Hello, can someone please help me. I am mounting a white pheasant and as this bird was in the pen for awhile it had a very short and ugly tail. I am trying to take a good tail and bleach it solid white. I have tried basic-white and hydrogen peroxide mix (12%), oxi clean, rit whitener, and regular bleach. The basic while mix worked the best, but left it with a yellow tint, never solid white. Again, I'm trying to take a tail from a regular rooster and bleach it solid white to match the white pheasant. Is their any other way to do this? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. After ruining 4 tails this is getting pretty frustrating! Thank you
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Use the ultra white to get your total white-yellow color like to stated earlier.Then take an airbrush or a can of well shaken spray paint and at a distance mist your white in.May sound harsh but that's what your going to have to do to get it all white.Or try this evn.Find out or ask somebody if they happen to have a tail they can sell or gift you.It's probably going to be cheaper than what your doing now.
I forgot to state this in my previous reply.When you start painting the tail white go VERY lightly to just get it started.It's going to take awhile to achieve the look, but you have to build it up gradually to prevent the paint from running and the feathers from looking all clumped togeather.Make sure you allow plenty of drying time between applications.
You might be able to lighten it some, but I dont think you will ever get it all the way to white before the feathers start to dissolve. Once it gets to the yellowish stage you will probably need to finish up the process with paint.
Feathers that lack pigment are structurally weak. This is why white ringnecks are usually in such terrible condition.
Okay, thanks alot Nancy and Ryan, I was hoping for some magic secret that would turn it solid white, but that would be way too easy right! I appreciate your responses. Hopefully it will turn out alright. Thanks again!