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Here is the first segment showing the taxidermy work in progress that is going into the diorama that is being done for the South Dakato State University fisheries lab. The work is being done by me in cooperation with Pond Boss magazine.

This will be on display in its glass case at the Pond Boss convention.

The diorama will be complete with natural pond habitat and species that may be found in a South Dakota pond, which are a Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, walleye, black crappie, northern pike, pumpkinseed and black bullhead.

Here is the start of the project:


Largemouth bass donated by Bill Cody of Malinta, Ohio ready to have a pattern traced.



Smallmouth bass out of one of my Indiana ponds.



Taking thickness measurements of the largemouth for the follwing pattern.



A pattern of the largemouth with pertinent measurements that are used to carve a body from soft foam, which the skin will be glued to.



One of those phenomenal Bruce Condello Nebraska bluegills and a large yellow perch taken from one of my Indiana ponds.



Dental Plaster inpression being made of the yellow perch and crappie, which the preserved skins will be placed back into and filled with a special fish filler to duplicate the exact anatomy of the original fish. Before the filler completely sets the fish can be positioned in any way desirable.



The plaster impression once the fish are removed.



Dental plaster impression being made of small walleye and Condello bluegill.




The plaster impresson once the fish are removed.


Northern pike and pattern just before the fish was skinned. This pike was given to me by a customer and caught in a local northern Indiana lake. As in the largemouth, and smallmouth, the body for the northern will also be carved out of soft foam. The pike will have a bluegill in his choppers.



Stay tuned for more pictures farther in the process when I get time to post them. I will be documenting this from start to finish. If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to contribute.

Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 06/16/08 01:35 PM.

If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.






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Cecil, there is not enough money in the world to be compensated for this quality of work....



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This is going to be a v cool thread.
This isn't happening live, is it?

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Thanks Cecil for taking the time to post that. I never knew the process. Can't wait to see the final work of art.


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

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Cecil, will these be "Pedestal" mounts?



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What a facinating thread. Cecil, I've have seen the photos of other projects you've done but had no idea what the process was.

This is gonna be fun to watch the process.


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Thanks for the (ongoing as it continues) info, Cecil. Very interesting.


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This is great. I've never seen how this was done. About how much time does it take to do 1 fish?

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I just learned more in five minutes of studying this thread than I knew in my whole lifetime about the process.

Nice job, Cecil. You make this forum so much better.


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I know where my 2 pound Burgerzilla bluegill will be going to be made into permanent displays!


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Looking forward to following this thread. Thanks, Cecil.


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 Originally Posted By: Brettski
This is going to be a v cool thread.
This isn't happening live, is it?


Nope. It's too long a process to cover live.


If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.






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 Originally Posted By: george1
Cecil, will these be "Pedestal" mounts?


Yes the the seams will be invisible from all angles. Fish will be just as if they are freely moving underwater. What I like about this project is the fish will look more natural with their mouths closed vs. the jaw cranked fighting poses most of my customers request.


If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.






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 Originally Posted By: RobA
This is great. I've never seen how this was done. About how much time does it take to do 1 fish?


For these kinds of mounts with no visible seam we are talking lots of hours per fish.


If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.






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This will look just like you were watching them in a Northern Pond. This is for scientific study by students and teachers. Only the best work would do - that is why Cecil got the job !!

Come to the convention and see - you will be amazed.
















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Cecil,
I sent you a PM

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Here are the northern pike and largemouth bass completely skinned out. Nothing perishable is used -- just the skin, head, and fins.

I would post more pics but I've had a student the last two days and I'm pressed for time right now. Look for pics of the bodies being carved for the largemouth, smallmouth, and northern pike next.

Apologies for the fish meat plastered wall but after a few thousand fish that kind of happens.





If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.






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 Originally Posted By: Cecil Baird1
Apologies for the fish meat plastered wall but after a few thousand fish that kind of happens.

No apologies necessary. The bed of my pickup is starting to look like that.


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Thanks for sharing this Cecil, I'm loving it already.



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I don't see a GFI on that electrical outlet on the wall...

Does that area have a permanent funk smell now?


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

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Yup, thanks for taking the time to share your art.


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 Originally Posted By: Sunil
I don't see a GFI on that electrical outlet on the wall...

Does that area have a permanent funk smell now?


There is a GFI in the system but not on that particular plug. ;\)



Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 06/15/08 11:06 PM.

If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.






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Here is the process of carving a foam body and mounting up the northern pike in a "pedestal postion" with the seam on the belly which will be hidden. Please note this is in the rough and lots of things still need to be done later once the skin is dry as in installing the eyes, building up shrinkage on the head,lips,fins bases etc. Also molding scales to fill in and finish the belly seam so it is invisable etc. And of course air brush painting and some gold scale tips that are applied with a fine paint brush to put the colors back into the fish that have totally faded out.

The foam used to carve the body. This is similar to what florists use. Very soft and dusty. A mess to work with!



Here is the a piece of foam cut off of that block with the pattern traced out on top, and the side profile of the fish free handed and then appropriate measurements used to connect the dots.



Here a saw is used to cut the side profile out. The cut pieces are placed back together and then the top profile is cut out.



Here is the skin with glue applied and the finished form that was completed sculpting with coarse sand paper.



Here is the belly seam temporarily pinned in place. The seam will be filled in with an epoxy once the skin is dry, sanded, filled in again, and the epozy allowed to cure and sand again. Finally one more coat of epoxy with scale impressiona that were molded off the skin pressed into place. And finally the seam will be painted.



Here is the northern with an unfinished freeze dried bluegill to check for fit. The bluegill was removed and replaced with a piece of foam ths same thinkness. When the mount and the bluegill are complete the bluegill is slid into place.



Here is the northern with the fins carded and in postion to dry.
Front view.



Back turn view.



Head on view.



Top view.





Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 06/17/08 09:39 PM.

If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.






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Cecil, what all kinds of preservation stuff is done with the skin? Anything so far to the point the NP above is at?


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I'm really enjoying this thread Cecil. Start to finish about how many hours will be put into a project like this?


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