Mannikins of this type should be dried out as quickly as possible and shellaced before applying the skin. Apply the fish skin with a paste of compo. No. I. Card the fins as in [Fig. 24].
Fill the face through mouth and eyes with plaster of paris with a little chopped manila fiber worked into it. Use a slight amount of glue in the water to prevent rapid setting of the plaster. Hold face in place until set, with light wrapping of soft cord, using care that it does not crease soft parts.
Fig. 24.
Special fish eyes may be procured at any dealers in taxidermists' supplies. As the last detail of mounting, set the eyes. In all kinds of specimens use a size of eyes that pass through the lids easily without the need of stretching to admit them. A panel-fish needs but one eye as a rule.
When the specimen is dry apply a coat of thin shellac as a filler to the surface to paint upon. This filler should be very thin and leave only a suggestion of gloss.
Use oil colors and apply as little pigment as may be used for the effect. Kerosene oil is an ideal thinning medium for tube oil colors. Have very little paint upon the brush when applying the tints to a fish or reptile skin.
A suggestion of natural hues and markings will be found more satisfactory than painting them on heavily. In a day or two when the paint is dry apply a very thin coat of alcohol-cut picture varnish. Turps-cut varnish is liable to loosen the paint, thus necessitating entire re-finishing. Fasten a panel fish to the setting that is to frame him, with two screws at least, countersinking their heads in the panel back.
The fish piece may be hung as a picture, with screw eyes and cord or it may be hung with one or two sheet metal slots countersunk into the panel back. This will allow the piece to be applied flat to any wall that will hold screws.