If you own a taxidermy mount, it is always a good thing to keep it clean. Keeping it clean prevents unwanted guests from touching your taxidermy. Suppose there are any concerns about insects damaging your taxidermy. In that case, it is important to occasionally inspect your mount-especially around the mouth, antlers, and around the ears- for signs of any pests.
Cleaning your mounts often ensures that they look fresh and lifelike. Depending on the type of mount you have, the cleaning process will vary from one to the other. Here are a few tips on how to clean and care for Taxidermy Bird Mounts.
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Dust your bird regularly
Cleaning your bird mount is crucial as it ensures that dirt or dust does not build up. The frequency of dusting your bird depends on the place you live, among other factors. People who live in dustier areas will need to do the cleaning more often.
When removing excess dust, a feather duster works well. You can also dust your bird mounts by gently brushing them using a cotton ball in the direction of the feathers. In addition to that, you can also use a hairdryer at arms-length to de-dust your bird regularly.
Please make sure the hairdryer is in its most relaxed and lowest setting and use it in the same direction as the feathers to avoid damages. Do all this instead of using solvents. The birds’ feathers usually have some natural oil that several solvents can strip, leaving them more brittle.
All the skin surface of birds such as legs, the skin around the eye, beaks, and featherless skin areas for some birds like the vultures’ neck and the head is some species have preparators painted on them. Cleaning these places with solvents may not work well with preparators. As a result, using solvents should only be a last resort.
In cases where you must remove dust on bird taxidermy mounts held by grease emanating from poorly prepared skins, you will have to use some solvents cautiously. Make sure you are using gentle solvents and take your time.
Start by using simple distilled water and barely-damp swabs and see if that solves the problem. If the dust is stubborn enough, move up and use non-denatured 70% ethanol. It is doubtful you will find any dusty taxidermy specimen that requires anything more potent than the non-denatured 70% ethanol.
Do not immerse the specimen in any solvent or leave it wet. Do not wet the skin of your bird mount unless it is a featherless area. If you also wet the featherless skin areas, be sure to dry them thoroughly. Birds have fragile skin, and moisture can quickly wick through it, making it swell and split.
Use lacquer thinner
If your Taxidermy Bird Mounts have residual dust on the feather, experts recommend we avoid using water. Water tends to matte and messes up with the feathers. Instead, lightly dampen a rag with lacquer thinner and wipe the mount off. The feathers absorb lacquer thinner as it evaporates, quickly bringing out the shiny bit of the bird’s feathers. When brushing your bird, be sure to wipe it gently and in the same direction as the feathers. However, it would be best if you stayed away from all painted areas.
Keep it out of the sun
Your Taxidermy Bird Mounts need to be displayed prominently but be sure where you put them. Avoid placing your mounts in direct sunlight. Direct sunlight will breach the feathers of your bird, making them fade.
To ensure that you maintain the original richness and vibrant colors of your birds’ feathers, keep them out of direct sunlight. Place your mount near a window, and they will soon succumb to damage because of too much presence of ultraviolet (UV) light.
For white-coated birds, the UV light will change them to yellow. For bird mounts with darker colors, they will become bleached. If the only place to showcase your birds is near a sunny window, make sure you install quality UV blocking window films.
Be wary of smoke
From wood-burning stoves and burning logs in fireplaces to smoking cigarettes and cigars indoors, it is essential to know that smoke can ruin your Taxidermy Bird Mounts. Therefore, avoid displaying your mounts over smoke-producing fixtures or hanging your prized taxidermy trophies in your cigar room.
In addition, prolonged exposure of your artworks to smoke will discolor them. To clean smoke damage from your taxidermy, you need to follow a few steps:
- In a bucket of warm water, mix three droplets of dish soap.
- Agitate the solution to make a sudsy solution
- Get a clean sponge and saturate it in the sudsy soap solution
- Squeeze out all the excess solution from the sponge so that it is damp but not soaking wet
- Wipe the stuck smoke gently and in the direction of the feathers
Use OdorXit to eliminate odor in Taxidermy Bird Mounts
Do you have a bird mount that is smelling like rancid fat or meat? Smelling mounts can often be worrying, and at the same time, can put you in a dilemma on the next step to take. Birds have feathers, and their bones are very thin and fragile.
How can you remove the fat and muscle without destroying the feathers and skin of your taxidermy bird?
Most taxidermy trophy owners ask themselves this question. The answer is, you can inject small amounts of 20 to 1 OdorXit solution into the fingers and wing joints. OdorXit eliminates the odor quickly. To take care of the exterior odor, spray 30 to 1 OdorXit solution onto the feathers and skin.
Your taxidermy mount always deserves the best treatment and care. That is why you need to work with professional and compassionate bird taxidermist who understand and care about your pet. If your mounts crack or become brittle, they can restore them. If your fur/feathers are not in good shape, or you have a cracked tongue or nose, the taxidermist can re-clay them. They always ensure that your bird is in perfect condition every time you mount it. With tips and experience possessed by taxidermists, they will make sure your artwork lasts forever.
