I have a mounted duck 40 years old.. It smwlls like cigarette smoke and tinted yellow. How can I wash the feathers... ?with what?
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You're about 25 years over the life cycle of a mounted duck that's not enclosed in glass. Likely the feathers have suffered from the atmospheric abuse as well and the only thing that I know of that you might be able to do is blow it out with shop air. If you are willing to take the chance of losing it completely, go to your local auto parts store and buy a can of drum brake cleaner. Spray the bird from the top down. It will wash much of the buildup off, but it may well wash the paint off and some of your feather barbules.
As George mentioned that is a long time for a bird that has not been covered. I have found a product At Farm & Fleet called Cowboy Magic that I use to clean game heads that are brought in; I have never tried it on birds. I use it real heavy like a wash then comb and groom the head. If your bird is full of smoke and dust and to the point you don't want to display it you could try the Cowboy Magic. Let us know how it works; you may have found something new for us. Don the riverrat