I am in the process of mounting the fan myself. I was told by a hobbist taxidermist to clean out all the meat you can out of the fan but be careful not to mess up the skin holding the smaller feathers in front of the fan. He said after that pour some borex (detergent) on them to dry out and keeps bugs out. Is this a good recommendation? Is there anythink I should do to the beard to perserve.
Do yourself a favor and don't wait a few days to clean out the fat and stuff around the quills. I did mine last night and it turned into pure grease. Horrible job.
I usually start mine the next day. I just cut out as much of the meat as possible. Then I take a thick piece foam and spread the fan out on it. Then I put a small nail right under the chunck of meat and then another couple on the bottom fan feathers. I then pour a combo of borax & salt all over the fleshy part and rub it in. I continue to apply the salt/borax solution several times a day for a couple of weeks. I put the fan on the foam in a dry place where it can lay flat. Then I just order myself a plaque (usually a Quaker Boy)and in a month or so put it in. I haven't had any problems w/ bugs or anything... You just need to keep it stored in a dry place while you are treating the meat.
I hope this helps. I've seen taxidermists do it better... but I've also seen them do them worse! Good luck.
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Western MA was right. That is the best way to clean it. Then, when you fan it out to where you want it, try using bondo to keep the fan fixed in place. Order you plaque, then just attach
fan mounts
