Part 4

Another method is to skin and sew up as directed, then take a long wire and stuff the body with cotton or tow, being careful to get the stuffing in smooth, so that no lumps will show on the outside.

Another way is to fill the body with sand, and when the skin has thoroughly dried, make a hole in the under part of the body and let the sand run out.

In either of the above modes the snake should be coiled as soon as stuffed in the shape you want it to remain, and plenty of the solution of corrosive sublimate used over the skin.

Eels, frogs and toads are skinned and stuffed in the same manner as the snake, no frames being used.

ARTICLE X. DRESSING ALLIGATORS.

Take an alligator, say five feet long, make an incision the full length of the body, on the under side, and skin out all the flesh and bones, as recommended in skinning animals. Scrape off all the fat or flesh that may be left on the inside of the skin, and give it a thorough coat of the preserving powder. Now proceed to stuff it without using any frame. First stuff the legs with cotton or tow, pressing it in very tight—their skin being very tough, there is no danger of stretching it. Sew the neck up, down to the front legs, and stuff tight; now sew up the tail to hind legs and stuff it; then take a piece of pine board, say an inch thick, two inches wide, and twelve inches long, place this inside of the skin, draw the edges together over it, and tack both edges close together on the board, fill the body up to the end of this board, and put in another board in the same way, and again stuff; when the full length of the opening is closed up in this way, before putting in the last section, have the body thoroughly stuffed and put the section in afterward.

The advantage in putting in the board is this: It is almost impossible to sew the skin, and as it is to lay flat, it is much easier to use the boards; they could also be used in the neck and tail, if you wish to lay them straight with the body. Lay the specimen on a flat board, and place his feet and tail as you wish to have them. The eyes should now be removed, some of the solution of corrosive sublimate put in the sockets, then put the glass eyes in with putty or plaster paris. Close the mouth and set a block under the jaw to hold it up while drying. Give the body a thorough wetting with spirits of turpentine, repeating it once a day for three or four days. After the skin becomes well dried give it one or two coats of varnish and you have a fine specimen.

ARTICLE XI. DESCRIPTION OF FOOT-STOOL.

Letter (A) represents the covering, (B) the moss or hair filling, (C) the bolt which fastens the horn to the stool brace, (D) the tap of said bolt, (E) the wooden base of stool, (F) a small rod or nail set in the plaster paris, (G) a rivet through the horn, (H) head to bolt, (J) plaster paris in the horn.

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING THE STOOL

Take three cow horns of good shape and size; rasp them and sand-paper down, as hereafter directed in Article XII; then, after deciding what height you want the legs, make a frame to saw them off on, as illustrated and directed in Article XII, cut No. 6. After sawing off, drill a hole through in the horn about three-quarters of an inch from the large end. This hole should be large enough to take in a ten-penny nail. Put the nail through and file it off even with the horn on both sides, and rivet it with a small riveting hammer. Now level up the ends of the horns where they were sawed off, by taking a coarse piece of sand-paper, and laying it on a level board, rub the ends of the horn round and round on it until it is perfectly level. Now take the bolt C, of size and length to suit the horn, put it down in the horn to see that it will suit; sometimes it has to be bent in the shape of the horn; after fitting it to the horn, leaving about 1¼ inches projecting out to go through the wooden base E and leaving room for the tap D. Now mix some plaster paris and water until about as thick as it will run; pour this in the horn until nearly full, put in the bolt, as shown, and while the plaster paris is yet soft, take an eight-penny wire nail and push it down head first in the plaster paris, leaving about half an inch sticking out; this nail and the bolt should both come straight up from the level of the end of the horn. When the plaster is partially dry, level up around the bolt and nail at the end. The horn should now be polished as directed in Article XII. The next is the wooden base E; have a board turned or cut round, say twelve inches across and one inch thick. This should be made of walnut, or some other hard wood, but when the hard wood can not be procured pine will do. If pine is used it should be painted, or stained and varnished on the under side, and if walnut it should be sand-papered, filled and varnished. Now strike a circle within about two inches of the outer edge and bore three holes at equal distances apart and set in the bolts; when you get them in the position you want them, press down on them to get the imprint of the nails F, then remove the horns and bore a hole the size of the nails F. Now put the bolts in again and screw the top on tight. The nail F is to keep the horns from turning around and getting out of place. See that the butt of horn fits tight to the wooden base E.

UPHOLSTERING FOOT-STOOL.

Go to a saddler and get either curled hair, deer hair, or moss sufficient for a heavy pad; lay it on the floor and beat all the dirt out of it, then pick it all apart to get all the matted lumps out, lay it on the stool top and pile it up about a foot high while loose, take a piece of muslin or drilling, lay it on top of the moss or hair and draw all the four corners down tight, tacking them about the center of the edge of the wooden base E, then draw it all down and tack in the same manner, drawing very tight, being careful to get it round and even and leaving no wrinkle. In case the moss is not evenly distributed, take a long awl and run it through the covering and carefully distribute it.

