Form Alteration Instructions

In a perfect world, all skins would fall on forms with a perfect fit every time. But in reality anyone who has done much taxidermy knows that is not the case. Animals, fish and birds are just like people -- they are individuals. Usually you can find a “close” form that will work and sometimes you get that critter that is just out of the norm. In this article we explain a few ways to alter forms quickly and easily.

Game Heads:

The most common size problem you may encounter with a game head form is matching the nose to eye measurement with the neck size. With hunting seasons lasting longer, deer (for example) are being shot from August to January. This means you have bucks with a 7” nose shot in August with a 16” neck, but the same deer shot in October may have an 18” neck and during the peak of the rut in November it may have a 20” neck! After the rut it will start to lose its swell rapidly leading up to the time it sheds its antlers.

The nose to eye length can be extended or shortened easily by making a cut at an angle from in front of the tear duct to just behind the corner of the mouth. A hack saw works well for this, as it will make a smooth narrow cut. If you are shortening the nose, make a second cut to remove the foam needed for your size from the area in front of the tear duct. To lengthen, take a piece of foam and cut it to the extra length you need and Bondo it to the form. At this point you can reattach the nose with Bondo sand and smooth the seam.

Many times when hunters skin their deer they do not leave enough skin in the shoulder and brisket area. You can cut the back of the shoulders off the form and Bondo on a new backboard, but this often leaves the mount with a wimpy shoulder appearance. If you were only 2-3” short an alternative would be to cut a piece out of the neck. By shortening the neck you can maintain the full shoulder mount look that most people desire. By simply cutting the form about half way between the head and the brisket, this area will maintain about the same size and can be reattached easily with Bondo.

When doing any alterations to a shoulder form you should always attach it to your mounting stand. Use a torpedo level on the head and the back of the shoulders to get the head as level as possible. This will give you a good reference point when you reattach the head.

Life-size alterations:

Life-size problems are much more common because of limited availability in sizes and poses as opposed to shoulder forms. Most Van Dyke’s lifesize forms are available without rods and wire supports which makes major alterations much easier. If you have special requests just call one of our Customer Service Representatives, toll free, at 1-800-279-7985.

The most common lifesize alterations are length and girth. These won’t be that difficult if you have some good reference. When you get a fresh specimen in, take good measurements, then check the catalog for availability of forms that closely match your measurements.

If you find you have a specimen that is out of the ordinary that mount just became a custom mount and you should charge accordingly. Using a Black Bear as an example: your skin has a nose to base of tail measurement of 58” but the form you want is 55” with a matching girth. You could cut the bear in the belly and add 2” and add another inch to the length of the neck. This will balance out much better than simply adding 3” to the belly.

When altering legs remember the anatomy of the animal comes into play - if you bend a leg you must bend it at the joints. Nothing looks worse than an animal with legs bent unnaturally. This goes for the body as well - you must follow the curvature of the spine.

For most alterations you can reattach the form with bondo. For large alterations you can also use foam by wrapping the gap with plastic and then pouring the foam. This will keep it in a general shape that can be cut and rasped back to the proper contour. If your form needs to be a little bigger in the body you can add inches by cutting it down the middle of the back and about half way up through brisket with the head and neck removed. You will have 4 pieces if you spread them all an inch apart and you will gain 2” in the girth. Spread them 2” and you will gain 4” and so on.

Being able to alter a form gives you some real artistic freedom as well as creating a mount like no other!