Taxidermy supplies and tips > Bird taxidermy > Mount bird skin

Mount bird skin

To soak up a dried bird skin for preparation to mount, the simplest and quickest means is immersion in a weak solution of carbolic acid
in water, leaving for a day or two until tissues are soft.

When the skin is relaxed so that wings and legs may be manipulated without breaking, squeeze water from it and follow same method
given for cleaning a fresh skin. With this treatment a good dry skin will come out as soft and workable as a fresh one. Arsenic and
grease burnt skins are hard to get much out of.

To make up dry bird skins for keeping to mount at a future time, follow regular method of thorough skinning and cleaning. Apply dry
arsenic powder to inner surfaces. Wrap skull, wing, and leg bones lightly with cotton or tow. Turn skin right side out and push a neck and light body filling of fiber that will allow ventilation, into place. Arrange the plumage and hang the skin up by a thread or cord sewn through neck at base of skull.

Read on if you're interested in building a study cabinet for your mounted birds