17.
The ear glue is recommended from one of our taxidermy suppliers. We cover the ear inside and out with the glue very liberally. Note... Some taxidermists use glue on the entire form as well. We haven't had much of a problem with drumming on the general form mount. We have though with the ear portion of the mount. We do not use glue on the entire form before mounting; for another reason being that th glue dries before we can position the cape (head skin) right on the mannikin before the glue anchors it down permantely.
(Above Picture)
15.
Next - a rough course sandpaper is used to scratch the plastic surface of the earliner. This is for better glue adhesion. Remember when you fixed a flat bicycle tire for you son or daughter or a small child - you would scratch the rubber tube with the lid of the repair kit to scratch the surface so the rubber patch would seal good? Same principal here. The liners are rasped to ensure better glue ahhesion before the glue is applied.
(Above Picture)
16.
It's not to noticeable but here we have abrated the liners with the course sandapaper - now they are ready to have the glue applied.
(Above Picture)
18.
Earliners are now inserted into the ear pockets. We have left glue off the last 2 or so inches. We will put a small amount of clay on the outside last few inches of the plastic earliners for adhesion.
(Above Picture)
19.
With your hand inside the ear base pushing gently outward; the other hand pushes clay in the inside of the ear base as pictured above. Filling in the air pocket with clay firmly.
(Above Picture)
20.
After the ear base is filled with clay we round off the base so when we press the ears onto the form the clay spreads out and helps to form the ear bases original flesh areas back like it was.
(Above Picture)
21.
Remember that our cape is wet; we needed rehydration to make the cape workable. The ears are also wet and they will drum or buckle IF the outside skin is NOT kept flat. So before the ears can have a chance to dry we need to insert a rosin paper liner into the OUTSIDE of the ear and secure it to the ear so it won't drum and the tip of the ear as well as the sides don't curl.
(Above Picture)
22.
A special hand stapler is used to TEMPORARILY hold the OUTSIDE rosin earliner flat against the glued INSIDE earliner until the ear skin is dry. Then the rosin outside liner comes off preventing drumming and curling of the ear.
(Above Picture)
23.
Now the the outside DRYING liners have been stapled in place ready to be slowly room temp dryed.
(Above Picture)
24.
Now the back outside of the ears need combed with a brush before the drying skin and glue sets the hair in its uncombed look from our hands handeling the ears in various postions pushing in the inside liners and stapling on the outside liners. Just like we need to comb our hair when we get out of bed in the morning from sleeping lest the boss might be unhappy with us in the morning. The few inside ear hairs underneath the OUTSIDE TEMPORARY liners that will come out when dry usually don't sit laying down. They go where they want to - make sense?
(Above Picture)
WE WILL LEAVE THE EARS MOMENTARILY - UNTIL LATER ON.
25.
Their is a few things we need to do to the form or mannikin before the cape (head skin) goes on. Remember earlier we sewed the lips shut on our CLOSED MOUTH mount? Here we are drilling a very small slot with a small bit so when the cape is on the form we can carefully with a dull cut off butter knife push the lips into the slot on the form. We usually drill around a 1/2"-3/4" deep. The form is upside down on a mounting stand.
(Above Picture)
26.
Now we need to make a very small slot with the cut off butter knife right at the point on the form where the curved indentation is for the tear ducts so they can be pushed into the made slot like the lips are going to be. Pronghorn Antelope do not have tear ducts. Deer, Elk, do to mention a few. When we skinned out the specimen we carefully dug out of the skull tear duct pocket; the entire piece of skin that grew into the skull indentation with a regular screwdriver.
(Above Picture)
27.
I learned this from apprenticing with a professional taxidermist. Again our form is upside down on a mounting stand. The deer, elk, moose mounts look better with a little help with some clay. If you look real careful we have put a smashed ball of clay on the chin and have smoothed the clay with our wet finger until we get a chin shape. The lips are rolled out like you used to do when you were a kid making a clay log cabin - remember, anyway. We roll out the clay to about a 1/4"-1/2" thick. Pushing it first against the form lip area then coming back and smoothing out the rolls. Notice we are just about finished. Finshed outcome to the right.
(Above Picture & 2 Right Pictures)
Click Elk Mount for Next Page -->
14.
We have soaked our cape in water overnight and now we are ready to insert the liners into the ear pockets, with both ears turned right side out. This picture really isn't a good example because the right ear was damaged in life by the deer and it grew in an unnatural direction. It should be pointed like the left ear; some ear liner cutting alternation will have to be done before inserting the liner on the right ear. We put the earlines next to the actual cape to show you the overall size is correct.
(Above Picture)
13.
This shows one ear turned ready for mounting and one yet to be turned. Again the sawdust is just brushed out.
(Above Picture)
