How to Use Bondo for Earliners in Taxidermy

Using Bondo for taxidermy is a common practice.

Ear liners are plastic liner inserts that you can place inside an animal skin to retain a natural ear shape. If you do not want to use plastic ear liners every time, you can create your own liners from automotive Bondo adhesive and fiberglass mat. This mixture forms a flexible paste that you can place inside the ears and shape them into a natural shape before the Bondo mixture hardens. Many professional taxidermists use the Bondo method for shaping animal ears.

Things You'll Need

• Bondo
• Polyester resin
• Resin catalyst
• Small plastic container
• Paint stirrer
• Fiberglass mat
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Mix 50 percent Bondo with 50 percent polyester resin in a plastic container. Use 1.5 oz. of Bondo and 1.5 oz. of polyester resin. Stir the two ingredients together until mixed. Squeeze about 1 oz. of catalyst into the mixture and stir everything together until mixed.

2. Cut the fiberglass mat into tiny pieces with the scissors. Add the mat pieces to the Bondo mixture. Stir everything together to make a thick paste.

3. Fold the outside edge of the ear open to create a small pocket so that you can easily scoop the Bondo mixture inside. Scoop the mixture down inside the ear. Make sure the mixture reaches the tip of the ear. Drape both ears off of the edge of a table.

4. Squeeze the ear tips gently to remove any air pockets. Squeeze the Bondo mixture inside the ear so that it is distributed evenly and forms a natural-looking ear shape for the animal you are working with.

5. Continue working the ears into the desired shape until the Bondo mixture dries. This can take up to 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how much catalyst you used. Stuff the rest of the animal after the ears harden.

References

• Drop Tine Taxidermy: The Drop Tine Difference
• Formanek Designs; Beginners Taxidermy -- Bondo Ears; March 2010