The Imperial Shipyards
Imperial Community => Imperial Break Room => Topic started by: Darth C on July 21, 2008, 07:02:15 PM
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This is my thread to show the stuff I have been mounting. Been during taxidermy on and off for a long time. Got to a point where I needed some professional help. I contacted a taxidermist I knew and started training under him the first of this year. My goal is to do this full time , so I can retire from my current profession in 8 years and do something I really enjoy.
Here is my latest mount I completed. This is the first deer that I did about 90% of the work on. Still have a few areas for improvement, but it is coming along, slowly.
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/100_3290.jpg)
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/100_3289.jpg)
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/100_3291.jpg)
Here are some pics of a restoration job I'm doing on my father's 20 year old mount. These are before pics. Will be cleaning up the cape, recontructing the nose, repairing eyelids, repairing lips, and repainting areas on the face.
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/000_0001.jpg)
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/000_0002.jpg)
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/000_0003.jpg)
This last one is a close up of the old nose, sorry kind of blurry.
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/000_0004.jpg)
Ok here are ths finished pics of the restoration. This first one is a overall shot of the deer.
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/000_0005.jpg)
This pic is showing the rebuilding of the eye and side shot of the reconstruction of the nose.
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/000_0007.jpg)
This pic shows the same on the other side.
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/000_0006.jpg)
This pic is a closeup of the nose. This was the major area to do. Rebuilt the nose, textured it, painted it, and glossed it.
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/000_0008.jpg)
Here is a pic of my first largemouth bass I mounted and painted. The paint job still needs work, but my instructor said it was real good for a first time.
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/000_0009.jpg)
This pic is a walleye I mounted on the form today. This stage is what it looks like until it dries. Using plastic screen to keep the fins upright until dry.
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/000_0011.jpg)
The next step after it dries is to paint on a flexible fin glue, that's so the fins don't break off. Set the eye, fill in shrunken areas with epoxie, bondo up the back, seal the fish, then paint.
Here as a few fish that are ready for finishing work.
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f115/CTtamer/chad3.jpg)
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f115/CTtamer/chad7.jpg)
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f115/CTtamer/chad6.jpg)
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f115/CTtamer/chad5.jpg)
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f115/CTtamer/chad4.jpg)
(http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f115/CTtamer/chad8.jpg)
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looks good to me Chad. I don't see where you have much more learning to do!
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Wow! those fish look great! Nicely done!
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Took tomorrow off from work to work on some birds, plan on skinning 5 birds tomorrow. Will be lucky to get 3 done, but we'll see.
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Is there a season in there now Chad? Or are they ones from the previous hunting season? It sure sounds like hard work.
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from last year
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Well its time to get back to work. Took a year off from bird hunting to try and get some stuff done. will be trying my first attempt at skinning out a coyote tomorrow. Hopefully it goes well, its in really nice shape.
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I will be anxious to see that one!
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Well it will be awhile before I start working on it, have to send it to be tanned, mainly just wanted to get it out of the freezer to free up some space.
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Got the Yote all skun out and preped to send to the tannery. Overall very happy with how it turned out. The eyes were a little freezer burned, but overall it should be a nice mount when done. Now onto preping 2 black bears for tanning. Figured would send 3 there since it is a ways to drive to get there.
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Sounds like you have a good skinning knife!
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Well did some more work today. I started getting a black bear ready for the tannery. Had to skin out the head and paws and then the fun started. There is so much fat on bears that you need to remove that before you can tan it. The old way is to use a knife and fleashing beam. Lots of time and elbow grease. I tried a new way today, useing a pressure washer. Once I got it finally working it worked out great, just peeled it of. The downside is it is real messy. Bits of fat flying everywhere. I was wearing a rain jacket and hip boats. I had to take a shower when I was done before Barb would let me into the house. But this process saved about 6 hours worth of work. I also sliced open my thumb with the scalpel today and did have to buy a new pressure washer also. I have 1 more bear to flesh out then off to the tannery.
