RTF Posted January 20, 2007 Report Share Posted January 20, 2007 What would you prefer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M00N Posted January 20, 2007 Report Share Posted January 20, 2007 Re: Skin Or Reproduction ? I vote for reproduction. We've had fish skin mounts done and they do not look nearly as nice as a reproduction when it comes to getting them looking like the fish they came off of. The reproductions we got on the other hand look just like the fish in our pictures. I really like the reproductions with the semi-transparent fins. Also I like reproductions because this means you don't have to take the fish home and kill it to get the mount done and can release it hoping it grows bigger to catch another day down the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timberlandtaxi Posted January 20, 2007 Report Share Posted January 20, 2007 Re: Skin Or Reproduction ? I would much rather do a reproduction for a customer, no shrinkage to deal with and I love painting them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTF Posted January 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2007 Re: Skin Or Reproduction ? So far, repro is leading the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WishIwasinKansas Posted January 24, 2007 Report Share Posted January 24, 2007 Re: Skin Or Reproduction ? I like the reproduction cause then you don't have to kill the fish - right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTF Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Skin Or Reproduction ? [ QUOTE ] I like the reproduction cause then you don't have to kill the fish - right? [/ QUOTE ] Catch and release is key. However, to get that first repro blank a fish had to die. When fishing, always carry a tape measure , scale and a good camera. Measure the fish from nose to tail, then measure around belly. Weigh the fish. Take a few pictures, being sure to get the color detail in the film as best as you can. About 6 pictures at different angles should be good enough. Now take all this data to your taxidermy and you will get a reproduction of that fish made. Now granted most reproductions do not come to the exact measurements you supply. Most times you get a fish that may be a bit bigger then what you actually caught. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunterDWL Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 Re: Skin Or Reproduction ? i like the repos but there still something missing they look blank on the wall guess im use to seeing some inperfecation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hunter101 Posted January 28, 2007 Report Share Posted January 28, 2007 Re: Skin Or Reproduction ? i definatly like the skin mounts better then the repro's. i just think they look more life like that why i know it is too bad that a fish that size had to die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckslayer Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 Re: Skin Or Reproduction ? I think skin mounts look more realistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timberlandtaxi Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 Re: Skin Or Reproduction ? I couldn't disagree more, "skin mounts are more realistic." A reproduction is molded from a live fish, therefore no shrinkage of the fleshy areas. Most commercial skin mounts I see have massive shrinkage that never gets fixed. Paint jobs can be great or terrible on either. When done well, both are very nice, but often skin mounts are not done very well. I would be curious for those that say they don't like replicas, what about them don't you like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckslayer Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 Re: Skin Or Reproduction ? reproductions are done from the measurements of a fish aren't they? not the fish itself. there not exact in every detail like the skin mounts are, are they? and also I think repros look unrealistically shiny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timberlandtaxi Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Re: Skin Or Reproduction ? Yes, repros are done taking measurements, but with common fish such as bass, there are lots and lots of sizes available, so it is easy to find a blank to match the fish your releasing. As for shiny??? They are treated exactly the same as a skin mount when it comes to painting and clearcoating so they will be no more or less shiny than a skin mount. They will however last forever, never deteriorating, falling apart, suffering from grease bleed, being eaten by insects, having fins and backing come apart, etc. etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckee Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 Re: Skin Or Reproduction ? I like the repro's. Taxidermy has come a long, long way in the past 20 years or so. If you've ever seen a 50 or 199 year old mount, you'd know why I'd rather see a repro on my wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingduckhunter Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Re: Skin Or Reproduction ? timberlandtaxi, My father is a master taxidermist who has been practicing taxidermy for over 37 years... he does hundreds of fish mounts a year both repros and skin ... the skin mounts definitely look better and more like a real fish (for example compare the thickness and transparency of the fins of a skin mount versus that of the much thicker reproduction fins) ... if mounted correctly there is very little (virtually unnoticeable) shrinkage and absolutely No deterioration whatsoever!!! he has mounts that he did over 25 years ago in his showroom and they look just like new... repros just dont have the detail of skin mounts... if skin mounts are done right you will have none of the problems you listed above!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timberlandtaxi Posted February 2, 2007 Report Share Posted February 2, 2007 Re: Skin Or Reproduction ? I didn't reply to start an arguement, but I disagree w/ much of what you say. I spoke w/ a world champion on this subject yesterday (I was ordering one of his repro blanks) and he expressed how much more lifelike a reproduction was. He said that the best in the business were spending 400-600 hrs on a skin mount rebuilding shrinkage, etc. before entering them in the world show. Obviously this can't be done w/ commercial work. I however am no world champ, just a hack from NW MO trying to make a living at taxidermy. Below is a picture of a replica Largemouth I did for a customer. Notice how thin the fins are, and how you can see through the gills into the mouth. Just a couple things to look for in a quality replica. As for skin mounts lasting a long time, sure they will if done properly, but unfortunately many are not. Just take a look at ebay and see the quality problems that exist nation wide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingduckhunter Posted February 3, 2007 Report Share Posted February 3, 2007 Re: Skin Or Reproduction ? by making my reply i did not want to start an argument either... sorry if that is how you interpreted it... i was just giving you my father's opinion (and after looking at both skin mounts and repros i agree)... that picture above is definitely a good looking reproduction ( i would not mind having it for myself), but if compared with a well done skin mount you would see that the fins of the skin would be a good bit thinner, to the point that they are transparent, giving the mount a more lifelike appearance... i have nothing against repros, my dad does them all the time and i agree they look good and have come along way over the years... but i can look at a mount 20 feet away i can tell u in about 2 seconds if it is a repro or a skin mount; it may be just me, but i believe that there is a fair amount of difference. And that which you said about e-bay, i agree, but that comes from inexperienced taxidermist who don't know how to efficiently mount a fish. P.S. your paint job looks excellent, and good luck with your business timberlandtaxi!!! -Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTF Posted February 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 Re: Skin Or Reproduction ? A well done skin mount will require a lot of cosmetic repair using artificial material such as epoxy, fin caulk, etc.. thus reproducing anatomy . I dont care how good of a fish taxidermist you are. You cannot mount a skin fish without reproducing something on that mount. The fiberglass reproductions today are by far superior of any skin mount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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