This Website is Dedicated to the Serious Hunter, Fisherman, Survivalist, Do-It-Yourself Taxidermist, Wildlife Enthusiast and Their Game.
I am a Taxidermist that Enjoys Everything about the Outdoors.
You’ll Learn Taxidermy, Filleting Fish, Field Dressing, Fleshing, Skinning, Butchering, Hide Preparation, Flint Knapping Arrowheads, Primitive Arrows, Off-The-Grid, Survivalist Skills, Prepper Needs, Self-Sufficiency and Much More. This is a Work-In-Progress, so Check Back for Additions.
Conall: Did you get the Pike Paint Schedules? I sent them directly to your email address. Don't forget to check your Spam Folder also. Let me know, please. Thanks. - Rick
Hi Rick, First off I would like to say thank you for the deer videos they are great, and its nice to see someone share there knowledge. I bought the squirrel kit from van dykes and will finally be working on it this weekend, I'm pretty excited about my first taxi. project. I was wanting to step up to a coon mount next, I would really like to do the head through the knothole mount that is on page 666 in mckenzie's mag. I guess what I'm wanting to know is any advice you can give for small mammals, and as far as cape prep should I use the same rhinehart liquid tan you use on deer, or a dry preservative? Thanks again for the videos and please keep it up for us D.I.Y'ers. -Wes (wmccormick@tfsowa.tamu.edu)
Wes- On small game and birds, use the dry preservative, especially thin-skinned animals. I even do fox with dry preservative. On the others, I use the Rhinehart tanning cream and omit the pickle stage. Most people have trouble with the pickle. This stage is where a lot of hides get ruined. I would use the liquid tan on the raccoon. You have to prep the small ones like the big ones, just on a smaller scale. Send me a picture of your squirrel when you finish. Let me know what you think of the kits, too. Thanks for watching the videos and the great compliments. Email anytime. - Rick
Hey Rick, I'd be glad to send some pics. when I get done. Thanks for the advice. I also wanted to ask, the squirrel I have has a strong urine/musk smell whats your recommendation for washing hides as I would imagine I'll want to do the same to degrease a coon also? Just clean them with some dawn and dry them good before I start? I have, and will have alot of questions when it comes to this stuff so if at anytime you get sick of me, feel free to recommend a good taxidermy book. Thanks again, -Wes
Wes: Yes, wash them in warm water with Dawn. Then, rinse well in cool water. Next, in cool clean water, add some Downy fabric softener and let the hide sit in it for awhile. Take out, let it drip dry. This gives the hide a pleasant smell. Check out my website, watch the videos, read the questions and answers from others, and don't hesitate to contact me for additional help. Thanks. - Rick
Well, Its gonna be a little while before I get to finish my kit. I managed to ruin my hide when I was skinning it out. I messed the pads on the feet up but those are on the bottom side so I could have lived with that, but then I tore the tail pretty much off trying to skin it out. The directions say to skin it out most of the way then you can pull the tailbone the rest of the way out. Well it tore it up. Next time I'll just skin the tail all the way down but I don't know what to do about the feet. I don't have a problem down to the first knuckles, but after that the claws tend to rip the pad when I try to keep turnin them the test of the way down. It's frustrating to be almost done and lose the whole thing....any suggestions? -Wes
Wes: When you skin a tail out, you only need to skin it an inch or so. Get a plastic or metal tail stripper out of the supply catalog. Less than $10; worth it's weight in gold. With this and locking pliers, you can pull any tail up to coyote size.
You do not have to skin the toes all the way out, just skin past the pad. You can inject the toes with a small needle and bird feet injection fluid. Just inject each toe.
Don't get discouraged. When bad things happen, you just learn from your mistakes and move on. Just remember, you have to be a reconstructive surgeon once in awhile. - Rick
Hi, Rick my name is Cody Cramer, my brother and I have just opened a shop last year and have been using the citric acid pickle method but seen your video last nite 4-15-11 on where you use/prefer the john reinhart tan. That method seems to easy to get a quality and durible tan, the JRT catalog says you can use with or without pickle, why would anybody want to mess with a pickle if it works great with out, I am a little confused, plus the taxidermist that I trained with says it is all hype, he says to get a good quality tan you have to picle first. I dont get online much so If you have the time I would love to hear from you on this subject.#419-773-0147,GOD BLESS.....Cody
Good to hear from you. Congrats on opening a shop. I hope all goes well.
About the way I tan, I will try to explain why I use just a liquid tan or dry preservative. I still pickle once in awhile.
