How to Mount a Fish in Taxidermy
Whether you fish alone, with friends or with family, the time passes quickly. You can make the memories last longer by learning how to mount your fish. Fish taxidermy may take a few tries to perfect, but the beauty of that is it gives you an excuse to go out and fish some more. All it takes is a few tools and a little time to put that record catch up on the wall, and you can still use the fish meat for a great meal.
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Things You'll Need
- Fish mold
- Paring knife
- Borax
- Formaldehyde
- Large-gauge needle and syringe
- Spoon or shovel straw
- Fiberglass wool
- Glass fish eye
- Sawdust
- Paint and shellac
- Wood backing
Instructions
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1
Wash the fish thoroughly. Make an incision on the side of the fish you wish to have against the backing (not showing). Unlike gutting a fish for food, do not cut along the bottom or top of the fish.
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2
Use a sharp paring knife and gently cut the skin from the flesh. Take care to remove the skin intact without puncturing it or ripping it. Cut around the eye with a small, sharp knife. Remove the eye with the tip of a spoon or the end of a shovel straw.
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3
Coat the inside of the skin thoroughly with borax. Make sure you cover every square inch inside and out including the inside of the head. Create a solution of formaldehyde using the directions on the container. Inject the tail and brain area.
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4
Stuff the inside of the fish head with fiberglass wool. Insert the glass eye into the eye socket and use transparent glue to hold it in place. Later shellac will seal it. Sew up the seam in the skin. Leave a small opening at the tail end. Fill the fish body with sawdust. Sew up remaining skin flaps.
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5
Position the fish against a piece of wood. Lift fins and body parts to the desired spot and brace with pieces of wood, paper or cardboard until dry. Paint to the natural color. Apply shellac to give it a wet, glossy look. Mount on preferred backing.
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Tips & Warnings
Use extreme caution when handling and injecting the formaldehyde solution so you do not get it on your skin or stick yourself with the needle.
