is it absolutely necessary to use borax? after washing/degreasing and tumbling in corncob grit, will i have problems if i dont use borax? thanks
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Have you mounted birds before? You're gonna have to preserve the skin somehow. If you mount it in it's raw state you are risking having it ruined by bacterial deterioration or insect infestation. The borax acts as a deterrent to these pests. Some tan bird skins. Some use a dry preservative. I use borax and it preserves them well if you have sufficiently fleshed and degreased. Use the borax. good luck!
Peace!
done a bunch of birds, always use borax for tumbling, but i did a turkey and tumbled it in corn cob after i washed it and soaked in acetone. could i mix borax with the corncob grit?
Just coat the inside of the skin with borax before you mount him
I don't reccommend it. The skin dries too fast and Borax leaves a residue next to the feather shafts. This gives your feathers a dull look. I did it for years and now I don't. But I do put it in the skin to preserve and help with bugs.
Is there a reason you don't want to use Borax? It's cheap and takes about a whole minute to dust the inside of a duck skin...pretty good trade off for the protection you do get from it.