I guess I need a refresher course on wire wheeling 101. I am getting holes in my bird skins before the fat is gone. Am I going too fast or too hard? Any help from the bird pros would be appreciated, thanks.
Return to Bird Taxidermy Category Menu
Treat every skin like it's a wood duck or a teal. Hold the skin taut and bring it up until it just touches the skin and then begin moving it back and forth. Stay off the same spot and don't be in a hurry to get ALL the fat off a single spot in one sweep. Prepare yourself mentally to make 3 or 4 passes on the entire bird to get all the fat removed. If you think you're going to get it all in one sweep, you'll end up burning holes through a pulling feathers. Patience is the key. Then when you get an old squaw or a bufflehead, you'll think you died and went to heaven with its tough skin.
Thanks for the refresher, George. I will try this technique on the next skin.
A common problem with wire wheels is that the wires do not alweays stay even. From time to time a wire or two will separate from the rest or be a little longer than the rest. This them will make a hole before the main wire brush touches the skin. It pays to check it from time to time. Cut the stray wires off with a side cutter Good luck
also check that you are using the smallest wire wheel size you can find. this has to do with what is known as "surface footage" in the grinding industry and could have some impact on your work.