Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Thread on Dlowrance's replica of his big bass

I wasn't happy with the scale detail on the belly and I'm trying it again this time leaving the scale mold on the fish with tape and letting it sit for a few hours.

Here is the material I use to make scale impressions to add details on seams. No mold release needed. Get it on Ebay.




It's two part weighed out in equal parts, and I apply it to an area near where the scale detail will be added for the same size scales. As you probably know scale size varies on fish depending on where they are on the body of the fish.

Fascinating stuff... thanks for taking the time out to let us see your talent.

+1 I am really enjoying following along

Man that big girl is gonna look great over the mantle! Cecil I sure do appreciate the quality work you're doing here.

More pics:

Iridescent gold is painted where the following yellow will go to give the bass a kind of a metallic sheen under the subsequent green final color. I didn't take a picture of that step as it may not even show in a picture.

A bright yellow is misted over the same scale areas of the fish to make them look green. This will be darkened later. Note instead of yellow it appears to be a light green due to the brown antiquing underneath. Novices think they need to paint the same color they wish to achieve when it's not the case especially with skin mounts.



Here the pec and anal fins (one on back too) are painted an orange color to be darkened later to match those in the original photo of the fish that was released.



Here a dark green followed by a brown and barely some black is used to paint the scale tips on the lower lateral portion of the fish, paint the caudal, dorsal, and anal fins, and darken the fish and subdue the green a little to match the fish in the original photo. The longitudinal lateral stripe markings that go from the front of the caudal fin to the back edge of the clithreum bone that are fairly subtle in the original fish, are also added.



Gill Red is painted on the gills to intensify the molded in color. (Not shown)

The final fish on driftwood hanging on the wall.



The fish in a crate I built out of lightweight thin wood that I had left over from a pallet of plastic I ordered a while back. I couldn't find a box the right size as the attached driftwood made it bigger and this is better than cardboard.



The box has four screws that come in from the bottom into the driftwood and each screw has a fender washer to keep the screws from breaking through. The idea is to have the fish in a fixed position and nothing touching the fish. Peanuts aren't always the best thing for fragile fins, and I'm not sure how they would interact with the automotive final clear coat that is used to protect the paint from UV and give it a wet look.



Unfortunately made a wasted trip to the post office to ship the fish today. They now close at 11 A.M. vs. 12 P.M. Will have to ship first thing Monday.

Refuse to ship UPS. UPS is a nightmare when it comes to fragile fish mounts. Doesn't matter how well it's packed. It's almost like someone intentionally destroys the box. And btw the box is not held to together by tape. LOL There are staples and screws. The tape hides the rough edges of the wood.

Beautiful mount.

Original dlowrance fish for reference:

Cecil's posts in this thread would make a great presentation for a conference, or a great magazine article on how this is done.

Great work Cecil. Thanks.

And the other photo of the fish.


One thing I find perplexing about taking pictures of mounts to match the original photo is depending on the background of the mount or the lighting the colors vary a a lot.

As in this photo the fish looks much lighter and greener due to a flash.

Thanks for the kinds words Ken.

As far as a magazine article I'm burned out on magazine articles. Working on a DIY RAS aquaculture booklet and a novel though.

Cecil, that's a good job !!

Tracy

Beautiful work!

Awesome work! Which is harder to do, replica or skin mount?

Skin mount is more time consuming but the material cost is higher for the replicas as the blank has to be ordered.

Fantastic work, Cecil. A thing of beauty.

Thank you all for the compliments.

The most important person to please will be Dale of course.

Shipping always makes me nervous but so far no issues with USPS. It's UPS that is a gamble shipping fragile mounts especially this time of year regardless of how well they're packed. A guy told me a friend of his that worked at the nearest UPS terminal told him they literally walk on boxes this time of year they are so flooded. Also said unloading a truck is faster if they pull out boxes underneath to cause them to tumble out.

She looks AWESOME Cecil!! I can't wait for the box to get here...I feel like a kid at...well, Christmas!

She's on her way. I sent you the tracking number via email.

It's in the hands of the Post Office now. Ooh that doesn't sound good. LOL

Great work Cecil ! Of course we have come to expect that - well done !

See this for more of Cecil's work - PB diorama

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=202940#Post202940

Thanks Eric.

thanks, again, for sharing your talent with us...

Post a picture of the final resting place of your memorable catch.

It got there in one piece! I am so relieved. Can't tell you how many times I've shipped fish UPS in packing that was virtually bullet proof and the fish still got damaged. One I sent to Texas, that was damaged, the box literally had a hole in the side of it! That's why I ship fragile things only USPS vs. UPS.

Here are two pics Dale sent me of it hanging. Hope you don't mind Dale. Love that European skull mount too!

You beat me to it Cecil!

Cecil's work is first rate, no doubt about it. My kids were awestruck as I took her out of the (very well made and sturdy) shipping box. My daughter (who was with me when I caught the fish in the first place) said 'it looks just like it did when you caught it!'

The attention to detail is outstanding Cecil....I really appreciate it.

FYI the bass on the right is a 6 lb LMB my Dad caught when I was about 3 years old...he passed on a few years ago. I wanted my trophy and his to both have a spot of honor over the mantle.