is there any thing I can put on a whistling swan to get this rust color out of the feathers? have tried oxy clean with no luck Thank you. DwL.
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Washing it in a product called Iron Out.Any grocery store should have it.It's for getting out rusty iron stains out of your bathtub etc. I use it on Snow Geese all the time and it works wonders.
In other words, was the bird stained when it was harvested? Isnt that natural? Besides, removing rust is never easy, and it never comes off completely. In most cases they look worse then they did stained. Most rust removers are not feather friendly. If its natural dont take it off. Its part of who and where that bird came from. I have dusted (and I mean just dusted) golden eyes spots, canada goose patches and the like with the white paint and the air brush and although it will not stand up to close visual scrutiny it really doesnt look bad. Personally I would leave it the way it is. Its natural. If the customer wants a whiter bird tell him to go get one.
I started using Iron Out many years back, after Jason Grady demoed it to me. It will remove the rusty looking stains.
I use three or four capfulls sprinkel it directly onto the rusty areas and in about 5-10 minutes the rust is gone.
In my mind I figure removing rust stains so the bird don't look dirty is part of my job. But then I hate to see ragged dried looking fins on fish, I work them over to look like fresh fins.
Well I'll just have to try that.
I've never had trouble getting rust out of feathers. I simply wash the bird as usual but, before rinsing, I will take Rit Rust Remover and make a paste out of it. I will brush it onto the rusty feathers and let it sit for about five minutes. Two more rinses and I have a white bird with no adverse effects on the feathers.
While I will agree with Mike that the rust might be "natural" I believe that we, as taxidermists, have a duty to present the specimen in the best way it can be presented and, for me at least, that means a bird without rust stains. After all, a fox or a coyote smelling like a urinal "is perfectly natural" but I wouldn't mount one like that.
I have, on occasion, left some stains on the faces of snow geese and swans. It provided an interesting contrast and in no way detracted from the natural beauty of the bird.
If you still have trouble with your rust stains feel free to give me a call but PLEASE don't paint them white.
Good Luck!
Paul Czarnecki
tri0900 "at" velocity "dot" net
814-796-6320
I hope it didnt sound like I intended to tell him to paint his bird. When I sugested a dusting of white with an air brush I should have said that what I did was just a small area i.e. a spot on a golden eye or a canada goose patch. This I have only done for customers who have brought in poorly plumed birds with very grizled looking patches. That was a very light dusting I might add. I dont really care to do it and I warned the customer that its not going to turn out as good as he wants it. Im really sorry that I brought that up, because no its not a very good practice, and i dont suggest doing it. Back to the rust thing, I have not tried Rit, or Rust out but I assure you that I will, but only when a customer says they really want the rust removed.
It works a lot like Iron-out. 'Comes in a small brown plastic bottle. It's a clear liquid, and it removes rust and mineral stains almost instantly.
Use it BEFORE you skin the bird! Wet the feathers first, apply the Whink, rinse out the excess, and proceed as usual.
I usually shoot a truck load of snows each year. Always get a few that have a lot of rust in the feathers. I think some of them look neat. If someone brought a rusted snow into me, rather than assuming the customer wanted the bird whitened up, I'd ask when he brought it in. Shot a pair of snows that decoyed together a few years ago and both were a deep golden brown. About as rusted up as any snows I've ever seen. Wish I would've mounted one of them just to see the contrast between some snow white ones I have mounted.
Stain away from Kings Supply it will make all stains on white feathers disappear. Hope this helps