Has anyone tried removing the wings on a turkey before mounting, then reattaching to the form after the rest of the skin has been positioned? I am trying to come up with a system to mount turkeys in stages. I do taxidermy on the weekends & after work. I would like to be able to finish a turkey during the week between 5:30pm. - 8:30pm.
Current Schedule
Evening 1 Flesh & wash the skin.
Evening 2 Prepare form, feet, tail & Habitat.
Evening 3 Mount the bird.
I have been completely removing the wing bones and installing the Joe Ferebee wing system. I was going to use the wire attached to the wing insert and killer glue to reattach the wings. I am concerned because I won't be able to bend and push the wire back into the form on the other side to hold the wing in place. I searched the archives but couldn't find any information on the subject. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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I do taxidermy in the evenings and save the weekends for my family. Here's how I do a turkey. I skin the bird, removing the tail, feet, and head when the bird comes in. Then, I freeze the skin by itself. I freeze the tail and legs together. The head is frozen by itself in a ziploc bag full of water. These are not 3 successive evenings. It takes at least 2 weeks for the legs to dry.
Evening 1
I start the evening by cleaning and washing the tail. Then, I let it soak in coleman fuel for 20 min. Then, I let it drip for a while.
I mount the legs using 1/4" threaded rod and Van Dykes foam drumsticks. I attach the drumsticks to the form using bondo or foam. I position the legs and toes on a plywood mounting stand and secure the bird with nuts and washers. I then inject the feet with Preservz-it. I will inject the feet each day for at least 2-3 days. I also brush Preservz-It on the outside of the feet and legs.
Back to the tail... I finish drying it with a hair dryer and then I position it and bondo it.
Evening 2
I skin the wings out and flesh the skin using a pressure washer...
Actually, I will do several at one time. It is as easy to do 5 as it is to do 1. I go ahead and wash the skins in dawn dish detergent and rinse really good, then I refreeze them wet.
Evening 3
I get the base ready, prep and paint the head, and seal/topcoat the legs (I paint them if necessary). Again, you can do 5 as quickly as you do 1.
Evenings 4&5
Dry the skin, sew any holes, wire the wings and put the bird together.
At this point, the bird is mounted and I start taxiing the skin, but I just get things close. I like to wait until the next evening to do any serious taxiing...the skin firms up a little and stays in place better. I also attach the head on the second evening and groom the bird.
Evenings 6-10
Groom and babysit the bird. Once the bird is dry, all you need to do is transfer it to its base and do a final groom and dusting. If there are any chipped spots on the head, touch them up.
As far as the wing inserts... I ONLY use them if the bones are busted too bad to do a simple repair. I think they are a complete waste of time. I can wire a wing much faster and get the shape I want. AND...I don't like to cut the secondaries from the bone. Even with Killer Glue, they are a pain to keep in place. Just my 2 cents.
I have about 6-8 hours in a turkey, doing it in the evenings. You have to find a system that works for you. Good luck.
Yes, you can remove and reattach a turkeys wing. Frank Newmyer does it in his video. To me, its just more work than is necessary and I can't see any better result.
Also, I should mention that on Evening 4 I do all the wiring, assembly, sewing, caulking, and rough positioning. On evening 5, I install the head and attach the neck skin. Then, I taxi, groom, card, etc.
Brian, while I've never mounted the wings separately, I have considered it. I have used wing inserts though, and even when I don't, I don't push the wing wire all the way through and back into the body like most suggest. I'll probably get some backlash for this. Where the humerus attaches to the body, I leave about 6 to 8 inches of wire to push into the body. If one wing ends up 1/4 to 1/2 inch forward of the other, it's easy to pull the wing wire back out of the body, back it up enough to get them even and reinsert it. Naturally, this isn't going to hold the wing in place. So, I cut a piece of 12 guage wire about 10 inches long and bend a hook on one end. You can use that wire to secure the other end of the humerus with the hook. The scapulars will completely cover it when you're done, and the wing will be completely secure. This will enable you to get both wings uniform on each side. In addition to going through the wing, you will also be pushing this wire through the turkey's body skin which could limit it's moveability (that's probably not a word). So, make sure the back pad is centered on the back with some slack where you can still taxi it into position before pushing the second wire through. Feel free to e-mail me if you need clarification. Good luck.