I tried to mount my first duck today. It was ugly! I had a bad experience with de-fatting the bird. I would really appreciate any tips or advice on this process, I am doing it by hand.
The large fat deposits were no problem, it was thinner layers of fat I could not remove without tearing the skin. It seemed the more I tried the dryer the skin got and the worse the problem.
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try to use sisers it takes bbout 2 hrs a duck
Doing it by hand is not easy. A pair of curved sicciors help a great deal hear. What needs to get done is try to break the quills free from the fat. Usually most beginners try to get to close to the skin while deffating. You don't need to get that close, you know what happens when you do, it rips.
You can try salting the skin up overnight in the fridge. This toughens the skin and will make fleshing a bit easier to to do. After you break up the membranes and clear the quills wash it in Epo-Grips degreaser to beak up the rest of the grease. It may need a wash or two to get it out. Then rinse a minummin of three or 4 times. Your water should be clear. If the water is clear then you can dry it.
Try a grapefruit knife. If the serrrations on the knife are too deep , grind them down a bit. light touch over a flelshing bar.
I use borax instead of salt in the manner that Frank suggested. It also helps to score the INNER membrane with a scapel running it lightly between the feather rows in a criss-cross pattern to allow access to the inner fat deposits. The stored fat deposits are free, and consequently easy to remove. The interstial fat is a natural insulater and is a part of the dermal complex in waterfowl.
What ever you use, caution is the watchword. The skin isn't as fragile as it seems to the beginner. Once you get the hang of it, the process becomes easier.
Using borax to soak up fluids as you work will assist removal and make fascia easier to deal with.
Frank--Hannah thankyou for your input (CUR) Your idea sounded most helpful!If I need u agin I hope u will be there for me. ( PP ya think)
a real time saver, takes a while to learn to use, so get a few duck skins and practice, practice, practice once you get it down, you can degrease a duck in about 30 minutes tops. the only way to go!