Next in order is the outside covering, which should be a fine piece of silk plush or velvet. Get a piece large enough to work some fine flower or motto in the center, then put it on in the same manner as the first, only tacking it down near the lower edge of the wooden base E; by being careful you can get it on without wrinkling it. The tacks should be small and very close together. Put a piece of braid around the edge and tack it on with upholstering tacks and the stool is completed.

SAWING OFF HORNS.

Cut No. 6 is to illustrate a frame on which to cut horns to be used for footstool legs. Without a frame of this kind it is almost impossible to cut them to set level with stool and floor. In fact, it is more difficult than it would be for a carpenter to cut molding to fit corners, etc., without a mitre box. It is very simple and is made as follows: For a frame large enough to cut four horns, take a fencing board and cut off a piece from it two feet long. The board is supposed to be about six inches wide and one inch thick. Saw off another piece the same length and nail it to the edge, as shown in cut. This we will call the back of frame and the other the bottom. The back then is five inches high, measuring from bottom board up. This completes the frame as shown. The horns are now placed on the frame and nails driven around them into the frame to hold them firmly in place. Place the horns close together in setting on the frame and pour plaster paris over the points of all, as shown in cut horn A. After the plaster paris has thoroughly hardened, saw off another piece of the same board and nail it to front edge of bottom board, and proceed to saw off the horns level with the upper edge of back and front boards, as in horn A. Should you want the legs longer or shorter, take wider or narrower boards for back and front of frame. After taking the horns from the frame, proceed to put in the wire through the butt of horn and rivet it; then put in the bolt and nail F (as directed in a former article) and fill the horn with plaster paris, as shown in the above cut (C). The horn is now ready, after polishing, to be placed on the stool. It can also be placed on a board and used for a hat hook, or for holding back window curtains, etc.

ARTICLE XII. DIRECTIONS FOR POLISHING HORNS, HOOFS, ETC.

Go to a hardware store and buy two good wood rasps, flat on one side and round on the other; then get three grades of emery or sand-paper, say No. 1, No. 0, No. 00; then go to a drug store and buy ten cents' worth of sweet oil and ten cents' worth of rotten stone. Get an old felt hat and an old case knife and you are ready for business.

Take of either horns or hoofs, several at a time, and put them in an old pot or kettle of boiling water, let it boil until they become soft, which usually takes about half an hour; take out one at a time and rasp it until it begins to cool and harden, put it back and take out another, and keep this up until all are rasped down to the shape you want them. Now take one at a time in the same manner and scrape them until they are scraped smooth of all rasp marks, using the case knife for the scraper, the edge of which has been ground square off like that of a shear blade. Now take the No. 1 sand-paper and sand-paper down, then use the No. 0, and finally finish up with the No. 00, rubbing-lengthwise of the horn. We are now ready for the finishing touch. Take a piece of felt sufficiently large to rub with, pour some of the sweet oil on it, then dust with the rotten stone, and give the horn a thorough rubbing, putting more of the rotten stone on occasionally, and keep up the rubbing until you get a high polish. Such a polish will remain on for years.

Another way to polish horns: Fasten them firmly on a bench or to the wall. Take a strip of ticking or felt about three inches wide and three feet long. Wet it in water and sprinkle powdered emery over both sides. Take hold of both ends, place it around the horn and draw backwards and forwards, around and around, until the horn presents a smooth surface; then take another strip of the same description and use in the same manner, except using rotten stone instead of the emery. There are different grades of the emery, and only the finest is to be used in polishing; a coarser grade can be used in the same manner in the place of sand-paper, and is very good.

COLORING HORNS.

If you wish to give a horn a flesh color, secure a very light colored horn, rasp and scrape it down very thin, and polish so that the horn is transparent. Get some red paint (with plenty of dryer in it) give the inside of the horn a coat of the paint, and set it away to dry. Before applying the paint, wash the horn out well with soap and warm water and dry well. The above gives a beautiful flesh color, which will last for years, especially when filled with plaster paris.

TO REMOTE PLASTER PARIS FROM A HORN AND TO MAKE THE HORN ROUND.

After the plaster paris has become thoroughly dry it is very hard; therefore to cut it out with a chisel is very tedious; but it often has to be done. If the inside of the horn is smooth and a little tapering, it is very easy to remove by boiling it until the horn expands or becomes soft; then tap the horn with a smooth stick or hammer, and the plaster will drop out in a whole piece. If you have put a rivet through the horn before putting in the plaster paris it is more difficult to remove, as the rivet holds the plaster firmly in the horn. In such a case take a chisel and dig out the plaster paris down to the rivet, then either cut the rivet with the chisel or file it in two and take it out; then proceed as above directed.