Using a pickle can be tricky for beginners and experienced taxidermist. You must adjust the pH all the time and agitate the hides or you will have spots that will have hair slippage. I found it easier to do without the pickle.
A durable soft tan is great for garments, but if you want just a tanned hide for taxidermy purposes, I think the liquid tan is good enough.
I always salt the hide before I use the liquid tan, like the directions say to do. It works better.
I can tell you it is not all hype. I have done hundreds of deer with this method and I am very satisfied with it. Some people are unwilling to change their methods because they have had good luck doing it their way.
You should try several methods and use what works best for you.
Great! Glad your mount turned out well. Thanks for the compliment too.
You can use the original turkey head, but you end up doing a lot of preservative injections. You still end up having to rebuild the waddles. If you can get it freeze dried, they turn out good. But, the artificial ones save you a lot of time. Plus, you can get them prepainted or paint them youself.
Mike: I use the Rhinehart Tanning Creme on coons too. Wash in luke warm soapy water first to get the fat out. Then, rinse in cool water. Let dry a little while, then tan. - Rick
Rick, I was wondering if you had some tips on waterfowl?? I have done some study skin mounts in school and want to do a sitting mount of a bird I shot last fall. I am pretty good at skinning the bird, but i didn't have to get ALL the fat off since the borax and cotton will absorb most of it. Any advise will help, Thanks in advance. Josh(riba0011@umn.edu)
Josh: If you want your mount to last a long time and look good, you have to get the fat out. For a Hobbiest, I would use a little wire brush. Break the surface membrane over the fat and try to get it all. Wash in luke warm soapy water. Let sit at least 30 minutes. Rinse in cool water to get rid of soap. You can get correct forms and eyes at a taxidermy supply house. Use Borax when you mount it. Good luck. - Rick
Shane: Flesh the hide. This will take most of the fat off. Wash in luke warm soapy water. I use Dawn, it seems to cut the grease best. Let soak for about half an hour. Rinse in cool water. Let it dry a little while. Salt the hide and let sit overnight. The pickle; make up a pickling solution of Safety or Citric Acid, 1/2 oz and one lb of salt per gal of water. Coon will take about 3 gals. You need to agitate this once in awhile. Keep the pH to remain about 2. You really need to keep on top of the agitation and the pH levels. The pH will rise. Soak for a couple of days in the pickle. Remove from pickle and rinse. Then, neutralize it with 1 tablespoon of baking soda per gal of water. Let soak for one half an hour. Rinse neutralizer off. Proceed with the tanning solution, oil, or creme. Follow their directions on the tanning creme on the bottle. Good luck. - Rick
Hi Rick: I just purchased several mounts that have messed-up ears. The interior structures are mostly some kind of plastic or fiberglass. In some cases they were obviously stored ON their ears so that the ears are bent into "unnatural" positions. How can I re-position the ears( hair dryer?) and then repair the skin/hair? Thanx, jonathan
Jonathan: Try a hair dryer to heat and bend. You may need to get a roadkill, if legal, or another mount. Graft hair into place. Depends on how much is needed. Sometimes you can match up pieces of skin, then glue, or sew it into place. Let me know how it goes. - Rick
Love the videos. Where can I find or order the rhinehart tanning solution? I would really like to try this method. My e-mail is shaper2@comcast.net. thanks. VP
VP: I put links, addresses, phone numbers, etc., to supplies I use on this site. Go to the tab Supplies and you'll find the info you want. Thanks again! - Rick
Hi Rick, My name is Shae Healey, and I'm a reporter with Willamette Week - a weekly newspaper in Portland, OR. I'm interested in speaking with you about your experiences with taxidermy. Would it be possible to connect with you via phone? I have a few questions I would love to ask you. Feel free to contact me at shealey@wweek.com. From there it would be great to exchange phone numbers. We're on a tight deadline, so the sooner the better.
I will tell you up front that I am leary about someone from Oregon that wants to speak with me when there are hundreds of taxidermists between us. I am always on the lookout for animal rights activists that would like to sabatage my website, even though we also take in stray, abandoned and abused cats and dogs.
However, if you are an objective reporter, I would be happy to speak with you.
Hi Rick its irish37399 here my email is conallfisherman@rocketmail.com
ReplyDeleteThanks
Conall:
ReplyDeleteDid you get the Pike Paint Schedules? I sent them directly to your email address. Don't forget to check your Spam Folder also. Let me know, please. Thanks. - Rick
Hi Rick,
ReplyDeleteFirst off I would like to say thank you for the deer videos they are great, and its nice to see someone share there knowledge.
