Taxidermy Care Question

[ajford88]

What do you guys do to maintain your mounts? My wife's late uncle was a taxidermist in Johnson City and he told that once a year, take a stiff hair brush and brush the dust off in the direction of hair growth including horns or antlers. Then you very lightly mist everything but the horns or antlers with Armor All and brush it again. He said the Armor All helps lightly condition the hair and hide, but also has a certain amount of UV protection like sunscreen that helps prevent bleaching over time. What do you guys do?

[Walker]

I've got an elk, a hog, an axis and a caribou that have never been anything but dusted and the are going strong for a minimum of 20 years.

[Aggiehunter08]

Just dust mine once in a blue moon.

[TxMedic]

Just dust mine once in a blue moon.

Same here…

[smokin6.7]

Swiffter duster once a year is all I do.

[slayer]

I use this stuff. It helps keep them looking like the day you brought them home.

[Hills of Texas]

Blow them off or dust them. Sometimes a little liquid gold wiped on the antlers.

[PondPopper]

What he said^^^^^ I probably wouldn’t use armor all. First I’ve ever heard of anyone using that.

[buck_wild]

What he said^^^^^ I probably wouldn’t use armor all. First I’ve ever heard of anyone using that.

I've actually heard guys recommending WD40, which I've never done either.

[ThisLadyHunts]

We just dust ours upon occasion. I use different “tools” to do so, depending on the animal. For example, I use a dusting rag or feather duster for all hair-on-hide animals. For the occasional “deep” cleaning, I use a (very) soft bristle brush. For really nasty jobs, I might use a can of compressed air—held at a distance and applied only in short bursts—to get the built-up gunk out of small, tight spaces (the ears, for example).

For animals with fur, I use a horse hair or boar bristle brush…applied lightly.

For birds, I use natural fiber makeup brushes, from sable (soft) or horse hair (stiff).

Never have I applied a cleaner or conditioner to our taxidermy, mainly because I don’t know any better. But in thinking about it, most “conditioners” of hair contain either oils or silicone. I wouldn’t use either on taxidermy because, though they may look nice and shiny at first, these products will only serve as a means to hold onto future dust that won’t be removed as easily in the future.

One exception I might make in terms of a conditioner is lanolin. I took an old Persian rug—one that had been in my family since before I was born— to a specialty carpet cleaner years ago. They conditioned it with lanolin and the rug has never felt softer (using the “bare feet” test). It does not yield a build up of dust either. So lanolin might be a good thought.

I’d like to hear more from a specialist, maybe a restoration specialist, perhaps.

[Smart]

Just dust when it needs it with a long-handled duster. One mount is 25 years old and still looks great .

[68rustbucket]

I use a hand held Dyson vacuum with brush attachment on my birds and deer.

[PondPopper]

I've actually heard guys recommending WD40, which I've never done either.

Yea that’s a negative. Nasty fish oil.
That sounds like a great way to make them collect dust.

[PondPopper]

Just dust when it needs it with a long-handled duster. One mount is 25 years old and still looks great .

That’s all that is needed in most cases.
Or take them outside and gently blow them with compressed air. Wipe with damp cloth and re-hang.

[sasqy]

We use a feather duster !
Wouldn’t touch my mounts with anything stiffer.
No sprays either.