a while back i did my first phesant, and told people on here what i washed in to clean the feathers and what i soaked in to degrease. also the post was mostly about why the loss of so many down feathers. george corected my times, but i forgot what he said. so ill try to remember what i did and maybe some of you can tell me what i should do instead. i know i washed the feathers in WASCO's skin prep, rinsed, then soaked in dawn to degreas for 1/2 hour. i cant remember if i was told the soak was too long or too short. i used dp for mounting. should i just use borax? what process do you guys/ gals use. i have 2 more phesants and a "chucar" to do now. with the pose i had the bird looked good for my first, but i would like to learn the right way this time. thanks in advance for your help.
bob
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I defat the bird thoroughly. I wash in Epo-Grip Bloodout/Degreaser and let set no more than 20 minutes. I rinse thoroughly, squeeze dry, and then spin it dry in an old washer. Then I tumble it for 15 -30 minutes, shake off excess grit, DP the bird, and mount it. If I can't mount it then, I don't DP it, but simply bag it and refrigerate or freeze it until I can. Once mounted, I use my bird blower and fluff the feathers, preen and adjust and let set to dry. But that's just ME. There are several experts here who can tell you how they do their show birds.
thank you george for the instructions. you are always a great help.
thanks
bob