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Post by Win Mag on Jun 14, 2005 17:49:03 GMT -5
I have an older mount done by a departed friend. The mount is starting to show some cracks are the over cuts near the eyes and the paint is disappearing.What maybe done to repair the eye area if anything.I'm sure it can be repainted.Heres a pic to see the problem areas  |
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taxidermywoman23
4 Pointer
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Post by taxidermywoman23 on Jun 14, 2005 18:18:56 GMT -5
Well I am asuming this was a tanned cape. I realy don't see the cracks around the eyes..... Depending on where the cracks are they can be filled in with Epoxy, blended and repainted. As for the Lips........if it is a tanned cape sometimes the hide and lips around that area can be rehydrated and the lips retucked and pin to dry.... once the lips are dry again you can fill the lip slot in with epoxy and this will help prevent the lips from pulling again. Use a little paint on the epoxy to blend. Also the tear ducts can be resculpted with epoxy. You have to be careful when rehydrating an old tanned cape because rehydrating can weaken the hide and cause it to fall apart like tissue paper.....
The head is not in that bad a shape from what I can see..... make sure you take it to a GOOD taxidermist. Just because he says he is a Taxidermist does not mean he knows anything bout restoring mounts. I have done several....The worst one went through a Hurricane and a house fell on it, LMAO..... Restoring a mount is a whole nother ball game when it comes to Taxidermy.....
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Post by Win Mag on Jun 14, 2005 18:39:29 GMT -5
Thanks for such a quick response. Not something i should attempt myself you think ? It is a decent buck not a monster but nice tall tines and an 11 pt  |
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taxidermywoman23
4 Pointer
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Post by taxidermywoman23 on Jun 14, 2005 18:46:04 GMT -5
NO....Id' take it to someone that has done mount restoring befor. It's a lot of work depending on all that needs to be done. I good taxidermist should be able to do it.
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Post by Huntress on Jun 15, 2005 9:40:28 GMT -5
From your pics I think this mount does need extensive repair. Eye/tear duct area, nose, lips all shrinking and cracked, ears drumming, and the whole mount is sun/light damaged (faded).
With that said....What does the mount mean to you???
Is it your rack/cape and your friend mounted it? Was it his rack? Were you hunting together when it was taken? Sometimes it's just more about the memories than the mount itself.
You could try to repair it yourself....What do you have to lose? You could get an estimate from a taxidermist to have the repairs done. Or you could do what many of my customers do in a case like this....Either have a full remount done with a new cape or have an antler mount done. When it's more about the memories I usually put the new mount on a larger plaque and add a picture or two of the friend/relative.
A simple antler mount with pics would be the least expensive and still preserve the memory of your friend.
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taxidermywoman23
4 Pointer
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Post by taxidermywoman23 on Jun 15, 2005 20:00:07 GMT -5
From his post I gather that the taxidermist that mounted the deer was his freind and is now no longer alive.
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Post by Win Mag on Jun 15, 2005 21:29:53 GMT -5
Yes that is the case.Lost him 3 yrs ago in an accident.To answer some of the questions.
It is my Rack,First big deer i took with my bow.What about a new cape from another deer that i may take ? would that be an easier route.The forum can be replaced too. I'll add that is hanging over a fireplace i sometimes use,So it probably has smoke damage as well.
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Post by Huntress on Jun 15, 2005 21:53:49 GMT -5
Sorry to hear about your friend Win--I lost a good friend in an accident too and still miss her.
Any cape you use will have to be as large as the one that you're going to replace. If you shoot a buck that big this fall wouldn't you want to get that one mounted too? Then you would still be short one cape. As far as the form goes you would have to talk to the taxidermist ..... He may be able to use the old form. He probably wouldn't know untill he took it apart.
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Post by Win Mag on Jun 15, 2005 22:04:34 GMT -5
It would have to be as big or bigger than i now have on the walls.Hopefully so,but if i was to go with a new cape,i would just go with the new measurements for a forum and transfer the rack over.I wouldn't use a 6 pt's cape as it wouldn't have the features of a mature deer.In my older age i lean more on shooting the older bucks whether they are monsters or not.
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mbpg
4 Pointer
We Produce Em / You Tag Em
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Post by mbpg on Jun 16, 2005 13:35:02 GMT -5
Hey Bro, Sure was a nice trophy alright.But the hide has seen its day,been around too long and probably the friend who mounted it,didn't have the chemicals or the ready made mount forms we do today.It looks like the hide was pickled in course salt,alum, arsnic,rinsed and then mounted.It was a nice job in those days! Like you say bro,been through a lot through the years. The dead straw look of the hair tells me this is the way the hide was tanned.The mouth was sewn together in those days also. Take a pic of it,and take to a taxidermist,he'll put a new cape on a modern form.It will look like you just tagged it Bro.I have done several big racks in this condition,and the folks loved it as they had all those past years.Been a taxidermist for 24 yrs now and love every minute bringing the wonders back to live.  Yes that is the case.Lost him 3 yrs ago in an accident.To answer some of the questions. It is my Rack,First big deer i took with my bow.What about a new cape from another deer that i may take ? would that be an easier route.The forum can be replaced too. I'll add that is hanging over a fireplace i sometimes use,So it probably has smoke damage as well. |
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taxidermywoman23
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Post by taxidermywoman23 on Jun 16, 2005 18:39:35 GMT -5
WinMag,
What are you looking for? Do you want a completly NEW mount? Or do you want to restore this one? My first impression is that you wanted to restore the mount because it was mounted by your freind. Now your talking bout getting a new cape and new form and re-mounting the rack.
Do you have Deer Processors up their that skin and gut the deer? You can pick up capes from them sometimes. I pick up a bunch here every year from just one processor. Or you can buy a new cape from the taxidermist.
I don't know if you have a taxidermist you use already but if you are still in the market... Make sure you check out their work. Make sure they show you CUSTOMER work.......NOT COMPETITION work. Their is a world of difference I don't care what anyone says.
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Post by Mobe on Oct 4, 2005 10:40:04 GMT -5
My son took his deer to a guy who didn't listen to us as to what size neck his deer had. So he put the cape on a full rut form. He told us it would be ok and he did it 'cause the forms were the same price. In just two years the cape shrank and the stitching up the back of the neck looks awful. I had a mount done fifteen years earlier that still looks better than my sons, but it is time to have it remounted.
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