Taxidermy Guild

Maintainers: @RaccoonWhisperer, @BeetleLord, @StuffedOwlEnthusiast
Discord: #🦝│taxidermy

Because someone donated a dead raccoon and we needed a policy.

Also: preserving the natural world through art and science, honoring creatures by giving them a second life as educational specimens, and the deeply meditative practice of removing flesh from bone.

Plus we already had the beetles.

📅 Meeting Time

Wednesdays at 7pm in the Preservation Room.

Anyone can show up. We take notes and post them below. This is where you'll meet people, learn stuff, and find out how to become a Practitioner on Day 1.

🚪 Door Code

The Preservation Room has a separate door code from general NB membership. To get the code, come to a Wednesday meeting and get oriented by any Master.

🎓 Levels

🔵 Practitioner

• Has door code
• Works alongside others

How to become a Practitioner: Get oriented by a Master at a Wednesday meeting. That's it.

🟡 Journeyman

• Can supervise Practitioners
• Someone newcomers can practice with
• Learning equipment maintenance from Masters

How to become a Journeyman: Any Journeyman or Master can propose you. One other Journeyman or Master agrees. We announce it and update this page.

Signs you're ready:

• Follows rules without reminders
• Has spoken up about rules at least once
• Can answer basic newcomer questions
• Someone vouches they'd trust you to supervise

🟢 Master

• Trains Journeymen on expensive/dangerous equipment
• Maintains equipment (and teaches others to maintain)
• Can orient newcomers and give out door code

How to become a Master: All four of these:

1. Trained at least one person from Practitioner to Journeyman
2. Can maintain equipment, not just use it
3. Other Masters recognize you (mini-consensus)
4. Held the guild solo at least once without disaster

Current Roster

Name	Level	Active?
@RaccoonWhisperer	🟢 Master	✅ Yes
@BeetleLord	🟢 Master	✅ Yes
@StuffedOwlEnthusiast	🟢 Master	✅ Yes
@BonesNotZombies	🟢 Master	✅ Yes
@DeadRaccoonDonor	🟡 Journeyman	✅ Yes
@FormaldeFriend	🟡 Journeyman	✅ Yes
@TheFleshingMachine	🟡 Journeyman	⏸️ On break
@WingAndAPrayer	🟡 Journeyman	✅ Yes
@CuriousNewcomer	🔵 Practitioner	✅ Yes
@JustHereForTheBeetles	🔵 Practitioner	✅ Yes
@FoundADeadBird	🔵 Practitioner	✅ Yes
@GlassEyeCollector	🔵 Practitioner	✅ Yes
@NotACatPerson	🔵 Practitioner	✅ Yes
@SkeletonCrew	🔵 Practitioner	⏸️ On break

(Goal: always have at least 2 Masters. Current bus number: 4 — excellent!)

⚠️ Room Rules

Everyone enforces our rules — these are hard-won, time-honored guidelines enabling us to keep this amazing guild space. We are all keeping each other excellent here.

• 🔪 Scalpels: Specimen scalpels and foam scalpels are different. NEVER cross-use. (Labeled.)
• 🚫 No food or drink in the Preservation Room. Contamination risk. Also: gross.
• 🪲 Dermestid beetle colony: Do not touch, open, or "check on" the beetles. Ask a Journeyman or Master.
• ⚗️ Tanning chemicals: Wrong ratios ruin specimens. Don't mix without training.
• 🦉 Personal projects: Labeled and stored on designated shelves. Don't touch others' work.
• ❄️ Freezer vs. Fridge: Specimens go in the FREEZER (marked "SPECIMENS"). The fridge is for chemicals only. We learned this the hard way. Twice.
• 👁️ Glass eyes: These are expensive ($15-40 each). Don't "borrow" them to see what you'd look like with different colored eyes. Yes, someone did this.
• 📸 Document before you start: Photograph specimens from multiple angles before beginning work. You will forget what it looked like. Trust us.
• 🏷️ Label everything: Species, date acquired, source, your name. Unlabeled specimens in the freezer for 30+ days become community property.
• 👃 The smell: If something smells worse than usual, tell someone. Do not "wait and see." The smell does not get better.
• 🚪 Door etiquette: Keep the door closed. The beetles stay in their enclosure, but we've had escapes, and maintenance is still finding them in the ceiling.
• 😱 Startle warning: If you're carrying a realistic mount through the space, announce yourself. We've had incidents.

