ollie Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 Hi Guys, I like to do a bit of Taxidermy in my free time as a bit of a hobby, although to be honest I am just a beginner. Anyway, I have a Weasel in the freezer that I think I will start this week. I have got a moulding for the body but what I want to ask is; do you need to cure the skin in the same way you would a fox or rabbit or would it be ok to rub Borax into the skin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayrshiretaxidermy Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 No, borax is fine for birds. With mammals you ideally need to tan the skin. Tho you can get away with brushing on a tanning liquid. These can be got from John Hallet, he has an ebay shop...... http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/JHT-Taxiderm...3286Q2ec0Q2em57 Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted January 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 I have in the past with rabbits used a mixture of salt, water and borax for the skins. The reason I asked was borax suitable for the skin was because in a taxidermy book it suggested rubbing borax in the skin for small mammals. If I skinned the weasel and put it back in the freezer would it stay the same size until I got some tanning liquid? This may be a silly question but how much tanning liquid do you need to brush on and is there a process about doing it? Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayrshiretaxidermy Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 Borax isnt a preservative, it stops wee beasties from eating the skin and any little bits of fat or meat that havent been cleaned properly. If you clean birds 100% you dont need to put anything on the skin. You need the skin to remain supple enough while your working with it, hence the tanning solution. Its just needs brushed on 2 or 3 times, doesnt take a lot. Once skinned, you can refreeze the stoat/weasel for as long as you need. It will shrink a little, but not much. Its best to do it all on the one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted January 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 Cheers for the advice mate. My plan is to lift the weasel out tomorrow, skin it on Wednesday and straight back in the freezer. I have had a look in the Snowdonia catalogue and there is White Tan, white is powder based and you mix it with water, then you bath the skin in it. It makes about 2 gallons worth and is only £14.95, would you recommend this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayrshiretaxidermy Posted January 12, 2010 Report Share Posted January 12, 2010 Never tried it. Snowdonia is the dearest taxi supply company. Try the link i gave you. Hes cheap and a good taxidermist, always happy to have a chat on the phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taggy Posted January 15, 2010 Report Share Posted January 15, 2010 soak it in meths for a few days, use borax to keep a grip on the skin when working it good luck. photo`s when it`s done please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclestuffy Posted January 15, 2010 Report Share Posted January 15, 2010 Even on a weasal skin, make sure you get all the fat and dermal layers off as they still are prone to drumming on the form and general shrinkage - 20 minutes in meths is good enough to fix the weasal skin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted January 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2010 No, borax is fine for birds. With mammals you ideally need to tan the skin. Tho you can get away with brushing on a tanning liquid. These can be got from John Hallet, he has an ebay shop...... http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/JHT-Taxiderm...3286Q2ec0Q2em57 Hope that helps. You were correct about John, what a decent guy. He could have wripped me off with tanning oils and instead he advised me of a pickling solution which is half the price and he is sending the recipe along with the order. All my future business will be using his ebay shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayrshiretaxidermy Posted January 15, 2010 Report Share Posted January 15, 2010 Yep, top man. His taxidermied foxes are second to none. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b_wales Posted January 15, 2010 Report Share Posted January 15, 2010 I've used the tanning kit fro Snowdonia Supplies. It's easy and quick to use, although, I have only used it for fox tails and rabbit /squirrel fur. John Hallet is a mate of mine, he lives about 2 miles from me. His work is brilliant. I did not know that he had an ebay shop, otherwise he would have had my order instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted January 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2010 Got a taxidermy pickle made up and the weasel skin is currently bathing in it. How long would you guys recommend I keep it in the pickle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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