What is the proper way to dry out turkey wings that have been in the freezer. Is there a way that should be done for insects and such? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I will use these to make Native American prayer feather fans and have not found any information on preserving them.
Thanks
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Much depends on the shape and support system necessary to meet how you will use the "fans". If the fan is only feathers with a raw hide cover over the quills, you should pull each individual wing feather, remove the meat and fat from the quill, position in the desired shape and with bondo or hot glue attach the feathers together and cover as appropriate. If you are using the entire wing intact. You must remove all the meat and fat from the bones and skin. to include the bone marrow. This process has many techniques, I prefer "casing the wing to the first joint, then making an incision on the under part of the wing and removing the meat from the ulna and radius - I would make sure to leave the feather butts attached to the bone for stability later. Also make a small incision at the end of the wing and remove the meat from the "hand" portion. Once this is completed, liberally dust with borax or some other absorbant, rubbing it in the wing. Again, depending on the shape and use, the next step would be to run a heavy wire (10-8) guage inside the wing along the bones and out the hand portion. I use electrical tape to attach the wire to the bones and pretty much wrap the entire length of the humerous but, you can use string or other material. I also tape in three places along the ulna and radius. Once the wire is attached, position the wing as you desire by bending the wire. Once positioned you will need to replace the meat you removed with some form of material - I generally use cotton batting or paper towels wrapped around the wing and tied with string. Since the wing may be handled roughly you may want to consider another type of fill. Sew the incisions, lay flat on a table and reposition each feather holding them in place with "cards" or masking tape until dry. Good luck