🔧 Equipment

Equipment	Risk Level	Who Can Use
Basic hand tools	Low	Any Practitioner
Fleshing machine	High	Journeyman+ with Master supervision, or Master solo
Tanning station	Medium	Journeyman+ (trained on chemical ratios)
Dermestid colony	High	Master only

🖼️ Gallery of Notable Works

Taxidermy is an art. Here are some of our best specimens, and the people who made them.

🦝 "The Founder" (Raccoon)
by @RaccoonWhisperer, 2023
The original donated raccoon that started it all. Classic perched pose. Currently displayed in the main hall.

🦉 "Night Watch" (Great Horned Owl)
by @StuffedOwlEnthusiast, 2024
Found deceased after window strike. Mounted in flight pose. @StuffedOwlEnthusiast's Master qualification piece.

🦊 "Mission Street Fox" (Red Fox)
by @BonesNotZombies & @FormaldeFriend, 2024
Collaborative piece. Roadkill recovery. First successful large mammal mount by a Journeyman team.

🐦 "The Regulars" (Pigeons, set of 3)
by @WingAndAPrayer, 2024
Practitioner training project that turned out surprisingly well. Now used as teaching specimens.

💀 "Coyote Skull Articulation"
by @BeetleLord, 2023
Full skull cleaned exclusively by dermestid beetles. Demonstration of colony capabilities. Incredibly clean.

🐿️ "First Try" (Squirrel)
by @DeadRaccoonDonor, 2024
The piece that earned Journeyman status. Some visible seams, but excellent form and expression. We're proud of this one.

🦇 "Echo" (Mexican Free-tailed Bat)
by @RaccoonWhisperer, 2024
Extremely delicate work. Wingspan preserved at full extension. Currently on loan to California Academy of Sciences.

🦆 "The Incident" (Mallard)
by @CuriousNewcomer, 2025
First Practitioner piece completed entirely during Wednesday sessions. Named for reasons we don't discuss. It's fine. Everything is fine.

Want your work featured here? Complete a piece that a Master deems gallery-worthy, and we'll add it with your name attached forever.

🔧 Maintenance

• Weekly: Clean work surfaces, check chemical supplies
• Monthly: Fleshing machine inspection, beetle colony health check
• As needed: Scalpel sharpening, chemical restock

Journeymen learn maintenance by working alongside Masters. You're not a Master until you can maintain, not just use.

🎁 Donations

We accept specimen donations, but not all donations are good.

Before accepting:

• Is it legal? (Check Fish & Game regulations)
• Is it in usable condition?
• Do we have storage space?

When in doubt, ask a Master. It's okay to say no.

🤝 Friends

Thanks to Gate Guild for helping us set up the door lock, and to the Treasurer for not asking too many questions about the beetle food budget.

📝 Meeting Notes

Notes from Wednesday sessions. Simple log format.

