pricey when you add up the bill.. But once bought you can use them over and over again. Materials can be cheap or pricey depending on how much you buy and how often you use it. Like Peeker said I wouldnt attempt a trophy until you get alot of practise in are a confidant. I personally have about 4,600.00 invested right now. It was more expensive that I figured but cheaper than some other hobbies or business would cost to start up. I guess it depends on what you would consider cheap...

[Youngster18]

sound like somthing i'm going to try and get in to. i'm trying to find out if they have a taxidermy school in rexburge idaho where i'm leaving for college next fall. i'm going to practice on some coyotes first before the bobcat. i have some hide of some coyotes and i would like to put the fur on the inside of a hooded sweatshirt but i was woundering if anybody has done this?

[CoyoteHuntress]

I havent tried using the fur as garmets yet. Heres a link to taxidermy school in Idaho....I have no clue on who this is, nor how good they are. Just saw the link so figured you might want to check it out. http://www.taxidermy-school.org/

[Youngster18]

thanks. i'll look in to it. does any body know any how to links on taxidermy for the heads of coyotes or babcats. thanks

[CoyoteHuntress]

It isnt that expensive you can do a full body coyote for probably under 75 bucks, Bryan

Id like to know where you buy your forms if you can produce a lifesize coyote for under 75.00. Not counting eyes, jaw set (if open mouth), tail and ears your looking at more than 75 just for the body form, then you have to figure in tanning, and your time... How can you do it for under 75.00?

[mac]

Should have "pinned" this and retitled "Taxidermy How To: 101" j/k I've found all the group's responses fantastic and glad Youngster started the topic.

[Youngster18]

hey i was tanning soem yotes fur and the hair was sleepin a little. what do i do to stop it? or what can i do?

[7 Days]

Hi Youngster,If your yote hair is slipping, it probably means you missed some fat or membrane in the fleshing proccess. I don't think there is much one can do to fix it, after it starts.As for sewing, I sew any holes up after all skinning and fleshing is complete, before they go on a wire or board for drying. If your stitches are short and tight, it should be able to be tanned (you or tannery) with out any problem. I use as small a needle as I can, with artificial sinew, that has been split to a very thin diameter. I start the tare with a square knot, use a whip stitch to the other end, and finish with poking the needle half way through both edges, the taking the remainder of thread and wrapping it around the top half of the needle (pointy side) 3 times. Then pull the needle all the way through the hide and the 3 loops you made, creating a locking stitch at the and. Cut off left over,and you should be good to go.You mentioned something about salting hides, IMHO not neccessary, just get good and clean, then make taught on a wood frame or stretcher. Dry at about 55-60 degrees for several days, and they should be fine until you tan them.Best dvd I have seen is " Practicle Fur Handling" by T & M Outdoors, featuring Tom Osborne. Everything you need to know about all the steps in handling fur is here. Highly recomended!!!!Greg

[Braz]

Good comments 7 Days, and welcome to the forum.

[CoyoteHuntress]

hey i was tanning soem yotes fur and the hair was sleepin a little. what do i do to stop it? or what can i do?

Bacteria causes slippage. Once it slips there is no cure.. For suspect hides you can get a product called Stop Rot. As your skinning you can brush it on the flesh side. Specially the ears, tail and around the face. On the ears, tail and face I brush it on right on the fur as well as the skin.. Usually the ears seem to slip first, specially on fox.. I always use stop rot on fox due to the ears being so prone to slippage. Salt is basically used to stop any bacteria and to prevent bacteria from growing. If it is warm or you intend to hang the hide to dry Id recomend salting it as it is a very cheap preventative. Also when you are fleshing the hide make sure it doesnt get warm. Say youve skinned it, brought it home and put it in the fridge. Let it get good and cold then start fleshing, if it startes to get warm, put it back in the fridge. Also when you tanned the coyote skin did you use a degreaser on it before you tanned? Fat or meat left on the hide can cause slippage in those areas, also the degreaser will remove grease from the hair as well. You need to degrease before hand to remove any grease left in the hide.. I use Kemsal-4..

[Youngster18]

thanks u guys it looks like i made a lot of mistakes. is there any tricks you guys use about getting ride of that extra membrane if u dont have one of thoughs machines? i know that babcats comes off pretty easy but i've had a hearder time with coyotes. oh i've been looking in to that taxidermy at vandikes and if i was going to mount somthing to a form do i have to use a sertain kind of glue or is it just super glue?

[CoyoteHuntress]

Some people use a fleshing blade on a beam.. looks like a rasp with handles on either end? I use a scalpel or any good knife would work. Just keep working at it. If you see black dots you are to the hair follicle so dont go any further. Once you get a bit started under that membrane just keep working at it and it should come off.. It is kinda sticky that is for sure, but the more you do it the easier it gets. As far as the glue goes.. there are so many different types its pretty much just what you prefer. No super glu isnt good for doing the entire hide though some use it for smaller things like say the lips, or maybe with earliners. I have two kinds I ordered, but have only tried one- "Killer Glue" hide paste. Its a two part paste where you mix Part A with Part B in equal amounts. The other I have but havent tried yet is the Salli Dhames hide paste. It comes as a powed and you mix it with warm water and let it set over night. I also have used Dextrine and whitteing.. That worked great too. And you can mix up batches of that and it has a rather long shelf life. Basically pick something that sounds good to you and try it

[ShooterJohn]

Some people use a fleshing blade on a beam.. looks like a rasp with handles on either end?

An old woodworkers draw knife is a good tool. You don't want teeth like on a rasp.

[Youngster18]

thanks you guys i'll have to post some pics after my first mount, or shell.