Maintaining Taxidermy.www.Taxidermy4cash.com

General observation relating to taxidermy preservation

When considering "restoration" of Victorian item of natural history the best attitude to adopt has to be "less is more". Many times we have witnessed cases that have been virtually re-created, taking away much of the historical value and leaving the item a facsimile of the original. Yes some modern day taxidermist a clearly more gifted than others when it comes to this type of work. Locating taxidermists that are competent enough to do this is harder still. Many proclaim that they do but in reality few can.



Taxidermy in general



If you posses taxidermy, that has been handed down the generation or are just starting out collecting taxidermy. Firstly welcome to this interesting and diverse world of collecting. From our experience and observations is it NOT advisable to do the following:



Keeping the items in a garage / shed or attic. Dramatic variations in temperature has a very dramatic effect on wood, cloth and paper. Mould occurs, cases split and allows both insects and dust into the displays. Damp also causes watercolour paintwork to spoil and paper to begin to crease/crack and also split. If you wish to preserve your investment, then we suggest that you keep these items in the home at an ambient temperature.

A damp environment, particularly when associated with warmth, creates conditions that favour chemical decomposition, mould formation and pest attack (see below). High temperatures coupled with low humidity - such as may exist near a radiator or boiler - may cause skin to shrink and tear. Mounted specimens should never be placed on a wall over an active fireplace that is also producing soot and other harmful emissions.

Sunlight. Keep your specimens out of direct sunlight as they WILL "bleach" the natural pigments from both fur and feather. This in the main is irreversible and spoils the whole intended effect of the case. Ideally collection should be kept in a darkened room, lit only by artificial light. Cases, unless designed specifically to do so, should not be hung on walls. Cases should also not be piled on top of each other as the cumulative weight breaks the weakest case, normally the one at the bottom. Good quality taxidermy is both rare to come by, expensive to buy and very very costly to restore. The value of the item is also significantly reduced if the item has been restored.

The quickest way to de-value your collection is to implement all of the above. These are only our suggestions based upon cumulatively many many years of collecting and preserving. You are free of course to ignore any or all of our suggestions regarding taxidermy preservation.

For a better more comprehensive view as to the best way to acquire and maintain taxidermy, then please go to



Http:///www.taxidermy4cash.com