I have been mounting ducks and geese for 20 years with much success using scissors and small wire brush. Recently bought a wire wheel flesher and mounted 15 ducks/geese. The wheel scares the hell out of me, although I have had relative success. Any tips as to the chronology of defatting---tail first or legs first or what? Also, last two ducks mounted a week ago and fat leaking out onto incision feathers. First time in my career this has happened. I wheel them, wash in Dawn, soak 5 min in Acetone, tumble, Borax and mount. Any other methods/steps anyone else do to prevent this? Should I be using a little cotton between the foam body and the skin just in case? Thanks
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I do use artificial heads, but also start at the "face", working my way down and around the neck. From there I will work my way down one side of the breast, working the wing and leg on that same side. I then move to the other side and finish up around the tail... the biggest problem area for me!
You had to have left some fat behind. Placing cotton between the form and skin will not rid the problem.
Your cleanning method should work if all the fat is gone.
You should only need to use the cotton to build up any low areas. Seems people have gotten used to buying their bird forms a little smaller than they need so they can taxi the skin a little easier. and for preening purposes. The wire wheel flesher can be a little intimidating but don't let it scare you, you've been doing it your way for so long its just going to take a little practice to feel comfortable with your new flesher. Just be careful, find which chronology of defatting works best for you, as im sure everyone does it different, keep using your knife and scissors to clean up around any and all feather bases clean and degrease good the wire wheel is just like a hide shaver it gets most of it but you still need to do the fine shaving manually with a knife. Don't worry you'll get it. good luck
My God Garry! I soak all my birds in acetone as I feel there is nothing better for removing water and quick drying. However, NEVER should ANY bird skin be soaked in acetone for longer than 2 minutes--and that is for turkeys and geese. Acetone works so quickly that it will completely remove ALL moisture from a skin--leaving it virtually unusable. Haven't you noticed your bird skins becoming very dry and brittle?
Try this on your next bird. After fleshing run the bird, skin side out, under hot water letting it flow from head to tail. I mean HOT.
This removes most of the grease and does NOTHING to hurt the skin. Wash in Dawn and rinse several times. After rinsing for the last time pat it dry with towels and then soak briefly in acetone. You should need no longer than a minute. Agitate a few times. Take it out, let the fumes blow off for a few minutes and then blow dry.
More than likely, Garry, the reason you have grease showing up is that your 5 minute acetone soak has dried the skin so quickly and thoroughly that the grease that would normally be absorbed by the drying skin has no place to go and so is leaching out.
Easy on the acetone dude!
Thanks everyone for your advice. Paul, you say to run it under hot water. That seems to fly in the face of everything we try to avoid in taxidermy--that is to avoid heating the skin. Hot water would worry me. I have graduated from a cool water wash, to luke warm, but have never moved to hot. I see your thinking that hot water obviously would remove grease faster and more efficient than cool, as long as it is safe. Has anyone else out there used hot water to perform this task? Also, you may have a point about the time duration of the acetone, I never thought of your point that it dries out too fast. I do have to work very fast on the mounting to avoid it drying too much. I usually spray the skin with a water mister after tumbling to avoid the dry skin problem. I am gone now to mount a blue goose this morning, and I will lay off the long soak in the acetone, and see how this works. Thanks.
Garry, I've been rinsing the "inside out" skin in hot water for years and haven't had any problems you mentioned..it really disolves the greasy mess off the skin prior to washing. I also cover the inside out skin with dawn and wash in warm water while preparing the next skin, then rinse, turn it rightside out and wash again, rinse well, I've got a "2 holer" sink so I've got birds going in both. I don't use the "gassing" anymore, just spin it in the washing machine, but that debate will go on forever. Good luck with the "wheel".
The only thing the hot water will do to your birds, if you are not careful, is weaken the skin on very fat birds if you keep it in the hot water too long. Rinse the skin while supporting it by holding the wings and the bulk of the belly. Don't let a skin hang by the neck while running it under hot water--you'll have a neck mount mallard!
So much for traditional beliefs, huh?
Any more questions Garry--feel free to call. My number's on my website: www.tristatetaxidermy.com