Struggling with bird feathers.

Dry the bird BEFORE assembling it. Dry by tumbling,hairdyer or whatever method you choose Also sounds like you may be OVERWASHING don't overdo it as dawn is very effective and you may be washing All the oil out of the feathers which would cause the problems you described, I personally soak my skins in white gas and that is a step which is hotly contested here but I like the results, PLUS i have more then adequate ventilation and use protective gloves etc. I have heard of mounting a bird ''wet'' and THEN drying it but could not imagine doing it that way. When you dry the feather you will find any imperfections which may show in the mount ETC ETC, Good Luck!!!

 

I agree with wingman. I do exactly as he stated with the exception of using acetone to degreese instead of white gas. Just personal preference. Definately dry the birds before mounting them. Good luck

 

I disagree with Wingman. I do not think you can overwash a bird. The feathers have what are called Barbules which when dirty will keep the feather vanes from going back together. It sounds like to me the bird is not clean enough.

 

I havent been doing this as long as some of you, but here is the way I was taught. Wash with dawn and cold water, rinse ALL soap out, soak in in coleman fuel and mineral spirits (1 to 1) for 20 minutes, Tumble, blow dry however you can and mount. I've done about 15 birds this way and the feathers always looked great except where part of the wing was missing from the gun shot.

Just my two cents worth

Jerry

 

I seriously doubt his birds are Dirty after being washed in the manner he described They can lose to much of the oil from the feathers by scrubbing with dawn, just a simple bath in strong dawnwater is sufficent, Have never heard of mixing white gas and dawn but have used the two individually. after soaking the bird in the gas you can pour the gas off the top, the water and grease will ''sink'' and reuse it.

 

I'm busy doing big game most of the time and haven't done a bird in a while. You guys are taking about cleaning. It's been a while so just a guess from past experience, but I think he has the bird clean enough. His problem sounds like grooming. To properly groom doesn't the skin have to fit and feather groups need to be in the right place. If the body shape is off especially to big and you don't have the wings wired in the correct place and the neck is the wrong size and length etc. You can't properly groom it and make it look good if that is wrong. I'd say to start with whats inside first. With all the grooming and touching he's doing to the feathers could he be getting them dirty again by handling it to much. You guys can take it from here.

 

Another thought. How good is the bird fleshed? Is all fat off of it? Washing and degreasing won't get it clean if it still has fat on the skin. Then handling the skin gets the grease onto your hands and then onto the feathers. If there is fat on the skin it also prevent the skin from fitting the body decently.

 

Walmart sells white gas in the sporting goods section get the cheap stuff, tumbling is a good option BUT you can wash, gas,borax and dry a skin with a hair dryer with GREAT results also. It's personal preference with many variables. Try the gas,borax and hairdyer first, if you don't do many birds this is a good option, Good Luck

 

White gas is the Coleman fuel for lanterns and camp stoves. You can buy it almost anywhere, walmart, Gander MT. ,Cabellas etc. Blacktailer- I didn't know how much experience you had with birds so I just threw out a few basic ideas so I'm sure that anatomy part is probably right. You said you are blow drying the birds. Is it possible that you are getting some feather tips to hot and singeing them a little? Could the brush you use be possibly doing damage to the feathers. I've never used a brush of any kind during drying the feathers. I use one during the final grooming with tweezers and soft makeup type brush.

 

I am going to agree with the people who say that the feathers aren't clean enough, or (more likely) not rinsed well enough. You DON'T need to use a solvent to get a bird clean, and if they are clean and dry all the way to the skin then the feathers will zip back together and be shiny all by themselves. You will barely need to touch them.

I see that nobody has mentioned how you can TELL if a bird is clean enough, so I'll give it a go.
I use Dawn in warm water (not hot - you should be able to keep your hand in it comfortably). After the bird is completely fleshed (by wire wheel or whatever method you use), give it a quick rinse under the faucet to get the worst of the remaining fat clumps washed away and to get it wet. Then squirt it all over, inside and out, with Dawn. Pay special attention to any shot holes and blood stained areas. Put a little squirt directly on those places. Then, gently scrub the inside of the skin using a brush. A vegetable brush works well. Do it gently - it is more like a sweeping motion than it is like hard scrubbing, What you want to do is work the liquid fat out from between the quills.

Now, for the shot holes and blood clots you need to be a little more aggressive. I use a medium to firm toothbrush and scrub those stains vigorously until they come free. Add another small bit of Dawn if needed. Don't be afraid to go against the grain of the feather while you scrub as long as your final pass is in the right direction. I almost never have to use a stain remover for blood. A toothbrush and Dawn will almost always do the job, especially on waterfowl. Use the toothbrush to go over the feathers around the incision too, because they tend to get pretty nasty.

Now for the most crucial step: rinsing.

This is where most people have trouble at first. You can start the process under a faucet, but to do a good job and to see if you have rinsed enough you need to completely immerse the skin.

There are three things that tell you when the bird is clean and rinsed.
1) the water will be absolutely clear after you agitate it.
2) the feathers around the incision (and elsewhere) will "float" underwater - by this I mean that they will apear completely fluffy, not clumped or stringy in any way.
3) when you squeeze the water out of the skin, do it over the container of water that you are using - there should be no suds.

If the feathers are refusing to "float" then you have probably missed a little bit of oil and you need to soap the skin once more. It wont take nearly as much soap as the first time - just a squiggle or two, then brush it lightly and rinse again. A note: upland bird feathers don't "float" quite as nicely as waterfowl feathers but they still do it. You can tell when they are clean using the same method. Use warm water throughout the entire washing/rinsing process.

When your bird skin passes the 3 tests above it is CLEAN, and you can then blot it with a towel, spin it in a washer, tumble it, shake it in a box of sawdust or even hang it up on a clothesline in the shade. Touch it up with a blowdryer or compressed air and it should be beautiful.
Give this a try before you waste your money and your health on Camp fuel or white gas. I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Nancy C.

 

I have to agree with Nancy on this one. I do all my birds the same way I like the way they turn out. NO GAS.I use a shop vac to dry them with. ;D I think a hair dryer gets the feathers to hot.

 

Thanks Nancy. I'll keep the tips on hand for if I ever get into doing birds again. Fur and hair keeps me busy right now.