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Taxidermist Tempe AZ has been around since ancient times and shows no signs of abating. The popularity of taxidermy has soared in recent times with people wanting to create beautiful works of art and taxidermy as a hobby. People have been using the techniques of taxidermy to prepare beautiful trophies for centuries, and it's only now that they have started to put it to use in a wider variety of settings.
Taxidermy is simply the art of preserving an animal's entire body including the head, fur and tail for the purposes of study or display. Many animals are preserved with the skin still attached, although not always, as in Taxidermy. Sometimes the skin is removed to preserve the hair, and sometimes the whole animal is preserved with skin and down intact. This has given taxidermy a broadening of application, as it can now be used to preserve any sort of animal for many years, even indefinitely.
The main techniques of taxidermy include working with natural substances such as oils, salts, waxes, brine and borax. These have the ability to fix colours and fix defects in the skin without permanently changing the animal, although in general the more expensive borax based product is considered more effective than a salt wax product. Salt wax is a cheaper option and is also widely available in specialist stores.
Many taxidermists use borax as a prime medium because it is a powerful yet gentle bleaching agent that still retains enough pigment to allow the skin to appear clear. When applied to the animal's skin directly, borax will darken slightly, although if it is rubbed into the preserved skin before being used, then the results will be much darker still. Borax can also be mixed with a topical bleach to preserve a pigmented area of the skin for a longer period of time. When mixed with water it will become a thick consistency which can easily seal and protect an animal from harmful environmental elements such as sunlight, heat or cold. Because of this property, borax is also sometimes used as a stabilizer for softening leather, allowing it to last longer before losing its tannin content. This has the added benefit of protecting the leather from sun damage too.
There are a variety of methods for preserving the skins of carnivores. One of the most common techniques involves using a freeze-drying technique. This process preserves the animal's muscle and bone, while at the same time, preventing further growth of tissue and so leaving the animal with a more natural, deformed appearance. Because freeze-dried mounts can take years to produce, taxidermists often perform this procedure on an annual basis.
Taxidermist usually choose to preserve their finds using antlers. Antlers come from the throat, stomach and rear end of an animal. Taxidermists cut these antlers into specific lengths depending on the animal's size. The resulting lifelike piece is then mounted to a taxidermy mount.
There are some taxidermy mounts for sale that use a Berkeley System for mounting. This system uses a metal frame that allows the user to secure a live animal onto the backside of the frame. By utilizing a Berkeley System, the user can mount a deer head, moose, rabbit, bear, duck, porcupine or any other type of specimen in less than two minutes. Due to the unique way that this frame functions, it has become the industry standard for many taxidermists. In addition to being able to mount a specimen quickly and easily, this frame also creates a more realistic-looking animal.
It has been a long time since someone starting to preserve wildlife has needed a local and community answer to their problem. The advent of online taxidermy services has changed the field forever. Because preserving a specimen is now easier and faster than ever, it has given birth to a new industry and created job opportunities in every town across the country.