HOW TO PRESERVE bird skins. Moth attack explained. Art of Taxidermy.

[@gavinbirch8696]

doing my first bird soon, your videos have taught me so much already. THANK YOU!

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Wonderful!.. Im glad to hear that. good luck.

[@fourleafclover2377]

Thank you so much for the video ! I’m starting to get into bird taxidermy

[@brucemaatta5859]

Very useful...especially the preserving liquid recipe

[@ojatro]

Excellent channel with awesome information!

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Thank you.

[@Earth.Plant.Protein]

Great thanks for pointing me in this direction for the pickle. I veggie tan rabbits, foxes, kangaroo, but have not dealt with bird skin other than salt dried wings. I work with wool and use disks of cedar to help repel moths & store in the light (never in a dark corner) hope that helps someone. I don't have moths so it must work.

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

The challenge keeps going.. thanks for your tip. But the down side of displaying the mounts in light is the UV.. it will fade out the mounts. 🤦🏻‍♂️😁 never ends. Solve one problem , then another shows up. Thanks anyway.

[@Earth.Plant.Protein]

@@ArtofTaxidermy oh wow.....yes wool & silk does fade in direct light....i just don't tuck anything away in the dark. So when animals have life force it must keep them colour fixed to UV, fascinating. As much as we would like to preserve nature , Natural Law impacts.

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

@@Earth.Plant.Protein thats true.

[@pedrosegura7344]

Hello, thank you very much for the video, about the preservation of birds, thanks and greetings

[@laurenm9203]

Carpet beetles are another one you have to watch out for. I live in the San Francisco area of California and have never had clothes moths, but carpet beetles have destroyed some of my feathers and pinned insects, as well as nibbled on some fur. They even got inside of a moth I had in a wooden and glass frame with a snug backing. I keep everything in ziplock bags now. Even my framed insects, I put in large ziplocks.

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Yes that’s true… carpet beetles are horrible too. Thanks for the input. 👍

[@romeofalzon4549]

Thank you for your suggestions and instructions 👍👍. Cheers.

[@u.ataxidermybirdberezhko3664]

I'm trying to learn from you, you are my idol! Very beautiful and interesting work! Thanks for the video!

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

You are welcome. I’m glad you like the videos.

[@annikawebster1757]

Fantastic 👏 Thanks so much for taking the time to do these videos, they are so helpful 🤗

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Glad you like them.

[@NICHOLASRGLORIOSO]

Very Interesting! I have used McKenzie tan after pickle on gobblers, Bird Tan From Wasco, Etc. Also borax. Cool video bro 😎

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

They all work as good as a simple borax 😄

[@bighug7359]

This might be a stupid question... I'm a newbie , What if you put a few moth balls in the center of your soft mount somehow ? Would that work? Would it hurt your mount ? Just thinking ??

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Moth balls do work too. But they really stink bad and they evaporate. So you can put a couple of them in the mount but they will evaporate and as long as the smell is there it protects the mount but eventually it will need to be replaced.

[@bighug7359]

@@ArtofTaxidermy Thank you. I love your videos. You're an Outstanding teacher 😊 I'm a 56yr old seamstress and have always wanted to learn taxidermy for the art and beauty of it for my own little hobby. I appreciate you so much.

[@pedrosegura7344]

Hello, thanks for your answer, if in this video in particular and in some other I don't get the translator option, thank you very much for your answers.

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

That’s strange ... I will check into my settings but I’m sure I don’t make any different settings for different videos , I have the same settings for all my videos. Do you mean “Subtitle” is not working ?

[@jacobgarvelink2441]

Cool video again! Thanks for sharing! Should you not freeze the separated body with the skin? Or do you write down all the measurements and make the foam body when you work on the specimen?

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

I do , I freeze all my bodies and carve them out of foam layer.

[@chrismartin9999]

@@ArtofTaxidermy on the topic of freezing do you freeze the skins while they are wet or do you dry them first?

[@jdoutdoors1895]

Thanks for putting this video together very informative.

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

My pleasure!