To make the butt of a horn round, put the horn in boiling water; let it remain about ten minutes; have a round wooden plug ready, which should be wedge shaped; drive this in the horn while hot, and let it cool; afterwards remove the plug, and the horn will remain round. This makes quite a difference in the appearance of the horn where you wish to use it for a hat rack, footstool, etc.

TO DRESS DEER HORNS.

Make an extra strong lye, using the granulated lye and hot water, say one tablespoonful of lye to half pint of hot water. Give the whole horn a thorough bath in the mixture, and let it set about one hour; then take a stiff brush and give the horns a thorough washing; this cuts off all the dirt that has accumulated in the rough knotty parts. The horns should now be put in a barrel of water and let soak a day or two, to take off all the lye, then wash well using a stiff brush. Now take an old hand-saw and cut down through the skull, commencing one inch back of the horns and coming out at the eye sockets, being careful to saw straight through, so that when placed on a board they will set level. Take a two-inch pine block as wide as the skull and three inches longer, round off the top and bottom ends to suit the shape ox the skull, place the horns on the block, holding them there with the hands. Put it up against the wall and if the horns pitch too far forward take down and cut off from the front of the board, sloping it backwards until the horns hang at a proper pitch. Now drill about four holes through the skull, and screw the skull fast to the board. Take a dozen or more shingle nails and drive in the front of board an inch or more apart, leaving the heads sticking out. These are to hold the plaster paris, which is put on to level up before putting on the covering. After the nails are all in, mix some plaster paris and pour over the skull and around the edges to round it up in shape for the covering. After the plaster paris is partially hardened, smooth it by scraping down the high places, then let it dry. Take a piece of strong unbleached muslin large enough to stretch over the skull and board, tack the muslin on the back part of the skull board, then draw it down between the horns and tack it to the under side of the board at the lower end, drawing very tight; now commence at the edge of the muslin and cut straight in to the inner side of horns, round out a little for the horn, and proceed to draw it all down tight, and tack it on the under side of the block, being careful not to make any wrinkles in the covering; trim it off to the tacks on the under side. (Some prefer to have the muslin wet while putting it on.) We are now ready for the outer covering, which should be plush or velvet, and is put on in the same way as the first covering. It requires some skill to make a smooth job of the first; yet by going slow, any one should do a fair job. Next make a board to screw on the back of this, which should be made in diamond shape or rounding on both ends, and about six inches longer and one inch wider than the skull board; this should be made of walnut and nicely varnished; after it has thoroughly dried fasten it tight to skull board with screws, counter-sinking their heads. Bore one hole at each end of the base board and counter-sink them; then screw it to the wall. Varnish the rough part of the horns and let them dry; then take some chenille or tinsel cord to trim around the butt of the horns and around the back part or edge of the skull board. Tack it on with upholstering tacks. Cow horns and sheep horns are mounted in the same manner. The sheep horns should be cleaned with the lye, as directed for the deer horns, but no scraping or polishing is necessary; they look better rough. The cow horns should be polished, as directed on page 102, before they are put on the board. No polished horn should be varnished.

POLISHING HOOFS OF VARIOUS KINDS.

The cow hoof takes a high polish, and a number of useful articles can be made of them—which are not only useful, but quite a novelty. Take a pair of cow hoofs, which are neither bruised nor scaled, rasp them down in good shape, then scrape, sand-paper and polish the same as directed in polishing horns. The hoofs should be good matches, and both from the same foot. Bore or drill two holes in one of them on the inner side, about one-half inch apart, and place the two hoofs side by side on a level board, seeing that the toes are even with each other. Take a piece of wire or an awl and put through the holes in the hoof and mark the place to make the holes on the other, so that when they are wired together they will set even with each other. Drill small holes around the tops, say a quarter of an inch apart; take a piece of malleable wire of sufficient size and draw it through the holes in the sides of the hoofs, drawing them firmly together, and twist the ends of the wire together; this will hold them in place. Bind the upper edge of hoofs with piece of cloth, sewing through the holes drilled for that purpose. Stuff each hoof with tow or moss, and stuff with any goods to suit your fancy, silk plush, velvet, etc. Put the filling in tight and let it come above the level of hoof to make the cover rounding, then drawn down tight. Draw the edges of the cover down and sew them with a strong thread to the binding. Take a piece of fancy cord or ribbon and tack it around the edge of the cover and you have a fancy pin cushion. To make a match safe or tooth-pick case, polish the hoofs, wire together, and drill the holes around the edge as before; then take some glue and spread it well over the inside of each hoof; cut some red flannel to fit the inside and press it in with your fingers until it is all smooth; cut it off at the edge of top of hoof, and bind the edges with ribbon. This makes a very pretty match safe or tooth-pick case. All hoofs are polished in the same manner. Should the hoofs not set level after they are put together, take a coarse piece of sand-paper and tack or hold it on a level board, set the bottom of the hoofs on it and rub round and round until they do set level. It would be best to attend to this as soon as they are fastened together.

