A friend of mine tried to do his own Turkey tail with a Van Dykes kits. It looks like he scapped all the fat and meat off very well. He told me the feathers were wet when he spread the tail out to dry with the borax. Now that it is dry and set, the feathers do not seem right. Is there anything he can do to fix this. We tried a toothbrush on one feather but it still does not look right. Any suggestions...
Tim
Return to Bird Taxidermy Category Menu
I would re-wet the feathers, shake off the excess water, and with the exaust end of a shop vac, blow strong air across the feathers on the back side of the fan until dry. Dont blow straight on the feathers, blow across them from the bottom up to the tips. Then go over it with a warm hair dryer to fluff the feathers full.
If it still doesn't look right, it shifted when it dried. Re-soak the tail butt and start over, pinning the feathers down as you space them, to a foam board will keep them lined up until dry.