[@rushabhyadav4062]

Thank you so much sir 😊🌹🌹🌹❤❤❤❤

[@Dalyn_east]

This has been so helpful! Thank you! Do you have any videos that explain wiring wings and legs?

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Cant remember any video specially made in that regard, but almost all bird taxidermy videos I have published shows how the wiring is being done.

[@annlock4]

Is baking Alum the same as the big bags of Alum from a chemistry or craft store?

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Sorry but I’m not the best person to ask about these differences… I personally try to stick with what I’ve been told to use unless I ask a chemist about the details before I try.

[@Hickory_Ridge_Taxidermy]

Could you add some 7- dust on the skin along with the borax?

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Im not sure.. I dont think it would hurt anything.never done it.

[@pedrosegura7344]

Hello, I mean, the option of suptirulos does not appear, thanks for the answer

[@grrp00pbutt51]

is there something you can substitute the alum for? what would happen if you didnt put it it there?

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Just use dry borax powder on the skin. Does the job.

[@Percy1800sDetective]

@@ArtofTaxidermy What if borax is banned in my country? Could you use something else? (I've done tons of research, and have no clue what I can replace it with...)

[@fernandonassif4798]

Cuántas horas se deja la piel en la solución? Disculpa pero mi inglés no es muy bueno

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

English please

[@fernandonassif4798]

How long is the skin left in the solution to be able to mount it?

[@artoutdoors3757]

Hi. I have a question for you. How to tan a raw haide. Plz upload a video how to tan a skin.

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Hi... I do very little tanning my self, I send all my work to the professional tanners... But I will put together a small skin tanning.

[@JSJms-sj2oc]

Would you also use this same alum:borax formula for the skin of a small mammal, such as a squirrel or would it be a different formula?

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

I haven’t used but a few other friends have tried it and they were very happy with it. I haven’t used it because I have Krowtann for my mammals and it works just as easy and it’s made for it. But Alum sets the hair on mammals pretty good anyway. And I believe there is Alum in Krowtann ingredients as well.

[@marioferreira5525]

Very good. Keep up with this good work.

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Thank you,

[@johnathanfarrugia7959]

Hi Ben thankyou for all this information and for the great job that you make. Potasium alum solphate is the same chemical as alum please.

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Hi Jon… honestly I’m not sure. The google says they can be used interchangeably but I think you’d better to double check that with a chemist.

[@johnathanfarrugia7959]

@@ArtofTaxidermy thankyou ben for the fast reply and for your help i bought some from a local cemist, aluminium potassium sulfate is the same as alum sulfate. Thankyou

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

@@johnathanfarrugia7959 No worries. Good luck.

[@phoenix.feather7880]

Stupid question alarm (beginner, attempting my second bird soon); Say you skin and flesh a bird and then put it in the solution at like 6pm, then you take it out at around 10-11pm. Would it be fine to let the wet skin stay in a room of around 10-20C° overnight (colder in winter, sometimes even -5-0°C), without blow drying or anything, and then wash and rinse the next morning to get it soft again (8-12 hours later) and start mounting, OR would it be better to put the skin in the solution rather late in the evening at maybe 10pm-12am, and then let it sit over night (again 8-12 hours). In this case the fleshed skin would stay dry maybe 3-5 hours without me working on it, before it's put in the solution. And another shorter question; you said after you take the bird out of the solution, you CAN put it in a bag and freeze it to mount later, but at that point the skin is still wet. Should you wait till the skin is dry/blow dry and then put in the freezer, or just leave it as wet as it is and freeze it? In the second case, wouldn't that harm the skin and/or feathers? I'm just trying to work out the logistics here, and this is just something I've been wondering about 🤔

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Hey no question is stupid. Keep in mind a few things: You can’t leave a wet skin in room temperature for long. It will loosen the outer skin layer and possibly cause slippage ( too wet and warm for too long ). But if you spin it very well and get the majority of the water out then bag and put it in the fridge if you want to work next day. If later than tomorrow then you need to freeze it wet. Then you can thaw it out in the fridge half day earlier then proceed to mount. Freezing the wet bird skin won’t hurt anything. But the general rule is manage your time so you don’t have to freeze and thaw the skin too many times.

