Taxidermy supplies and tips

Art of taxidermy

The art of taxidermy, with its many methods of application, has furnished subject-matter for numerous books, most of these treating the subject in exhaustive style, being written primarily for students who desire to take up the work as taxidermist as a profession.

Becoming a good taxidermist requires a lot of practice and it usually takes a while before you're able to produce a life-like specimen. Using the latest tools and materials have made it easier to produce quality taxidermy mounts.

Nowadays professional taxidermists often freeze the animals. They then proceed to remove the skin, which will be tanned and preserved for mounting at a later point.

This website will discuss a series of practical classical methods suited to the needs of the sportsman-amateur who desires personally to preserve trophies and specimens taken on days spent afield with gun or rod.

The lover of field and gun may spend many fascinating hours at his bench, preparing, setting up, and finishing specimens of his own
taking. Besides, the pursuit of this art will afford an amount of remuneration to the amateur who takes it up in a commercial way, doing work for others who have neither the time nor inclination for preparing their own specimens.

How to get started

The chief requisites for the beginner in taxidermy are joy in working out detail and a moderate amount of patience.
As suitable tools are the primary consideration in contemplating any work in taxidermy, a simple list of taxidermy supplies follows. In this list no heavier work than the mounting of a Virginia deer head is
dealt with.

You can go the easier route and save yourself time by getting taxidermy kits which contain all of the necessary tools and materials you need. If you prefer doing it the "traditional" way then read on.

Taxidermy tools

A pocket-knife

one or two small scalpels

a kitchen paring-knife

an oil stone

a can of oil

a hand drill

a fine fur-comb

one bone scraper

one small skin-scraper

one pair tinners' shears

one pair five and one-half inch diagonal wire cutters

one pair (same length) Bernard combination wire cutter and pliers

one pair small scissors

two or three assorted flat files

one hollow handle tool holder with tools and little saw

one good hand-saw

one hack-saw

one uphosterer's regulator

one pair fine tweezers (such as jewelers use)

one claw hammer

an assortment of round and furriers' needles

one or two darning needles, a sack needle

and an assortment of artists' small bristle and sable brushes (both round and flat).

Learning taxidermy