i have only dont 4 birds now. so i am very new at birds with a lot to learn. so far they have all turned out ok. but, it seems to take forever for the last joint of the wing to harden up enough to say put. am i not running the wire far enough in. i run it up to the last joint. at that joint its loose right from the get go. do i need to skin farther into the wing tip and wire it there too. i have 2 videos by sally dames and she doesnt even go as far as i did on my last 2. any tips or help here.
thanks in advance.
bob
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Do you have a solid anchor where the wing attaches to the body? Is your support wire attached firmly to the humerus and ulna? I only wire mine to the carpal joint and then let it dry for at least 10 days. While drying the wing is supported by external wires and tape. Let it dry for at least 10 days. It should get solid.
i let my birds dry for 2 weeks before removing the strips i have supporting the wings. all parts are dry but the ends are still a little flexable. i had to run pins in that joint to get them to stay put. im not sure if they would have if i just let them dry a little longer. i guess i will see on the last one i did. it was only done last sunday so the strips i put on are still there. this last bird is standing with wings tucked around its body. so i assume that will take longer yet to dry totaly. any other tips are greatly appreciated.
thanks again for the help
bob
For flying birds I card and tape wings. Then I let it dry for no more than a day. I take all the carding off. reset the wings groom unruly feathers and re-card. If you card and go away till dry you will have little cowlicks so to speak under the carding.
Tony
Bob, with the standing bird do you have the wings wired to the body? If not, you will need to put in a pin through the wrist joint to the body. this pin you can leave in if you have it hidden. I also use pins to hold the wing up on a standing bird until it dries. Then I remove them. Good luck
i did put wire in the wings up to the last joint. then attached them threw the body and crimped on the opposite side. from there i shaped the wings to lay back on the body as i felt it looked right. just hoping it dries right under those wings. again thanks for the help, and if you have more it will be appreciated.
thanks
bob
I was at a seminar this weekend and a guy mounted a turkey and wired the wings internally..... wire through both the bottom and the top bones.... so there was no way of getting a wire through the "wrist" of the bird. i tried it out on my last goose but it still has 7 days to dry. The wiring process was super simple and its a flying mount, so we'll see how it turns out!