[@phoenix.feather7880]

@@ArtofTaxidermy thanks for the answer! So the best thing to do then is get most water out so it doesn't drip anymore, but it doesn't have to be 100% dry. Then put in a sealed bag and into the fridge over night so it keeps cold and any slippage is prevented. Last time I went and blow dried the bird skin late at night until all dry and then left it in about 15°C or so over night. No slippage at all after the soak and for the first time it didn't turn out all too bad (bullfinch). Would like to have my sleep though, so your option with putting in the fridge sounds good. I'll definitely be doing it like that if that's the best I can do! I was quite sceptical with freezing when still wet, but since you've been doing it for a while and know how it works, I'll be trusting your words here. Thank you for taking the time to answer me :)

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

@@phoenix.feather7880 oh no worries at all... if you are dealing with song birds and tiny birds... everything is more delicate.. I personally when I do birds smaller than a dove, I dont delay anything. I skin, and flesh the bird, wash it fairly good so its not greasy at all, then soak it in the solution for maybe 2 hr max,,, then pull out and proceed to mount. small birds have absolutely nothing to worry about.. their skin is so thin that I never worry about anything. If you keep a bird skin too wet for too long it will cause issues though... but what is too long ? I dont dare to leave them wet in room temp longer than an hour or two.. I dont dare to leave them wet in the fridge for longer than 12 hrs. but if you have them squeezed so they are not dripping, yes you can freeze them in a sealed bag, then thaw them out in the fridge and continue your work.... still I wouldnt try it on a tiny bird like bulfinch. If I want to do a small bird like that in two days... I would skin , flesh, and bag it either freeze or fridge till next day... then next day Id wash, soak and then mount... small song birds sometimes lose some belly feathers no matter what,, but they are very easy to hide and repair ... and again I dont know how can mounting a small bird need more than half a day .. .

[@phoenix.feather7880]

@@ArtofTaxidermy Currently I can only work with smaller birds (like songbirds that my cat takes in) or if I find any birds that hit a car or window. For some birds though, like raptors and owls, I'd need a certificate. My first bird was a Bullfinch, so tiny indeed. Since my cat brought her in, she had already lost some feathers on her chest beforehand. It took me from about 1:30PM to 7PM to skin and flesh, because I was scared of creating holes or ripping (which happened anyways). I used the second day for mounting, which I believe was even harder than skinning in the first place because everything was so small and you had to be careful. The third day was for getting the rest of the feathers in place. I'm guessing I used a good 20 hours on her. I'm amazed at people who can get that done in a day, I could never! Though I do have to work on my speed here, that'll just come with practice and gaining more confidence. I currently have a seagull (road victim) finished skinned and fleshed and soaking right now, later I'll be putting him in the freezer as I still have to wait for some clay to arrive. Then at the end of the week I'll continue on him. Thank you for sharing some of your tips here, it's helping me a lot!

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

@@phoenix.feather7880 You are welcome... speed comes with practice.. after 50 birds you will be different than now. If your timing makes it hard to deal with a wet skin... keep in mind there is absolutely no problem using dry borax before sewing up the mount.. sprinkle some inside on the skin, a very light coat,, shake off the excess, and then sew up the mount.but either way works just fine.

[@rackmounts9631]

Can that Solution be used to mount small mammals like squirrels and weasels

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Ive heard people have used it successfully but I have always used KrowTann for them small mammals.

[@rackmounts9631]

@ArtofTaxidermy thanks going to be starting a taxidermy shop for birds and small mammals. I Currently only do antler mounts and european mounts of all species

[@hanbroek5670]

hi Ben. the aluminum sulphate salt borax. where you do birds is that a tanning method?

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Yes. We call it preservation not tanning.

[@marcoroiatti568]

Hello, thanks for the great video, I wanted to ask if this also works with larger birds like eagles or do they have to be specially tanned before they are prepared.

