Cleaning duck feathers?

[ACSooner80]

I just had a guy give me some feather fluff not sure what if any I can use, but some of them have blood on them, and so I was wonderin how do you go bout gettin the blood off without messin up the feather for tyin jigs w/ it? Also is there any thing I need to put on the ones that dont have blood? Just to clean them off alil? Thanks for any advice!

Thanks,
AC

[snake River]

put the feathers in warm dishwater soap the blood will come right off. Then rinse them in cold water or warm water. Squeeze the water out put them in a pillow case put a plastic tie to keep the pillowcase shot put it in your dryer about a half-hour your feathers will be dry.

[quivira kid]

I get a little dish of water, wet a few fingers, and "preen" the blood out. Go with the flow of the feather and the chunks of dried blood should come right out.
Put the feathers in the freezer for a week minimum to kill all the "creepy crawlies" that may be on them, too. That's incredibly important, in my opinion!

[Redman]

AC Tide will do the trick also. Use Tide on deer tails and it will take the blood right out. Feathers are no different and the part about sticking them in the freezer isn't a bad idea eather. I alway use moth balls on my duck feathers and so far so good. Don't have many Mallards that come down this way but have a few limits of Wood Ducks that seem to find there way into the freezer every fall.


Redman

[ACSooner80]

Ok, I'm gonna be gettin my hands on some chicken feathers, and we skin our chickens not pluck, so I've got a few skins in pieces(not skilled enough yet to get them off in one piece) so I have them on some wood w/ some salt and borax, but was wonderin how long does it normally take for them to dry complete, I did a Squirrel awhile back that my lil brother shot, and it took awhile it seemed. I'm not in a hurry but was just wondering, and is there a reason to scrap off old salt and resalt? I'm new at all this, so if I'm buggin ya'll just let me know, just new so I'm gonna be askin alot of questions!!!!

Thanks,
AC

[Fatman]

AC

On the skin pieces use Dawn dish liquid and warm water get the blood off and press between paper towel to get most of the water off. Personnally leave the salt OUT and use the straight borax. Cover the pieces with it and then just watch for wet spots. If you get any use a spoon and lift that clump off and put some fresh on. I've done a bunch of grouse skins this way and it dry's them right out plus bugs just seem to hate the stuff.

On the freezer, I've read more than a few articles from folks WAY smarter than me that don't consider it any help. These are folks that are storing materials for tying full dress salmon flies and the feathers they use are WAY more expensive than what we're using. I'll try and dig out the article and post the link for it.

For those loose feathers after you give them a wash, if you don't want them in your dryer. Get a paper bag and cut a hole in the side just big enough to fit a hair dryer in, put the feathers in the bag fold the top over and shake the bag while blowing warm air in the hole. Fluffs them right up.

[Redman]

I use the salt only to ferm up the skin. The borax thing is a must that will preserve the skin. I always let my skins sit in the borax for at least two weeks untill there is no more mosture coming out at all. I still have a badger pelt that is rolled up that has borax on the back and it is like 8 years since I did him. And yes he is still good.

Redman

[hair jig]

clean with borax

[smoothlures]

I use the salt only to ferm up the skin. The borax thing is a must that will preserve the skin. I always let my skins sit in the borax for at least two weeks untill there is no more mosture coming out at all. I still have a badger pelt that is rolled up that has borax on the back and it is like 8 years since I did him. And yes he is still good.

Redman

It's amazing how you can preserve stuff. I have a bobcat hide rolled up in a garbage bag in a closet that's heavily salted and it doesn't stink a bit. Been meaning to tan it and make a rug but haven't gotten around to it. Like you said keep the salt/borax dry, it pulls the moisture out, so change it often at first.