Wood fish plaque rehab

Someplace just to show that reel collectors do have a life
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Mike N
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Wood fish plaque rehab

Post by Mike N »

Bought this carved fish plaque on eBay for $24:



Pulled off the fish, covered plaque background with white birch bark, reattached fish and added a coat of high gloss poly:



I used the fish plaque on the cover of this book for inspiration:


This is an earlier square plaque I did:

Mike N.
ORCA Founder, 1990
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RonG
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Re: Wood fish plaque rehab

Post by RonG »

Wow, what a difference. Nice job!
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john elder
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Re: Wood fish plaque rehab

Post by john elder »

Nice, Mike!
ORCA member since 1999
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Specializing in saltwater reels...and fly reels...and oh, yeah, kentucky style reels.....and those tiny little RP reels.....oh, heck...i collect fishing reels!...and fly rods....and lures
RAM
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Re: Wood fish plaque rehab

Post by RAM »

Nice Mike-And great eBay find! Amazing that a carved and nicely painted fish could be bought for $24!

Keep at it! Bad Bob
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Mike N
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Re: Wood fish plaque rehab

Post by Mike N »

Thanks Ron, John and Bob- here’s another photo of the completed plaque and the wall I hung it on:


Mike N.
ORCA Founder, 1990
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Bill Sonnett
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Re: Wood fish plaque rehab

Post by Bill Sonnett »

Very nice! makes me want to take a couple of fish I mounted25 years ago and mount them on Birch Bark. Thank you for the inspiration Mike
I love to get old reels, work on them until they run as smooth as silk and the take them fishing using pre-1960 plugs, mostly surface fishing for Largemouths after dark.
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Mike N
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Re: Wood fish plaque rehab

Post by Mike N »

Bill:

Birch are readily available in the acidic mountain soil (pH 5.0-6.0) where I live. But if you don’t have access to birch trees, numerous sellers offer peeled birch bark at cheap prices on eBay and Amazon. I use wood glue and clamp the bark between a board and the plaque. If the birch appears dirty, I use white wall tire spray cleaner and rinse it off.

Here is one link:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Birch-Bark-Rol ... 0005.m1851

Mike N
Mike N.
ORCA Founder, 1990
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Bill Sonnett
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Re: Wood fish plaque rehab

Post by Bill Sonnett »

spend a good deal of the Summer in Northern Michigan and Northern Ontario ---plenty of Birch-- thanks for thinking of me
I love to get old reels, work on them until they run as smooth as silk and the take them fishing using pre-1960 plugs, mostly surface fishing for Largemouths after dark.
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Mike N
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Re: Wood fish plaque rehab

Post by Mike N »

I just noticed this great photo posted in July on the Fish Tales forum by John E of author and fly fishing tackle historian AJ Campbell taken at the Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum in Rangeley, Maine.

Note the old fish plaque on the wall and the interwoven threading along the birch bark border:

Mike N.
ORCA Founder, 1990
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