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

You are welcome Marco. Works for any birds including eagles and vultures. But the larger the bird the better job of cleaning and fleshing you need to do before soaking.

[@marcoroiatti568]

@@ArtofTaxidermy Thanks for your help, your videos have helped me a lot. Thank you for uploading the videos to KZbin

[@almaalma8164]

Can I use this formula for turkeys, also? Would appreciate your answer. Thank you.

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Yes, I do all my birds with this. Just follow the same ratio for a bigger tub that can hold a Turkey skin.

[@jackcurran6697]

Excellant video.. extremely helpfull..can the same solution be used for small mammal skins? Thank you sir

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

I haven’t tried this formula for small mammals. I have a different formula for mammals which I have to put a video together for that. It’s the one you can use in pressure tanner or auto tanner.

[@jackcurran6697]

Very helpfull thank you, im watching as much as i can before i attempt my first mount and found your videos to be the most helpfull so far

[@alejandroalonso2973]

Hello from Spain, when are you going to mount the bird after it is frozen, do you wash it again so that its feathers are good? Thank you very much.

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

you can wash them again, but I just rinse them to give them a fresh wet feeling. Cheers from Canada. Thanks for watching. cheers

[@alejandroalonso2973]

perfect, thanks for your time. Cheers

[@mrs.farnsworth5893]

You’ve probably already been asked this but can I use this mixture for mouse and rat skins before mounting them? I was wondering if I could soak the skins and then freeze them for later like you do with your birds.

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

I personally havent tried this with small mammals but my friends have with good result.. I have some jars of Krowtann which i use for small mammals. it can be purchased from Taxidermy suppliers no problem... yes you can freeze the work pretty much any time you want and restart later.. but dont leave it for too long.

[@mrs.farnsworth5893]

@@ArtofTaxidermy thank you, I was thinking of getting the krowtann. I’ll definitely have to try it now :)

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

@@mrs.farnsworth5893 follow the instruction and you will love it.

[@u.ataxidermybirdberezhko3664]

approximately how long should the pheasant be in this solution?

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

4 hrs.

[@TuanNguyen-ee9nj]

May I ask, Do you use Aluminum sulfate for tanning?

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Yes.

[@TuanNguyen-ee9nj]

Thanks, How long do you usually soak the leather sample in the chemical?

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

@@TuanNguyen-ee9nj Were you talking about bird skins or mammal skins?

[@TuanNguyen-ee9nj]

@@ArtofTaxidermy I asked for the bird skins

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

@@TuanNguyen-ee9nj Oh ok.. but it is explained in the video for how long you should soak it in.

[@jackcurran6697]

Will this preserve the feet, or should something else be done if ye get me.?

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Feet will need to be injected after the mount is done. This is only for the skin.

[@tgs2835]

Do you inject them with the solution or something else?

[@azizguler6486]

how long should small birds like sparrows stay ? Thank you

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Very small birds like sparrow would be very delicate. A lot of times I prefer dry borax instead of soaking. But if you want to soak I’d go under an hour. When it comes to small birds, I keep them frozen till I want to mount them. Then skin, wash , borax and mount. Very little is needed.

[@azizguler6486]

@@ArtofTaxidermy Thank you very much. We are waiting for the mammal tanning video

[@u.ataxidermybirdberezhko3664]

How long do you have the buzzard skin in this solution and the proportions are the same?

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

I did explain in the video. The larger skins you just need to double the amount of ingredients. Or triple it.

[@u.ataxidermybirdberezhko3664]

@@ArtofTaxidermy but do not use formic acid as a pixel, do you use eulan for me, only does borax help from moths?

[@u.ataxidermybirdberezhko3664]

@@ArtofTaxidermy does it protect against moth attacks?

[@u.ataxidermybirdberezhko3664]

what kind of poison do you use from insects?

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

No poison. Just the chemical bath that I showed in the video.

[@gregorysmoth003]

I have a dusky grouse skin in my freezer that I preserved using your directions!!:) Do I need to rehydrate it in any way before mounting it, or will it be okay to use as is after it thaws?