I bought the squirrel kit from van dykes and will finally be working on it this weekend, I'm pretty excited about my first taxi. project.
I was wanting to step up to a coon mount next, I would really like to do the head through the knothole mount that is on page 666 in mckenzie's mag. I guess what I'm wanting to know is any advice you can give for small mammals, and as far as cape prep should I use the same rhinehart liquid tan you use on deer, or a dry preservative? Thanks again for the videos and please keep it up for us D.I.Y'ers.
-Wes
(wmccormick@tfsowa.tamu.edu)
Wes-
ReplyDeleteOn small game and birds, use the dry preservative, especially thin-skinned animals. I even do fox with dry preservative. On the others, I use the Rhinehart tanning cream and omit the pickle stage. Most people have trouble with the pickle. This stage is where a lot of hides get ruined. I would use the liquid tan on the raccoon. You have to prep the small ones like the big ones, just on a smaller scale.
Send me a picture of your squirrel when you finish. Let me know what you think of the kits, too.
Thanks for watching the videos and the great compliments. Email anytime. - Rick
Hey Rick,
ReplyDeleteI'd be glad to send some pics. when I get done. Thanks for the advice.
I also wanted to ask, the squirrel I have has a strong urine/musk smell whats your recommendation for washing hides as I would imagine I'll want to do the same to degrease a coon also? Just clean them with some dawn and dry them good before I start?
I have, and will have alot of questions when it comes to this stuff so if at anytime you get sick of me, feel free to recommend a good taxidermy book.
Thanks again,
-Wes
Wes:
ReplyDeleteYes, wash them in warm water with Dawn. Then, rinse well in cool water. Next, in cool clean water, add some Downy fabric softener and let the hide sit in it for awhile. Take out, let it drip dry. This gives the hide a pleasant smell.
Check out my website, watch the videos, read the questions and answers from others, and don't hesitate to contact me for additional help. Thanks. - Rick
Well,
ReplyDeleteIts gonna be a little while before I get to finish my kit. I managed to ruin my hide when I was skinning it out. I messed the pads on the feet up but those are on the bottom side so I could have lived with that, but then I tore the tail pretty much off trying to skin it out. The directions say to skin it out most of the way then you can pull the tailbone the rest of the way out. Well it tore it up. Next time I'll just skin the tail all the way down but I don't know what to do about the feet. I don't have a problem down to the first knuckles, but after that the claws tend to rip the pad when I try to keep turnin them the test of the way down. It's frustrating to be almost done and lose the whole thing....any suggestions?
-Wes
Wes:
ReplyDeleteWhen you skin a tail out, you only need to skin it an inch or so. Get a plastic or metal tail stripper out of the supply catalog. Less than $10; worth it's weight in gold. With this and locking pliers, you can pull any tail up to coyote size.
You do not have to skin the toes all the way out, just skin past the pad. You can inject the toes with a small needle and bird feet injection fluid. Just inject each toe.
Don't get discouraged. When bad things happen, you just learn from your mistakes and move on. Just remember, you have to be a reconstructive surgeon once in awhile. - Rick
Hi, Rick my name is Cody Cramer, my brother and I have just opened a shop last year and have been using the citric acid pickle method but seen your video last nite 4-15-11 on where you use/prefer the john reinhart tan. That method seems to easy to get a quality and durible tan, the JRT catalog says you can use with or without pickle, why would anybody want to mess with a pickle if it works great with out, I am a little confused, plus the taxidermist that I trained with says it is all hype, he says to get a good quality tan you have to picle first. I dont get online much so If you have the time I would love to hear from you on this subject.#419-773-0147,GOD BLESS.....Cody
ReplyDeleteHi Cody:
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you. Congrats on opening a shop. I hope all goes well.
About the way I tan, I will try to explain why I use just a liquid tan or dry preservative. I still pickle once in awhile.
Using a pickle can be tricky for beginners and experienced taxidermist. You must adjust the pH all the time and agitate the hides or you will have spots that will have hair slippage. I found it easier to do without the pickle.
A durable soft tan is great for garments, but if you want just a tanned hide for taxidermy purposes, I think the liquid tan is good enough.
I always salt the hide before I use the liquid tan, like the directions say to do. It works better.
I can tell you it is not all hype. I have done hundreds of deer with this method and I am very satisfied with it. Some people are unwilling to change their methods because they have had good luck doing it their way.
