I put 3 pheasant skins in a bag with borax and put them in the dryer on no heat for them to dry and fluff the feathers,I read to do this here on the taxidermy forums but it did not work too well.The feathers on 2 of the pheasant heads fell out and now the skins are useless.The third skin is fine,what went wrong? Thanks,Maryann
Return to Beginners Category Menu
Tumbling yourself in a bag, well not you, the birds, or a box would've been enough!
Some will argue to use "puffed borax" instead!
.......with Big Al. Dryers can be rough on birds. But I HAVE talked to several folks that have removed all but one paddle and get good results with them on Birds.
Another problem you may have had with the 2 and not the other is the fact that they MAY have been younge birds loaded with Pin Feathers. After the wash and tumbling the Pin Feathers released and fel out.Just a thought!
I would also prefer to use Hardwood Flour or Cob Fines for the tumbling instead of straight Borax. I feel it'll be quite a bit gentler on the birds.It wouldn't hurt to add a bit of Powdered Borax to the mix though.
DOnt give up. The learning process is a wonderfull thing!
Have a great day,
Dave