2025

• 2025-12-11: Discussed new specimen intake procedures; @CuriousNewcomer joined as Practitioner
• 2025-12-04: Beetle colony health check; ordered more dermestids
• 2025-11-27: No meeting (holiday); @BeetleLord checked on beetles remotely via webcam
• 2025-11-20: @DeadRaccoonDonor elevated to Journeyman 🎉
• 2025-11-13: Fleshing machine maintenance; chemical inventory
• 2025-11-06: "The Incident" completed; we don't talk about it
• 2025-10-30: Halloween prep; @FormaldeFriend brought candy skulls (edible, not specimens)
• 2025-10-23: @WingAndAPrayer started on new pigeon (fourth in series)
• 2025-10-16: Beetle escape contained; ceiling inspection scheduled
• 2025-10-09: New practitioner orientation x2
• 2025-10-02: Tanning station chemical restock
• 2025-09-25: @FoundADeadBird brought a dead bird (obviously)
• 2025-09-18: Fox mount completed; Mission Street Fox added to gallery
• 2025-09-11: Slow week; beetle observation session
• 2025-09-04: @GlassEyeCollector incident; glass eye policy updated
• 2025-08-28: Summer wrap-up; inventory check
• 2025-08-21: @NotACatPerson joined (they found a cat, we said no cats, they stayed anyway)
• 2025-08-14: "Echo" bat mount completed; loaned to CalAcademy
• 2025-08-07: @StuffedOwlEnthusiast Master ceremony 🎉
• 2025-07-31: Night Watch owl mount completed (Master qualification piece)
• 2025-07-24: Small turnout; mainly beetle maintenance
• 2025-07-17: @TheFleshingMachine announced break; work obligations
• 2025-07-10: Freezer reorganization; found unlabeled specimen from March
• 2025-07-03: No meeting (holiday week)
• 2025-06-26: @JustHereForTheBeetles orientation; they really are just here for the beetles
• 2025-06-19: Fox project started (collaborative)
• 2025-06-12: @BonesNotZombies Master ceremony 🎉
• 2025-06-05: Chemical safety refresher; new ventilation fan installed
• 2025-05-29: Quiet week
• 2025-05-22: @WingAndAPrayer completed "The Regulars" (pigeons)
• 2025-05-15: "First Try" squirrel completed by @DeadRaccoonDonor
• 2025-05-08: Door code changed (routine)
• 2025-05-01: Spring cleaning; deep-cleaned everything
• 2025-04-24: @SkeletonCrew announced break; traveling
• 2025-04-17: Beetle colony doubled in size; good sign
• 2025-04-10: @DeadRaccoonDonor proposed for Journeyman (seconded by @RaccoonWhisperer)
• 2025-04-03: Slow week
• 2025-03-27: Fleshing machine maintenance (annual)
• 2025-03-20: New glass eyes arrived; beautiful greens
• 2025-03-13: @FormaldeFriend started Journeyman training
• 2025-03-06: "The Founder" moved to main hall display
• 2025-02-27: @WingAndAPrayer joined as Practitioner
• 2025-02-20: Owl project started (@StuffedOwlEnthusiast)
• 2025-02-13: Valentine's Day theme; heart-shaped treats (not specimens)
• 2025-02-06: Coyote skull articulation completed by @BeetleLord
• 2025-01-30: Winter slow period; beetle warming session
• 2025-01-23: @FormaldeFriend orientation
• 2025-01-16: New Year planning; goals for 2025
• 2025-01-09: First meeting of 2025; good turnout

2024

• 2024-12-18: Holiday party; mulled cider (not in the preservation room)
• 2024-12-11: @BeetleLord Master ceremony 🎉
• 2024-12-04: Year in review; 8 specimens completed
• 2024-11-27: No meeting (holiday)
• 2024-11-20: Beetle colony established (finally!)
• 2024-11-13: @DeadRaccoonDonor orientation; brought another raccoon
• 2024-11-06: Door code system installed (thanks Gate Guild!)
• 2024-10-30: First Halloween as a guild
• 2024-10-23: Level system adopted
• 2024-10-16: @StuffedOwlEnthusiast joined; very enthusiastic about owls
• 2024-10-09: Fleshing machine acquired (donated by mystery benefactor)
• 2024-10-02: Room designated as "Preservation Room"
• 2024-09-25: Second meeting; 4 people showed up
• 2024-09-18: First official meeting; @RaccoonWhisperer, @BeetleLord present
• 2024-09-11: Pre-guild planning session
• 2024-09-04: Someone donated a dead raccoon. Now what?

2023

• 2023-12-xx: "The Founder" raccoon completed; @RaccoonWhisperer's first piece
• 2023-11-xx: Raccoon preservation begins (informal, no guild yet)
• 2023-10-xx: The raccoon arrives; @RaccoonWhisperer says "I can work with this"

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See also: Guilds · Rubber Ducky Guild · Sewing Guild · Electronics Guild · MetaGuild