You should try several methods and use what works best for you.
Thanks for watching the videos. - Rick
rick, can i use the real turkey head on a mount I;m at crystalsummers73@yahoo.com
ReplyDeletep/s thanks to you my first whitetail came out great
Garry:
ReplyDeleteGreat! Glad your mount turned out well. Thanks for the compliment too.
You can use the original turkey head, but you end up doing a lot of preservative injections. You still end up having to rebuild the waddles. If you can get it freeze dried, they turn out good. But, the artificial ones save you a lot of time. Plus, you can get them prepainted or paint them youself.
Thanks. Rick
Rick can the Rinehardt tanning cream be used on raccoons like you did on the deer cape or oes raccon need to be tanned different? Mike
ReplyDeleteMike:
ReplyDeleteI use the Rhinehart Tanning Creme on coons too. Wash in luke warm soapy water first to get the fat out. Then, rinse in cool water. Let dry a little while, then tan.
- Rick
Rick, I was wondering if you had some tips on waterfowl?? I have done some study skin mounts in school and want to do a sitting mount of a bird I shot last fall. I am pretty good at skinning the bird, but i didn't have to get ALL the fat off since the borax and cotton will absorb most of it. Any advise will help, Thanks in advance. Josh(riba0011@umn.edu)
ReplyDeleteJosh:
ReplyDeleteIf you want your mount to last a long time and look good, you have to get the fat out. For a Hobbiest, I would use a little wire brush. Break the surface membrane over the fat and try to get it all. Wash in luke warm soapy water. Let sit at least 30 minutes. Rinse in cool water to get rid of soap.
You can get correct forms and eyes at a taxidermy supply house.
Use Borax when you mount it.
Good luck. - Rick
Rich how do you degrease a racoon hide and also how do you pickle it before tanning?
ReplyDeleteShane:
ReplyDeleteFlesh the hide. This will take most of the fat off. Wash in luke warm soapy water. I use Dawn, it seems to cut the grease best. Let soak for about half an hour. Rinse in cool water. Let it dry a little while. Salt the hide and let sit overnight.
The pickle; make up a pickling solution of Safety or Citric Acid, 1/2 oz and one lb of salt per gal of water. Coon will take about 3 gals. You need to agitate this once in awhile. Keep the pH to remain about 2. You really need to keep on top of the agitation and the pH levels. The pH will rise. Soak for a couple of days in the pickle. Remove from pickle and rinse. Then, neutralize it with 1 tablespoon of baking soda per gal of water. Let soak for one half an hour. Rinse neutralizer off. Proceed with the tanning solution, oil, or creme. Follow their directions on the tanning creme on the bottle.
Good luck. - Rick
Hi Rick: I just purchased several mounts that have messed-up ears.
ReplyDeleteThe interior structures are mostly
some kind of plastic or fiberglass.
In some cases they were obviously
stored ON their ears so that the ears are bent into "unnatural"
positions. How can I re-position
the ears( hair dryer?) and then repair the skin/hair? Thanx,
jonathan
Jonathan:
ReplyDeleteTry a hair dryer to heat and bend. You may need to get a roadkill, if legal, or another mount. Graft hair into place. Depends on how much is needed. Sometimes you can match up pieces of skin, then glue, or sew it into place. Let me know how it goes. - Rick
Love the videos. Where can I find or order the rhinehart tanning solution? I would really like to try this method. My e-mail is shaper2@comcast.net. thanks. VP
ReplyDeleteVP:
ReplyDeleteI put links, addresses, phone numbers, etc., to supplies I use on this site. Go to the tab Supplies and you'll find the info you want. Thanks again! - Rick
Hi Rick,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Shae Healey, and I'm a reporter with Willamette Week - a weekly newspaper in Portland, OR. I'm interested in speaking with you about your experiences with taxidermy. Would it be possible to connect with you via phone? I have a few questions I would love to ask you. Feel free to contact me at shealey@wweek.com. From there it would be great to exchange phone numbers. We're on a tight deadline, so the sooner the better.
Thanks,
Shae Healey
News Reporter
Willamette Week
Shae:
ReplyDeleteWhat would you like to know?
I will tell you up front that I am leary about someone from Oregon that wants to speak with me when there are hundreds of taxidermists between us. I am always on the lookout for animal rights activists that would like to sabatage my website, even though we also take in stray, abandoned and abused cats and dogs.
However, if you are an objective reporter, I would be happy to speak with you.
- Rick