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I am still chuckling at the thought of you in rain gear spraying the pressure hose on that bear. You sure you aren't a West Virginian? I am about ready to adopt you!
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Wow, Ill bet that you were a mess after that!
You will have to post some pics of the bears as you progress.
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I agree Clint. I would love to see some pics of some of this stuff when you get it back from the tannery Chad. Do you think it would be possible for me to somehow ship you just a hide to get tanned sometime? Not that I have any, but I would love the thought of you doing some taxidermy for me. Hey, do you think you could do a European mount for the buck I just got with my bow if I get the hide off the face? That would be awesome! I will pay you for your time ofcourse!
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Well friday night got to cape out my first deer. I guy from work got a 9 point and he's not mounting so he let me have the cape. Everything went fine, other then it took me forever to do it. Last night started skinning the head out and fleshing the cape. Man you talk about ticks they were just crawling off theat hide big time. I spent it seemed more time picking ticks off of me then doing my work. Had to take a shower afterward just to make sure I got them all off. There seems like there are a number of differnt types of ticks, I counted 5 different kinds I pulled off of it. Got to go and cape out another deer tonight, when another guy from work gets back and doesn't want his cape either. Going to freeze this one before start skinning it and try and kill those ticks.
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Man, I could use a nice cape. I am getting a European mount done of that muzzleloader kill and am now wishing I had shoulder mounted it. Glad to see it is working out for you. I know I wouldn't have the patience to do the whole face caping thing. I have also wondered how the ears work out doing that too. I would have been there watching! Man, horrible about those ticks. Good idea freezing this hide!
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Well after taking a break for awhile I am back in the saddle so to speak. A couple of weeks ago I dropped off 2 bear, 2 deer, and a coyote to the tanners. Should get them back in a few months. This past week started to try and paint fish again. Worked on a bass with not so great results. Painted a crappie and sunfish yesterday and was pretty happy with the results. Will try and get some pics up of them. They are still not the quality they need to be, but at least I am finally satisfied with them, paint thinner is starting to get expensive.
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I was wondering if you were still getting after those critters.
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Yeah, took a little break, but I'm in full swing now. Painted up a perch, nothern and bass. Happy with the perch and northern, still have to practice more on bass. Will try and get some pics soon.
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I'm looking forward to those pics, buddy.
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Well spent the weekend working on more fish. Friday after work spent preparing a norhtern pike for painting. Friday night put a late one in mounting a sunfish and crappies. Got up real early on sat and skun out a sunfish and crappies and in the afternoon skun out 2 more sunfish. This week will mount the 3 sunfish and crappies. My plan now is to mount all the fish I have then paint them all at once, less time consuming then doing one at a time.
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I can't wait to see those new pics. I remember how good those fish came out last year!
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Chad, I wish there was a way that I could get one of my caught fish to you to do up. That would be pretty cool.
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Was working on some fish yesterday prepping them for final painting. I'm going to attempt to post a pic of a perch I finished up last month. Keep your fingers crossed!
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/103_3458-1.jpg)
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Wow, it worked. Not 100% happy with the paint job, but its ok. Had way to much green on the top of the fish.
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Wow, it worked. Not 100% happy with the paint job, but its ok. Had way to much green on the top of the fish.
Looks good to me Chad, that is one nice perch. Looks real good mounted on that piece of driftwood.
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Thanks, will be posting a pic of a sunfish and crappie shortly
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Here is a pic of my first sunfish and crappie.
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/taxidermy/103_3462-1.jpg)
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Wow! Those turned out great! I like that driftwood mount!
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They look professional quality to me Chad.
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Thanks for thinking so, but if you seen them close up you would see the issues.
