Question about old fish mount

[NeonMoon]

I have an 8 pound LM I had done back in the 80's. Time has taken it's toll, and I'm considering spraying some sort of clear "something" over it just to keep it from getting worse. Not wanting to have it restored, nor pay the $ to have it replicated....looking for a cheap DIY way out.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Thought I'd toss-in pics of the culprit:

[NIMROD]

Might be cheaper than you think to get it repainted.

[Little Skeeter]

Repainting isnt that much. A repro can be high depending on the taxidermist, but overall its cheap and will last forever. If you spray a clear coat over it at this point it will just make the blemishes stand out that much more. Like having a old farm truck with a clear coat put on it, yes it will shine but all the scratches and dents and faded paint will still show up.

But if you are still wanting to spray something over it, a good sealer and a clear lacquer is what I would recommend for a do it your self job.

[olduckhunter]

pm mrdux.

[NeonMoon]

Thanks for the advice. To be honest, if I couldn't do something (cheap) to help it at this point, I'll just leave it as is.

[wannabe fisherman]

pm mrdux.

x2

[M R Dux]

Your bass fins look to be in good shape so it would probably just need to be stripped and repainted. I do see some grease damage in the lower gill areas but over all it looks lots better than many I have re-done. You would be looking at $125 plus shipping to repaint and clear it.

At this point, putting some sort of sealer or clear over it is not going to help the looks of it. The paint is cracked and has to be removed to provide a good base for new paint. I have redone bass from as early as 1967. Having a picture of the bass right after it was caught would be all I need to get the paint exact. I'm in down time right now after having both hands operated on for carpal tunnel surgery but could still do paint work and get it back to you pretty quick.

[Little Skeeter]

Wow seems like I heard that before. Oh wait its is what I said. Go figure.

[NeonMoon]

Thanks mrdux, but as mentioned earlier, that's more than I wanted to invest in an old mount. Had there been some sort of story, or emotional attachemnt to it, I might have chosen otherwise.Fact is I caught this out of a pond I used to live on. Anyway, thanks again.

I went to Menards today, after deciding if I ruined it, I ruined it. I got a spray bomb of Rustoleum Painters Touch Ultra Cover 2X Clear Matte spray, and gave the fish a couple coats. I'm more than pleased with the results. It's an old fish that's laid in dads garage for years, and I decided I wanted to hang it up in the man cave/RV.

There was damage on the fins when I'd initially received the fish back in the 80's. I paid good $ for a poor job, but lesson learned. Today, I'd have had it replicated and returned it to the water.


Before


After

[M R Dux]

You might try Krylon TripleThick in high gloss over it. Some times the gloss helps make flaws not seem so noticeable. I will say it does look much better. I actually get some calls looking for old, beat-up mounts for folks to decorate cabins and such. Sort of a nostalgia thing I guess. Needless to say, I don't stock any.

Funny situation I got into a while back redoing a bass. It was from the early 70s and really rough paint wise. I noticed it seemed to be really light weight when I started stripping the paint off. Ends up it had been mounted with a really old-fashioned process that involved skinning the fish then gluing cloth like a pillowcase inside the fish. The fish was then filled with sawdust to shape it until it dried then a hole was cut in the back and the sawdust removed. This left a hollow mount! Once I started removing the layers of old paint, the fish started to lose its shape!! I called some old fish taxidermists to find out what was going on. Once they told me what I had, I ended up using expanding foam to essentially pour a fish form inside the fish. It worked fine but was a major pucker-factor until I got done. It turned out great.