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

If it’s been washed and rinsed fully you should be able to thaw it out in the fridge the night before and then start mounting it. I personally like to give it a quick rinse with cold water and then start mounting.

[@tomasmichelrodriguezcabrer2665]

@@ArtofTaxidermyso, you don't use any solvent like lacquer thinner or gas before start mounting the skin? Thank you

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

@@tomasmichelrodriguezcabrer2665 you dont have to..but you can if you like to... its a method you are free to choose, in fact I did for a while a few years back... the reason we use gas or any other solvent and soak the bird in it, is to degrease it.. and also it helps with quicker blow drying time.. but I trained my self to use water and soap in a way that wont need gassing afterward.. and it has worked pretty amazing.. I will have to make a video of how I wash them these days.. I didnt like to continue Gas or anything else, first they are dangerous to work with, highly flammable, they dry out my skin too much too fast, possibility of shrinkage goes up, and also they are expensive..

[@tomasmichelrodriguezcabrer2665]

@@ArtofTaxidermy Thank you for your response! Well, your results speak by themselves, your birds look perfectly clean and smooth, obviously gas is not necessary using your methods. I'm seriously considering stop using it, I live scared all the time by having these solvents around. I have also tried Kemal-4 by Knoblochs, a low pH detergent that acts as a degreaser and skin relaxer, and it works pretty good. Although I recently obtained a similar result with Dawn and a little bit of vinegar added to the water.

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

@@tomasmichelrodriguezcabrer2665 you are on the right track. Dawn is very available and a good product.

[@jasonnester9514]

Can u use same solution fish to

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

I have never tried it .. so I can’t answer that.

[@jasonnester9514]

@@ArtofTaxidermy I’ll try it

[@elpibelol5005]

​@@jasonnester9514 how did it went?

[@jasonnester9514]

@@elpibelol5005 it went good

[@fade4695]

Thank you so much !!

[@daliborkrstic3632]

How long can this solution be used

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Good question. I’m not sure actually. Because I do my birds in groups , so I make a new one every time. But technically any preservation solution is only good for one time. Because the fresh skin tends to dilute that bath so I wouldn’t risk it and make a new one every time.

[@daliborkrstic3632]

@@ArtofTaxidermy thanks a lot

[@kappmccallister6917]

great video

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Thanks for the visit

[@pedrosegura7344]

Hello, a query, this video does not accept the translator, why is it, thank you very much and Regards

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

I’m not sure ... I’m haven’t even tried the translator. I’ll check the settings maybe there is something different.. can you use the translator for other videos?

[@salti3155]

carpet beetles will also eat feathers. learned that the hard way....

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Thanks for sharing. They are all terrible.

[@fairdinkum1079]

This is fantastic thank you Do you mind if I pick your brain please I have an emu skin with feathers attached that I have heavily salted and Frozen My plan is to mount it in a glass case to the wall Can you point me in the right direction from here I gather I now defrost it and put it in this solution for required amount of time and then rinse Do i then lay it out flat to dry in the sun? Feather side up? Would I need to pin or weight it down so that it does not Curl as it dries Is there any other process I should do to it to preserve it Sorry so many questions But I've only got the one emu hide unless my other emu give me cheek hahaha

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

Hello and thanks for watching. First I have never mounted an emu .. if they are as big and the skin as thick as in ostrich , and if the skin is fully dried due to salting … I’m not sure if this method would work as I have only done this on fresh skins.

[@fairdinkum1079]

@@ArtofTaxidermy thank you for replying About half the size of an ostrich I would say I'll have to defrost it and check probably can't hurt to do the solution anyway so after that do I just lay it flat to dry and Peg it out

[@ArtofTaxidermy]

@@fairdinkum1079 Probably it wont hurt it.. thats right. but no you dont have to peg it down.. you can just lay it on your table, and use a pet blower to dry off all the feathers while the skin stays soft and pliable. you want to work with the skin while its soft.. the feathers can be blown dry before work though.

[@fairdinkum1079]

@@ArtofTaxidermy brilliant Thank you so much

[@fairdinkum1079]

Cheers