What's the best way to clean my skin mounts ?

[Muskieman]

I have a fair collection of skin mounts .

Muskie , Northern , Smallies , Chinny , Rainbow , Speck some game heads and some birds ...

I'm redoing my Man Cave top to bottom , and I smoke .. My fish are yellowed and discolored ...

Any tips on how to clean them up without damaging them more than they already are ?

 

Thanks

 

Randy

[Muskieman]

Water bleach and a scrubber ?

Rinse with clean water , let dry and Pledge the crap out of it ?

[camillj]

I took a big Pike head from the '60s (it was pretty badly beaten up) ... but it was a memento from before my Dad passed away so I wanted it done .... took it over to the good folks at 'Advanced' ... I can't say enough about what a great restoration they did !

[Muskieman]

They're all in great shape (except for the 30 yr old 40" Pike ) ... A good cleaning is all they need I think ... Don't wanna spend any $$ on this .. Man Cave renovation is already costing enough

[trevy727]

Randy,

I've read somewhere before to spray a bit of windex (window cleaner) on a soft cloth and wipe very gently. Try it on the back side of the mount first as it contains ammonia that may effect the paint if its not sealed good. Use q-tips in the mouth and other tough to get at places.

[fishnsled]

Found the following as I had a bit of time to kill today. Whatever you decide to do try a test spot on the back of the mount first. And take some before and after pictures as well.

 

 

All mounts eventually collect dust. You can restore them to their original appearance by carefully wiping them with a cloth dampened with water, or lightly sprayed with a commercial dust cleaner (e.g., Endust). A moistened Q-tip will allow you to clean between the fin rays and any corners. WATCH THOSE FINS. DO NOT use any type of solvent (e.g., Varsol, lacquer thinner) to clean your fish mount.

If the fish mount is exposed to excessive smoke (wood or tobacco), some discoloration or yellowing may occur. This is not on the surface--the smoke penetrates through the finish.

 

Mounts that need a more rigorous cleaning or that may have been neglected or suffered smoke damage should be cleaned by your taxidermist. Mammals, birds or skin mount fish could be damaged if the skins are re-hydrated by moisture during a thorough cleaning

 

As for the question in the contents of the thread I've always and only used lukewarm clear water per instructions from the taxidermist who did mine. I have a 15# hybrid striper and an 8# largemouth that were done a little over fifteen year ago. Two/three times a year I'll take them down, wipe them down real good with a very damp lintfree cloth, them dry them with a clean dry lintfree cloth. Both mounts to this day look as if they just came from the taxidermist. I think it has a lot to do with the type of paint used and the type of clear coat used as well. I also have a mount of my first ever largemouth bass over 5# done by a different taxidermist and it does not look near as good as the other two mounts.

Don't know if this helps, but I'd try this method first and see.

[Rod Caster]

a bit a vinegar diluted into water would probably work well. It won't be harsh.

[misfish]

Put them on your roof rack and go through the car wash.LOL

 

 

I just wiped mine with a damp cloth. If need be,I also did it with windex.

[Muskieman]

Cool , thanks guys ... Gonna try it ...

[jimmer]

Dust off fish with a paint brush and them use a damp cloth to get the harder stuff off. I wouldn't spray any type of cleaner on them, it might react to the paint.

The yellowing might be another issue. That might be right in the paint and you can't do anything about that. When I was running my taxidermy business, I might have re-painted the fish if the yellowing was severe. If the fish looks dull, sometimes a new coat of gloss will make then look almost new. The best thing to do is to clean them monthly.