# Tumbling/Grooming



## T-Town Duckman (Dec 22, 2009)

I am a self trained taxidermist by readind books and I have since done a gadwall and a mallard. The gadwall turned out great. Tumbled it in diatomaceous earth and it required very little grooming. The mallard tumbled in the same suuff looked like crap came out dirty and I had to wash it out and blowdry the crap out of it then the feathers still looked like crap after countless hours of grooming. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I am beginning to understand my gadwall was beginners luck.


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

Tumbling has nothing to do with the grooming. Fleshing, proper degreasing and how prime the speciman is all comes into play. If you do all that right, then you move on to grooming and that's where the taxi part takes place in taxidermy. You have to make sure you have the all the feather groops in their proper places and move accordingly. Takes lot's of practice. Stay with it. Most taxidermists that I know tumble with corn cob grit, but again, that is going to have nothing to do with grooming.


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## flywaytaxidermy (Oct 16, 2009)

hand tumbling with .h w sawdust will help but wash it with dawn and warm water and then gas it out side not in side a shop. if you need any thing call me 320 203 9370.


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