This kinda ties into the washing question below. I wash/rinse adjacent to my (wife's) kitchen sink. Instead of using the double sink which can be small and awkward, I use a 5 gallon tuperware tub(2.5' x 1.5' x 6" deep)to wash in. To rinse I use another identical size tub but with many large holes drilled on one ends bottom; I find that by setting this rinse tub over the sink and using the sink's sprayer nozzle, I can get the soap suds out thoroughly and relatively quickly.
My question: I've just started trying the fabric softener in my final soak/rinse once I'm satisfied all the soap is gone (and, I'm anal about getting ALL the soap out). However, it seems that it takes even longer to get all the "suds" out from the Downy than from the actual soap. The "suds" from the Downy does appear different than that from the soap/Dawn - they dissapate pretty quick. It seems I could rinse forever and the skin will still produce suds/bubbles, if these are really "suds". Is this just some "property" of fabric softener? Or am I just being paranoid about getting all the suds out.
I'm using a couple fluid onces Downy in about 3 or 4 gallons of water. Also I don't know my end result with the Downy as I haven't dryed and mounted any of these skins yet. I'm only skinning, defatting, and washing a bunch of ducks/geese then putting them back in the freezer (making room for hunting season).
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I work at a chemical plant, and we used to actually make the raw material that is the key ingredient in Downy Fabric Softener. The product name was Arquad. If the product was inadvertantly spilled on to pavement it would wash the cement as if it was brand new. It also took forever to stop it from "sudsing". The thing I do know, is that it is indeed water soluble. It just might take a little more time to wash it out. My only question would be, is why are you using it in the first place, and why, if you want the feathers to be "bouncy" clean, why would you want to wash it out completely anyway? I've never used it myself, and have to believe I get great results with the degreasing agent I use. I also know that dishwashing liquid works just fine alone. Post up (or email me) when you've completed your first mount using this technique, to let me know if there is a considerabl difference using fabric softener. Also a lowly duckhunter, Pete
or a surface-active agent. All that means is that it's wetter than water and transforms water into a wetter liquid when mixed. It reduces surface tension allowing absorption.
In the case of Downy, it acts as a hair conditioner would and the reason it sudses so long is that water really isn't as wet as it is in its natural state. Just like hair conditioner, it doesn't want to wash out easily. You can substitute cheap hair conditioner with the same effects.
Very weak and temporary suds can be caused by traces of organic material in the water, or even a slight amount of mineral content. Even the ocean surf can have suds in it. (In other words, it can be hopeless to want ALL of the suds to be gone - just experiment until you learn when the soap is all gone.)
I have never used fabric softener since I believe that it leaves a residue on the feathers. It just never occurred to me to try it, and I've always had good results without it.
Most of what I do is turkeys, and I'm also fairly content with just washing in dawn. BUT, there's no doubt in my mind that there's some sort of "secret" washing agent out there. When you see some of the well known bird taxidermist's turkeys glowing like they've been eating nuclear charged corn, there's got to be something in there besides dawn and some petroleum based rinse. I've scrubbed and rubbed a lot of turkeys until the feathers squeak, but have yet to get one to shine like theirs. All that to say, I understand curiosity in trying new products, even though the tried and true dawn rinse is good enough.