Home Taxidermy for Pleasure and Profit | Page 4

six long. The legs of stout scantlings should be fitted with casters, making it easy to remove it to the center of the room where it can be approached on all sides, as will often be necessary. The double top, drawers, and shelf should be a part of the larger table also. Usually the table is kept in front of the window with tool racks and shelves for small articles each side of the same where they can easily be reached.
For preparing and mounting all small and medium size specimens I would advise the following list of tools. They will enable the worker to care for any of our native birds, quadrupeds up to the coyote, and any of our game heads, fur rugs, etc.
1 small skinning knife 1 medium skinning knife 1 larger skinning knife 1 pair scissors, fine points 1 pair shears, heavy, short 2 pairs flat nose pliers, large and small. 1 pair side or end cutters
[Illustration: HOME MADE TOOLS.
(1) Skin Scraper (made from screw driver) (2) (3) (4) Modeling Tools (wood and brass) (5) Setting Needle. (6) (7) Stuffers (heavy wire.)]
1 pair fine forceps, 5 or 6 inch 2 flat files, large and small 1 adjustable tool handle, assorted tools, awls. 2 pinking irons, 3/4 and 1-1/2 inch Needles, assortment of cloth and glovers Oilstone
If it is capable of taking and holding a good edge the small blade of a pocket knife is equal to a surgeon's scalpel and a sharp shoe or paring knife, ground to the proper shape, is a nice medium size for skinning or trimming skins. A hunting or butcher knife is sufficient for the largest size. A few carpenter's tools are necessary and a complete set does not come amiss if much large work is attempted.
We must have:
Handsaw Hatchet Hammer Bit brace Assortment, drills and bits, 1/2 in. and less. Drawshave Screwdriver Small grindstone or corundum wheel Chisels, two or three sizes 1 wood rasp 1 cabinet rasp 1 chopping block, made of a section of hardwood log
If large animals are to be mounted we will need in addition some iron working tools, such as
Set of taps and dies 1/4 to 1 in. Monkey wrench Hack saw Tanner's knives, 1 or more
A combination vise and anvil will be needed in any case as well as some miscellaneous tools:
Fur comb, coarse and fine combined Paint, wax, and varnish brushes Foot rule Tape measure Putty knife Pointing trowel Skin scraper
and some stuffing and modelling tools which you can make yourself. The list of materials seems like a long one, but many are inexpensive and others are used only in some small amounts, so the aggregate cost is small.
Excelsior Fine tow Cotton bat or wadding Plaster paris Corn meal Gasoline Potter's or modelling clay Set tube oil colors Glass eyes, assorted Soft wire, assorted Pins Cord Spool cotton, coarse and fine, black and white Wax, varnish, glue, paste Papier mache, or paper for same An assortment of nails, tacks, brads, screws, screw eyes and staples
[Illustration: TAXIDERMISTS TOOLS.
(1) Gimlet (2) Expansive bits (3) Brush (4) Bone cutter (5) (6) (7) (8) Pliers (9) Pinking irons (10) Hand vise (11) (12) Scalpels and knives.]
[Illustration: TAXIDERMISTS TOOLS.
(13) Scalpels (15) Sewing palm (16) Straight Surgeons Scissors (17) Curved Surgeon Scissors (18) Angular Surgeons Scissors (19) Fine Point Scissors (20) Scissor Handled Stuffers (21) Stuffer.]
[Illustration: TAXIDERMISTS TOOLS.
(22) Stuffer and forcep, curved fine point (23) Regular taxidermists stuffer and forcep (24) Gauge (25) Hack Saw (26) Egg drill]
A packing box or two will furnish some lumber for temporary stands and interior frame work. The permanent mounts are treated of elsewhere.
In ordering glass eyes it is often best to get them in the clear glass iris with black pupil so they may be given any color desired by painting the backs with tube colors, afterward protecting the paint with varnish. In this way a small stock will answer for many varieties. The plain black eye which is the least expensive can be used for many of the smaller birds and mammals, but should never be when the iris of the eye has any distinct tint. Do not make the mistake of ordering an assortment of "off" sizes and colors, that is those which are seldom called for. Aim to have those on hand for which you will have the most frequent use, the exceptions can be quickly had by parcel post. There is more demand for eyes of some shade of yellow or brown than any other colors, probably.
All birds have the round pupil. Elongated pupils are suitable for horned game and the cat tribe, irregular pupils fish, and the veined iris for dogs, wolves and foxes. Suitable sizes for some species of birds are as follows:
Number 3 to 5 Sparrows generally. Number 5 to 7 Robin, blue jay, flicker. Number