micdundee

I am getting into taxidermy. I dont have any tools or anything yet. What are the tools I absolutely need, are there any tool kits I can buy or is it only seperate tools out there. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

M.Magis

The only thing you NEED is a knife. There's lots of other things you'll want in time. For starters, I'd suggest ear openers, a scalpel, and a mounting stand.

coyote caller

It all depends on what your going to be mounting. Are you going to specialize in fish, birds, full mounts, gameheads what? Each aspect in taxidermy has it's own tools. Give me more details on what you're going to be mounting. A lot of the tools used in taxidermy can be bought at hardware, or home improvement stores. And if you're good with your hands, you can make tools like mounting stands. bird hooks, ect. You don't have to depend on all the tools you need for the taxidermy suppliers. Your best bet would be to order some catalogs from different suppliers and see what they sell. Then purchase a few good books on taxidermy and see what tools are used for different mounts.

bowkill74

I have been looking for kits to but cant find none for mounting whitetails.

hosshunter17v

Van Dyke's Taxidermy Supply (a Cabela's Company) sells a kit. Go to www.vandykestaxidermy.com for the online catalog. I would also suggest you go to www.taxidermy.net You will find a lot of info and help at this site also links to taxidermy supply companys. Good luck

micdundee

I am going to do deer heads first.

coyote caller

Well first you'll need a flexible tape measure. You need to take measurments on the deer to buy your mannikin. Measurment "A" from the tip of the nose to the front corner of the eye. Measurment "B" get the smallest measurment of the circumference of the neck directly behind the ears. Measurment "C" measure the circumference of the neck about 3" below where you measured the "B" measurment. I get a more accurate measurment of the neck after I skin out the deer. Get a note pad, and write down all measurments

Your going to need a good skinning knife, and sharpener
A scalpel to split the eye's, lips and nose.
Ear openers
A bone saw of some kind to cut off the antlers
A fleshing machine, or a draw knife, and fleshing beam to flesh down the cape.
Salt to salt down the cape after fleshing
Needles and tread for sewing. I use 20lb. Spiderwire fishing line for sewing my capes. A good 3 point needle, regular needles for sewing small cuts. Also get a sewing palm. It'll help in the long run, when you have a lot of sewing to do.
A staple gun of some kind
A tack hammer
Scissors
Grooming brushes
Latex gloves for skinning out your animals
Small bubble level
Rasp, good wire brush for your mannikin prep
Drill
Lip tucking tool, I made mine out of a old paint scraper
Hacksaw blade for cutting the lip slot
Some kind of mounting stand
Screw driver, I use a rounded off screw driver to remove the cape from the antler.
Hot melt glue gun, and glue skicks
And get as many reference photo's of deer, The nose, eye's, ears, and all around photo's
Hair setting gel
Pins, T-pins, mounting pins
Drywall screws
galvinized brads, a brad setter
modeling tools
Clay, I recommend getting some "Critter Clay" For modeling the eye's, on the nose, and I cut a small grove in the back of the mannikin and fill with clay, where I'm going to sew up the cape. Then tap the stitches down into the clay when I finish sewing.
two part epoxy, like Apoxie sculpt,
If you're going to do the Bondo type ears, you'll need Bondo, the hardener, and fiberglass chop, and fiberglass layup resin
A good hide paste
Hide puller
Super Glue
Awl
I would recommend getting a Skiving knife for thinning the lips and eye's.
Brushes, Utility, acid, paint brushes. If you're going to use an airbrush, then you're going to need a compressor, with moisture traps, and a air regulator
Paints, I keep a different supply of oil paints, Acrylic's and lacquer base paints
Some kind of heavy plastic, I use a plastic garbage bag for this. When your putting on your hide paste to the mannikin, I cut out a strip of plastic and put this on the mannikin where I'm going to sew up the cape. When I'm sewing the cape I'll pull out the plastic little by little until I'm finished sew the back of the cape. This will prevent the hide paste from making a mess on the cape, And a lot less cleanup in the end.

This will get you by. You'll figure out what else you need, when you start doing more heads. Good Luck to ya.

rob1

Go to the McKenzie Taxidermy site, also you may want to go to the Taxidermy Net at www.taxidermy.net. You can get to the McKenzie site from there. Have a McKenzie 2005 catalog sent to you for free. They are the largest taxidermy suppliers around and have the best deer mannikins in my opinion- McKenzie, Joe Meder, Buckeye to name a few. You can order all of your needs thru them. You will need a mounting stand, scalpel and blades, straight pins, hide paste, two part Apoxie Sculp, Mod Podge ( for nose pad ), fleshing tool, ear openers, various small dental tools ( for tucking eye skin and working skin in small places ), lip tucking tool, level ( for eye pupils ), Plenty of reference pictures ( very,very important in getting a lifelike looking mount!), staple gun, a dremel ( not absolutely needed but is very handy for cleaning out nose interior ), 3" drywall screws ( for mounting skull plate to mannikin, I also use a cordless drill to mount the skull plate and drill the starter holes through the skull ), I use Dura-Bond Drywall paste in the dry form and mix with water to fill in under and around the skull plate, bulk salt ( for drying cape ), hide puller or adjuster, air brush, compressor and various air brush paints ( for finish work ), and hangers to hang your mount with.This material will get you a finished deer mount. You will find that you will buy or make more tools later to make the job easier for your style of mounting. Good Luck!

Bill Yox

The best part about getting started in taxidermy is that we get our tools largely from other applications. Almost every shop will have surgical tools, woodworking tools and even uphostery tools. The above lists are very accurate, yet some of us dont use many things listed, and use other tools not listed. Its whatever works well for you. Wildlife Artist Supply Company, or WASCO, also sells deerhead starter kits. You might see by asking the average taxidermist that we say try ordering what you need and maybe not using the starter kits, as some of us think the kits are not so accurate. Theres videos to learn with too.

Some things can be replaced with common tools. Instead of the surgical blades we use, you could substitute with an Exacto knife, for starters. Theres plenty of ways to exchange materials with more readily available ones. Taxidermy is fun and kinda easy, so enjoy yourself!

micdundee

Thanks for all the help. I just got a video that Sally Dahmes made. I have watched most of it. Its really intersting. I can't wait to be able to try it out.