Turkey Fan

OVER BOARD · 05-24-2007, 08:41 AM

I know there are several threads about this already but just for my own clarification. I dont need detailed step by step instructions but are the following the general steps:
1. Pick all the meat off
2. Degrease the quills
3. Borax and pin the feathers in the pattern you want
4. Bondo over the borax
5. Screw or hot glue to your mount

Can I degrease with a kitchen degreaser or do I have to use something like acetone?

One other question I have is the bird I shot was a jake the beard was only like 3 inches but it had like a white dried skin that encased most of the beard. Im not really sure what it is, should I cut this skin away for the mount or do I have to leave it so the beard doesnt fall apart?

Thanks!

r33h · 05-24-2007, 09:00 AM

I degreased mine with coleman latern fuel. Worked really well. Put the beard in the borax as well. I cover the beard completely in the borax.

Mr. Longbeard · 05-24-2007, 07:47 PM

Is this for a fan mount or a full turkey mount??? If your talking just about a fan mount then I don't see the need to do all that work... I have a wall full of fans and no prob with any of them... All I do is cut my fan off the bird... Spread it out on card board, salt it down real goodand set a few magazines on it to keep in the position I want... After about 2-3 weeks I make my plaque and mount it on my wall

I'm sure if you take the extra time to seperate all the feathers and then hot glue them back to gether you prob get a pretty good mount. But it sure does seem like a lot of work and a lot of mess to go threw... Good luck with you fan

MDManiac · 05-24-2007, 09:12 PM

Yep i cut it off with as many excess feathers as i'd like, set the position, cover the base in borax, and let it sit for 2-3 months...works like a champ, and no bugs!

Arrowmaster · 05-24-2007, 09:15 PM

I agree with Mr Longbeard. The only difference I do is staple the fan to a piece of plywood, let it dry a month. I dont make a plaque I just hang it on the wall with 3 staples after it has dried. Then I will hang the beard under the fan encased in the brass of the shell I shot the bird...

bloodcrick · 05-24-2007, 09:19 PM

here is what works for me.
scrape meat off fan, i dont degrease but use borax heavly
spread on board, tack two outmost feathers down with small nails to hold them in the spread position.
use strip of cardboard about 3"x 10" (carding) and lay over plume feathers and tack down.
trim meat off beard but leave white stuff on, coat with borax.
cut legs 1/2" above and below spurs. with wire push out ligament in one bone hole and push out yellow junk in other hole and pack with a little borax. some people remove skin from leg, some leave it on. let dri for a couple weeks. i use a staple gun to mount to plaque, stapledover about5 quils.

OVER BOARD · 05-25-2007, 07:51 AM

So that white skin that is encasing the beard, I should leave on and just put in borax. Will the borax dissolve this or does it just protect it from the bugs. I would like to remove this to expose as much of the beard as possible. Like I said its about a 3 inch beard and 2.5 inches of it is encased in this white dried skin. Do I have to cut it away to expose more of the beard?

MDManiac · 05-26-2007, 12:54 PM

Leave the beard itself how it is. Just cut it off right above where it enters the bird and call it good.

JW · 05-26-2007, 04:55 PM

I posted a pictorial on how I mount a fan. Go to Fan Mount on this web.

And all I do is cut the beard off - trim a bit of excess white skin and put that end in borax. Once dry I insert into the shell hull I shot the bird with as I knock out the primer and use that hole to insert an eye so I can hang it up..

JW