in doing turkeys which caulk is best to use. have read in Breakthrought were cally morris did some turkrys he use latex caulk. talked to a friend over the week end that whent to the Nat. convention to the turkey seminars there by cally & rick morris & tommy armstrong & said thy used 100%pure silicon /acid cure.which is better,& the pros & cons .lost 1 bird to the latex cauld by not having ALL holes sewed up.
Thx. Tim
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Well Timm if you would have wipped the caulk off the bird then taken a spray bottle and a tiny brush and rewashed the trouble area and then redryed it you would'nt have lost the bird.. I use a latex that is very thick..Less vehicle/water..100% is workable and gives a good adhearance to leather it dont need to be dry..100% will not,as will latext to wet..Also miss one hole and try to remove the 100% good luck..If you going the 100% route go one better elastomeric or RTV in a tube..
The other real nice thing acid cure does is accelerate corrosion.
On large bird I use foam to fill..Yep it exspands but it also contours right to exaclty what you form/sculpt..Ive done it to all my open wing geese and swans..Solid and yep its a bit spooky but once ya do it your hooked....Ya have to look out many windows...
Tim, latex will be a safer bet 99% of the time. The cheaper the better. The reason Cally started using silicone is he liked how fast it set the feather tracts and the birds required no attention after a few hours. However, if your silicone is not EXACTLY where you want it and your skin is not EXACTLY where you want it when the silicone starts to set the show is over. If you like to preen your birds for longer than an our or so or you are a little unsure of anatomy then silicone is a no-no.
As far as "losing" a bird to latex.....WHAT? If you are even slightly careful and remotely competent, the amount of latex you should have on the feathers should be minimal...at best. The trick to working with latex caulking is patience. Patience when you're applying it and patience when you screw up. If you get some caulking on feathers DO NOT try to clean it off right away. If you wait about an hour you will be able to scrape off nearly all the mess. It will still leave some on the feathers but leave that alone for another 30 minutes or so and you will be able to scrape that off too. No washing, soaking, tears or temper tantrums.
If I haven't answered your questions, or if you have more, feel free to call me.
Good luck!
Paul
814-796-6320
i did as you stated about washing the bird & even but it in some "gas" to help cut the caulk out. but after i tumbled it & started to dry it the feathers had that "fray" look to them. but by this time i was a little pissed..lol so maybe i take it back out of frezzer & try it again. sew "all holes" up this time too.