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Well it been awhile since I've posted here. Last week picked up my capes that were tanned, so now I'm ready to go on those. Got 4 sunfish, 2 crappies, 3 bass, 1 northern, and one walleye that are ready to be painted. Kind of got sidetracked with the dagobah project, but I got to get in gear, when summer hits here its alot less time to work on the stuff.
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I look forward to seeing your cape pics. Are you doing shoulder mounts I assume? I know one thing it seems your paint jobs on your fish get better each one! If you ever get into doing repros I for sure want to go after some big natives. Wish there was some way I could get my fish to you before they spoiled. It would be cool to have a Darth C creation in the house.
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I look forward to seeing your cape pics. Are you doing shoulder mounts I assume? I know one thing it seems your paint jobs on your fish get better each one! If you ever get into doing repros I for sure want to go after some big natives. Wish there was some way I could get my fish to you before they spoiled. It would be cool to have a Darth C creation in the house.
I hear that, Shawn. The wife and i would love to have a big catch or two mounted by Chad.
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Fish would be tough to send up here, about the only way would have to on dry ice.
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Fish would be tough to send up here, about the only way would have to on dry ice.
I had thought about that.
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Well got 6 fish painted over the last 2 days. Got 4 sunfish and 2 crappies painted. Will post some pics soon. The sunfish are just mounted on a board for right now, until I can find the right piece of driftwood and get some other sunfish done.
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Well got 6 fish painted over the last 2 days. Got 4 sunfish and 2 crappies painted. Will post some pics soon. The sunfish are just mounted on a board for right now, until I can find the right piece of driftwood and get some other sunfish done.
Sound like you have been busy.
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lots of work for sure!
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Well, I got the 4 sunfish mounted on the display. It is not quite finished yet. My airbrush took a nose dive this morning, so I have to buy a new one. Still need to airbrushing the weeds, add some vegetation to the bottem and arirush that. Then take the fish off and spray a high gloss sealer over the display to give it a wet look. Here are a couple of pics with the fish mounted on it.
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/taxidermy/103_3517-1.jpg)
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/taxidermy/103_3516-1.jpg)
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Totally awsome, Chad!! What a great display! Too bad about your airbrush. What kind are you going to get?
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Thanks Clint, I use a pacshe single action. One of the top of the lines airbrush is the Iwata, but they are around $100 and right now I can only swing the $35 one. Also I would have to switch all of my paint valve bottles and around $5 a piece and needing about at least 12 to paint a fish, its not in the budget at this time.
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Thanks Clint, I use a pacshe single action. One of the top of the lines airbrush is the Iwata, but they are around $100 and right now I can only swing the $35 one. Also I would have to switch all of my paint valve bottles and around $5 a piece and needing about at least 12 to paint a fish, its not in the budget at this time.
I could check and see if I have the 40% off one item Hobby lobby coupon this week and pick you up one if you need me to.
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Thanks for the offer, but I already got one ordered.
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Wow, what an awesome taxidermy display Chad. I love it. Daggone, and you say its not done yet? Looks sweet to me. I can't wait to see this finished.
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Thanks guys, here are some more pics, the first 2 are of a walleye and the next 3 are of 2 bass.
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/taxidermy/103_3518-1.jpg)
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/taxidermy/103_3519-1.jpg)
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/taxidermy/103_3520-1.jpg)
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/taxidermy/103_3521-1.jpg)
(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd302/chadear/taxidermy/103_3522-1.jpg)
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Daggone I am really liking these boxed dio type displays! Extremely realistic. Looks like its time for the shop to open to me Chad.
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Thanks Shawn, like I said not quite there yet to start charging for stuff.
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Thanks Shawn, like I said not quite there yet to start charging for stuff.
I would pay for a mount that looked that good!
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Well if you look at the last pic and look between the top of the white and underneath the dark barring on the top bass you can tell its missing something, might not show up well in the pic, but its missing paint, there are alot of flaws that I know are there.
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looks good from here. I wish that I could get a fish to you to do up, buddy.