Badger alert!

[Smayniac]

I got my treasure today; left on the doorstep, glad I came home on time.



I'm wondering if they weren't correct when they called it fox; its only about six inches across and about four feet from nose to tail. It does have rather badgerish coloring, but the head is rather narrow.

Does anyone know enough about these critters to tell me if what it's likely to be?

Bob

[turpin]

It looks to me like a badger that was taxidermied in a more canine shape

[kevinkinney]

I'm with Turpin.

Badger slopped onto a fox sized clasp.

I'm pretty sure that they got the eyes from a freshly killed Furby.

Kevin.

[Smayniac]

It looks to me like a badger that was taxidermied in a more canine shape

Is it possible to reshape the head to more badgerlike proportions? I have plenty of leather experience, but no fur, and certainly no taxidermy.

The piece is only about six inches wide, I was also wondering if I could add a slightly wider backing to strengthen the hide and allow me to stitch without shaving the edges of the fur and losing more width.

Bob

[Smayniac]

I've started in on friend badger. I laid him out on a piece of kraft paper on the kitchen floor and traced his outline, twice actually, so I can figure out what pieces I can cut from him.



Then I started cutting pieces out, I'm thinking I want to put the tail and hind legs at the top of the front and use nearby fur for the remainder of the front. I hope to have a piece leftover to make Scooby a semi-dress, with braided leather cantle, from the striped shoulder.



I also need to find a place to do the actual cutting, I'm told if I cut at home I will never get rid of the fur. More to come later.

Bob

[Kilted Rogue]

nice little project,can wait to see your results!

[Smayniac]

So I took the plunge and started cutting into our friend tonight. Here are the parts I anticipate using in this project, not including such notions as needles and thread:



And here he is after the first couple of cuts:



The big surprise was the inside:



Although he looks like a single piece on the outside, he has definitely been stitched up some from the inside, and a fine job at that. I'm not sure what the reason is, but I guess I'll need to be certain the stitching is secure before I proceed.

Bob

[Joe Gondek]

The head and fur are definitely Badger but the tail looks a little too long.Is it an add on?

[Smayniac]

What I'm noticing is that the fur is colored only at the tips. Once I get down into the thickness, it bleaches out. The original posting on GW was for a "fox" and the size of the head is consistent with that; Turpin and Kevin suggested above that the head had been reshaped to appear more canine. I wonder if it isn't a fox afterall that was dyed to look like badger(why??). Here is a closeup of the fur from the back:



and here is a quick mockup of what I think he'll look like:



I'm going to take a leaf from Turpin's book and make the flap removable. Even though with the tail and paws there it isn't likely that I'll be interested in using it with a different flap, I'm going to leave myself the option. The other thing that does is make it easier for me to work on him if I ever get the guts to try and reshape the head.

Bob

[Smayniac]

Here is what he will look like for now. I still have to attach the back and the flap, but the front and sides are assembled and I laid the flap on for a reasonable facsimile of the final product.



I intend to finish him in time for the weekend and the holiday.

Bob