ARTICLE XIII. ACORNS, TIPS FOR HORNS, ETC.

A nickel-plated acorn, as shown in the accompanying cut, makes a very fine finish on the point of a polished horn. B is a wire stem attached to the acorn, and is intended for fastening it to the horn. They are made as follows: If made of metal, they are cast on the stem and then turned. If brass, they are polished; but if iron, turned and then bronzed, painted or nickel-plated. If made of horn, first put in the stem and then turn and polish them. To put them on the horn, saw off the point of the horn, drill a hole in the end of same, the size of the stem, put a little glue in the hole and drive the stem in tight. The horn should be polished before putting the knob on. Round knobs are also very nice, put on in the same way. This way of putting them on is much better and easier than the old way of screwing them on.

ARTICLE XIV. RECEIPTS FOR VARIOUS PREPARATIONS USED IN THE PRESERVATION AND SETTING UP OF ANIMALS, FOWLS, ETC.

SOLUTION OF CORROSIVE SUBLIMATE.

Corrosive sublimate 1 teaspoonful Alcohol ½ pint

Mix and let stand twelve hours, and it is ready for use.

ARSENICAL SOAP.

Arsenic in powder 3 pounds Salts of tartar 1 pound Camphor gum 6 ounces Cocoanut oil soap 1½ pounds Powdered lime 5 ounces

Cut the soap up fine and put it in a kettle containing one gallon of soft water and boil until the soap is well dissolved, then add the lime, salts of tartar and arsenic, stirring the mixture thoroughly; put the gum camphor in a half pint of alcohol and place in a mortar and crush it; take the kettle off the fire and add the camphor; mix well, and when partly cooled put it in fruit jars and seal up. It is now ready for use, and great care should be taken in using it, as it is a deadly poison.

PRESERVING POWDER.

Arsenic in powder 2 pounds Alum in powder 1 pound

Mix thoroughly and keep in a dry place. This is also very poisonous.

CARBOLIC ACID.

The following solution of carbolic acid and water I have found very good in preserving skins, bugs, etc.:

Carbolic acid ½ ounce Soft water 2 quarts

Turpentine is also a good preservative, and is sometimes used in place of corrosive sublimate.

THINGS WORTH REMEMBERING.

Never attempt to dress a bird when its feathers are broken or badly blood stained, unless it is a rare specimen.

Never dress a bird after the feathers begin to slip.

Never dress an animal after the hair begins to slip.

Never let a hide get dry before applying the preserving powder.

Never stretch a hide out of shape while taking it off.

Never forget to stop all wounds and the mouth and nostrils with cotton as soon as you kill the specimen.

Never let a specimen get dry after stuffing it before shaping and setting it up.

Never inhale the preserving powder, or get it in cuts or sores, for it is a deadly poison.

Never be afraid of putting too much of the preserving powder on a hide.

Never be afraid of charging a good price for a well dressed specimen.

Always use the best material, such as eyes, tow, cotton, wire, etc.

Always try to improve on each specimen you dress that you may excel others in the art.

TANNING HIDES WITH HAIR ON.

Very little has ever been written in regard to tanning skins with the hair on. Indeed we may say there is scarcely any literature on the subject, and this article must necessarily be very brief. Tanning with the hair on is always somewhat difficult, but of course, some hides are more difficult to tan than others. As an average, I will here give directions for tanning a dog hide. The same process obtains in the tanning of other hides. The only difference being in the length of time required which must be regulated to suit each case. We will start with the skin on the dog's back, and hence the first operation will be the skinning process. To begin, make an incision from middle of under lip back along the median line to the tip of the tail. Then make an incision from the middle of each foot along the inner side of the leg to the median line, and proceed to skin, being careful not to cut holes in the hide, and at the same time to leave no flesh sticking to the skin.

When skinning the head cut the gristle of the ear back close to the skull and separate the skin as near out to the point of the ear as possible. Unless this skin is separated, it is difficult to tan the ears without losing the hair, especially in warm weather. Be very careful not to cut the eyelids; skin on over the nose and cut loose from the body.

Then go over the pelt and remove every particle of flesh which may have been left on the skin, and be especially careful around the nose and mouth. All the bones of the feet should be removed except the bones of the toes. Next bathe the nose, ears, feet and tail with the preserving fluids used in taxidermy. If you have none of the fluid, use plenty of arsenic and alum, and then stretch the hide on a floor with the hair side down and tack all the parts so that they will be stretched perfectly smooth, after which salt all over thoroughly. Let it remain until perfectly dry, and then take a piece of coarse sand-paper and rub it down smooth and clear of any remaining vestige of fleshy particles.