#PeacockTaxidermy

[simon-the-stuffa]

Todays Peacock #taxidermy #taxidermyart #peacock #peacocktaxidermy #interior #interiors (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZIF8szK8i9/?utm_medium=tumblr

[rogue-taxidermy-of-sarina-brewer]

One of my recent taxidermy repair jobs that got returned to its owner last week. This peacock’s tail got pulled off when it became entangled on something while the owner was transporting it somewhere in a moving van. A peacock’s long tail feathers aren’t the true tail of the bird – they are elongated feathers that grow out of the lower back right above the base of the actual tail and are a type of covert feather. The last photo of a living bird illustrates this. The correct term for these feathers is the “train” (think wedding dress, not locomotive) Sometimes taxidermists mount peacocks with a removable tail/train section so the bird can be shipped in 2 pieces and reassembled upon delivery, versus shipping the bird in a long unwieldy crate. I’m not sure if the tail was originally intended to be removable on this bird or if it just broke off in the same area by coincidence, but if it was actually intended to be removable this is the worst attempt I have ever seen because there wasn’t anything holding the train onto the body and the body is merely stuffed with excelsior – there wasn’t a wrapped body form or foam mannequin to anchor the train onto. Whatever the case, per customer request the train won’t come loose ever again. 

Abridged description for laypersons of my repair: I glued a tab along the leading edge of the train designed to tuck under the skin of the covert feathers on the body. Next I introduced some glue into the excelsior to stiffen it up and so I could shape it a bit. After the excelsior was dry I covered the open area with a glue-soaked piece of fabric. Once the glue-infused fabric dried onto the excelsior it created a rigid surface to work with. I applied glue onto the surface of the rigid fabric and to the top of the tab on the tail. I laid the tail onto the fabric and tucked the tab in around the edges of the opening in the body. (The tab adheres to the underside of the skin surrounding the opening in the body and insures the edges of the tail section can't curl and separate from the perimeter of the opening) I then placed a generous number of flat-headed stickpins through it, and also pinned the skin around the perimeter of the opening. These pins will remain in the bird, they don't get removed later. Then I applied compression to the area for a few days while everything dried. Final step was wiring the shafts of the undermost tail quills onto the existing looped-wire tail support that was sticking out of his rump (wiring concealed by the downy vent feathers). The bird was also originally mounted in an awkward lurching pose, so I adjusted his posture to a natural upright position. Both were easy straightforward repairs and the mount now looks good as new. The owner was very happy with the results and commented that the bird looks better now than when he purchased it.

[simon-the-stuffa]

Two huge White Peacocks Iv just mounted. They will be ready in 2 weeks for sale. #peacock #peacocks #peacocktaxidermy #taxidermy #taxidermyart #taxidermyforsale #taxidermycollection #birdtaxidermy #taxidermylife #taxidermyartist #taxidermytuesday #taxidermybird #taxidermyshop #taxidermydecor #taxidermybirds #taxidermyuk #taxidermybusiness #interiordesign #interiorstyling #interior (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/simon_the_stuffa/p/CYyINXUqnOQ/?utm_medium=tumblr

[simon-the-stuffa]

Iv done a few Peacocks this week. 2 more whites to do. #taxidermy #taxidermyart #peacock #peacocktaxidermy #interior #interiors (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CXR2eZLqjJj/?utm_medium=tumblr