54 How To Make Fish Mounts 



If the fish is to be painted with oil or lacquer colors, a thin 

 coat of shellac ( thinned 50-50 with alcohol ) should be applied 

 first. Otherwise, the surface of the cast may soften because of 

 contact of the oil, turpentine, or lacquer medium with the wax 

 of the cast. The best substance to use for shellacking is the clear 

 yellow liquid that rises to the surface of a jar of white shellac 

 on standing. This light yellow liquid should be diluted with 

 three parts alcohol before using. 



Wax Casts-Full Mold 



If the whole fish is to be cast ( rather than one side ) , a two- 

 piece mold is used. Cut an oblong section out of the back side of 

 the mold and saw off the tail section as described in Chapter 3. 

 Proceed to brush in the wax and reinforcements as described pre- 

 viously. Remove the casts from both sides of the mold. With 

 tools such as knives, mounted razor blades, scalpels, or wood- 

 carver chisels, trim the edges of the casts which overlapped the 

 edges of the molds. Trim the halves so that they fit together 

 perfectly. One method of cementing two pieces of a wax cast 

 together is to heat a knife blade over a flame and then draw it 

 between the two pieces. The wax on both edges will melt, and 

 as the wax cools the edges will bind. The two pieces must be 

 pressed together firmly while the knife is being drawn between 

 them. Also, they should be held together long enough after that 

 to allow the wax to cool and thus set. Another way is to trim the 

 edges of the halves, place them together, and then apply a hot 

 tool in a few spots inside so that the two pieces are held in place. 

 Then clinch the halves together permanently by applying cotton 

 dipped in hot wax to the seam. Gauze dipped in hot wax can be 

 used also. Brush more wax over the seam area if necessary. If 

 the fish cast is to be screwed to a plaque, place a piece of wood 

 in the cast and secure it with cotton and hot wax. 



A wax cast of a fish can be bent into a different position by 

 simply placing it in a pan of warm water. Do not rush the job 

 because the cast cracks easily if it has not warmed enough. If a 



