I skinned my first bird yesterday. went well, but I had trouble getting the neck area clean. do i need to completely invert the head and neck? i am using a artificial head, so the bird is completely skinned out. the bird is a lesser scaup. thanks in advance for any help.
Return to Bird Taxidermy Category Menu
A soft wire wheel is best. How did you get the fat off of the other areas. yes, you need to invert the neck to clean well. Divers are very fat and have tough skin, very good first duck. You can also usr a small pair of scissors with curved blades, but be carfull not to cut the skin. Use dawn to de-greese after you flesh.
I used borax and my thumb and kept rolling the fat off. i then soaked it in dawn/water, then repeated the borax/thumb process. i see why everyone recommends the wire wheel or scissors. i was nervous about a lot of handling on the neck/head area(scared i might tear something), but i will go ahead and completely invert it to get it clean. thanks
You will definately need to de-fat the Bluebill differently than you did the first time. You will need to remove the fat that is between the quills. I am spoiled, and have never had to resort to any other form of fleshing, (other than a wire wheel) but you will need to at a minimum use a wire brush and a pair of curved scissors. If you allowed the fat to remain on that bird with the method you described, you will only regret it later. Leaving all that fat on the bird will allow pests to feed on your mount later. It will also release grease later as the mount warms up, and permiates through the skin. I am impressed on the fact that you went with an artificial head on your first mount, which allows you to flesh your bird much easier than leaving the bill and skull attached using the relief-cut method. Get yourself a fine wire brush, and use a scalpel blade cutting thin cuts along the feather tracts, and this should help out your fleshing a bit easier. I've said it before, but the skin on a ducks anus and back are much thinner than the neck and head, and if you can flesh the rear with ease, than the head and neck should be a breeze. I would expect you to make a few holes when fleshing, but you are better off stitching a few holes than leaving the fat.